Plug-and-Play EdTech: Filling the Gaps in Solution Offerings
December 1st, 2022
EdTech has seen rapid evolution in recent times as it strives to accommodate new-age learner needs across K-12 and higher education. Despite consistent efforts to deliver engaging and outcome-oriented learning solutions, extreme fragmentation and siloed legacy systems continue to plague the education sector.
EdTech companies today need to deliver learning environments that offer seamless experiences across learning cycles as a unified platform. This means creating standardized course materials and assessments that are compatible across platforms.
What pluggable features can Edtech companies benefit from?
For far too long, EdTech companies have worked in isolation. Now, the immediate need is to bring to the table cohesive solutions that boost learning outcomes.
In the immediate future, many EdTech providers will need to work in unison to provide collaborative solutions. Thus, the need for solutions that fit into a learning ecosystem rather than standalone applications is rapidly rising.
To be interoperable, edtech apps need to be equipped for the following:
- Compliance
EdTech apps and solutions must have modules and features that comply with industry standards such as SCORM, TinCan, LTI, QTI, and more. For this, edtech companies need to be able to deploy compliant plug-and-play features that help them gain credibility in the global education market.
- Flexible Architecture
EdTech apps can aid an educational system immensely. But only if they are developed to fit into the existing architecture and ecosystem. Solutions should be easy to deploy across geographies and learner levels.
For instance, multi-tenant architecture can help an EdTech organization support multiple different iterations of a platform. These can be based on each user’s needs or role definition. Course development tools, assessments, and feedback modules should also accommodate differences in learning goals and learner styles.
- Data-Driven Evolution
A diverse set of plug-and-play components can fulfill all learning needs. Each tool can capture relevant data points regarding course efficacy, learner progress, and accomplishments. Data sharing across smaller components is the only way to facilitate this. The accumulation and analysis of data sets to access insights can be used to improve course resources and enhance learning outcomes.
- Security
Meeting regional regulations, such as FERPA, COPPA, and GDPR, are imperative to drive the adoption of your offerings. As the technology setup becomes modular and interactions across platforms swell up, the quality of a product will be measured against two parameters: protection of student privacy and of student data. This calls for security features at a component level and not just as a top-level monitoring accessory.
Roadblocks to the Adoption of Pluggable Features
Unfortunately, EdTech start-ups might not be prepared to meet the current market demands and simultaneously scale to mass adoption levels due to hurdles such as:
- Inability to progress with the market
Most EdTech systems that are in place today are incapable of integration with external or sometimes even internal add-ons right out of the box. This causes delays in the delivery of the required feature and could even put the operation of the existing system at risk. Additionally, most vendors do not have the competence yet to provide futuristic solutions that will be relevant for a long time to come.
- Apprehension regarding third-party products
Each provider offers a unique look and feel, a course progress barometer, and data analytics. This can lead to disparities across the ecosystem due to siloed products. It makes EdTech start-ups hesitant to adopt plug-and-play tools even if they are useful. Custom branding options are the best way to provide a uniform experience across the board and simplify learner acclimatization at scale.
- Concerns regarding vendor compliance
Isolated education solution developers have been functioning for a while, unprepared for state adoption due to the lack of insight into the education system and the EdTech industry’s needs. Development teams need to be informed and trained to meet the goals of the changing learning landscape.
Meeting Your Goals with Plug-n-Play EdTech Solutions
The EdTech industry is expected to reach revenues of $429.5 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 16.5% from 2022 to 2030. EdTech solution providers will need to move rapidly and in the right direction to make the most of available opportunities.
Plug-n-play features can help with this, reducing your time-to-market. You can even try out pilot versions, launched independently, and once they are proven, integrate them within the existing system. The only requirement is to embed flexibility and interoperability within the system.
Preparing the system to accommodate future upgrades, modular learning, analytical tools, and scaling attributes can help you launch micro-services and meet the industry needs in an incremental model while demonstrating your preparedness and expertise.
Pluggable tools enable a seamless transition from the existing system to a newer one that meets the learner and educator requirements via easy integration into the existing environment. This single feature drives up adoption rates for a tech setup globally. It ensures flexibility and transparency to facilitate collaboration while maintaining privacy.
Want to know which integrable tools can enhance your adoption and growth rates? Talk to us today.
