Education is the field that COVID-19 lockdown has modified almost the most. Now we live in an era of shopping online, working online, studying… doing everything online. Proceeding from our experience in providing online learning solutions we formed a shortlist of the main things to consider when creating a tutoring marketplace. They will make the educational process comfortable for both a student and a tutor.
Cost & Payment
Of course, the content and opportunities that the platform offers are the most important but face it, people will not pay for an unreasonably expensive course. Lots of them need these platforms for getting skills and searching for a job. Quite often — their first job.
Reputable learning platforms offer multiple payment methods: hourly or per minute, for each lesson or the complete course, for a week/month/year, by subscription, etc. Implement the most suitable option or test them all and make a choice later.
Quite often, the platforms have a trial period for few days or a week so that students can try whether it is what they were looking for and how convenient the classes are.
Having tried and compared several platforms, it is easy to choose the best one. Students usually stay at services with per-course payment, where courses are recorded and uploaded. The best thing about this model is that you can buy and download lessons now and pass them on later.
Per-minute payment is the best option for online lessons with tutors. Edutailors — the platform we have created — is using this model.
User-Friendly Interface
Having few hundred courses on your website means nothing if people cannot figure out how to use them. The platform must be functional and its use — intuitive. If there is even a tiny chance that a student or a teacher will face any difficulties — provide them with a guide or welcome tour. Offer it immediately after registration. Since most users will fearlessly skip it, let them find it later in the settings.
Online chat, phone support, and FAQ are your friends too.
Compatibility With Mobile Devices
If you can reach lessons with a smartphone, they are twice as likely to be passed. That’s pretty natural: you can do it while standing in line, waiting for a bus, having dinner, etc.
The situation with online learning platforms is slightly different. But still, smartphone access reduces the number of canceled or postponed lessons due to the lack of time or unpredicted circumstances. Even if you are late and cannot be at home on time, you can find a cafe or any quiet place and listen to a lecture or have a lesson. The only things to worry about may be a dying battery or weak wifi connection, but these are easy to solve with a power bank and mobile internet.
Trial Period
We have already mentioned the mission and value of the trial period. As you remember, there are options: to offer one trial lesson or a full course. Or one day. Or a week. Or one plan for free. The model with some amount of free minutes with subsequent payment becomes more and more popular. 15–20 minutes usually enough for breaking the ice between a tutor and a student, understanding the whole picture, and making a choice.
As you can see, there is space for creativity. Each option is suitable. The only wrong decision is not including a trial period at all.
Number of Courses
You will never find the perfect platform, but you can find the best one. So what makes it the best? A variety of courses and opportunities!
Your goal is to implement a maximum number of courses, lessons, directions, and options for all types of users. Provide a student with a chance to pass them one-by-one. Offer a discount. Design a certificate. Add more and more lessons all the time, expand your expertise. Be creative once again.
Working on a tutoring marketplace, give a chance of passing few courses in parallel, and so on.
Tutors’ Qualification
A mixed picture emerges. On the one hand, low qualification standards increase the risks of clients being unsatisfied. On the other, it can be a chance for gifted, smart students to start their teaching careers. It means you need to test every single tutor.
Testing the level of knowledge and soft skills of teachers should be done by testing during registration, uploading the diploma, conducting a short introductory course, etc.
Pay extra attention to platforms for schoolers. Think about parental control, reporting system, and functional limitations.
Rating and Feedback
Most users will make their decisions based on tutors’ ratings and feedback left by other students. It is vital to provide users with the opportunity to leave comments and form a rating, and, last but not least, to respond to feedback. There are great chances to get negative feedback after an amazing lesson. Only because you have not met someone’s expectations.
In Conclusion
Feel a little snowed under all this information? It is okay. The best piece of advice I can give you here — clearly define the purpose and the mission of the platform you aim to develop. Then create a picture of the potential user in your head and a document. And eventually, put yourself in their position and ask yourself a question: would I use it?
It may be hard to do by yourself, but having the idea means having half of the work done. We will be more than glad to provide you with a free consultation, answer your questions, make an estimation and bring it to life. Feel in the contact form and wait for a message.
Originally published at incorainc.com/blog/
