A Comprehensive Guide to Online Teaching Platform

Collaboration and communication are essential components of learning. And online teaching platforms have transformed the online education experience, making it easier for teachers to teach and students to better understand concepts.

Whether you want to share your knowledge through a completely online course or create a hybrid, we now have many online teaching platforms.

This article discusses online teaching platforms, their benefits, must-have features, and the best online teaching platforms on the market.

What is an Online Teaching Platform?

Online teaching platforms are educational portals that allow teachers to deliver live or on-demand course content while incorporating digital collaboration and e-learning tools. Online teaching platforms serve as a link between students and teachers.

Benefits of Online Teaching Platforms

Here are some key benefits of learning on an online teaching platform:

• It eliminates geographical barriers between teachers and students; lessons can be delivered and attended as long as one has internet access.
• Using online teaching platforms, subject-matter experts can select different learning techniques using digital tools, such as interactive videos, quizzes, and so on.
• Tracking becomes easier on an online teaching platform because all student and teacher activities become trackable and reportable.
• Online teaching platforms are more cost-effective in the long run because students only pay for the platforms, saving on other potential expenses associated with offline learning.

Features to Look for in an Online Teaching Platform

Here are online teaching platform features that we should consider:

• Mobile Friendly

According to statistics, 56% of online college students completed at least some online education activities on a mobile device.

So, we need to ensure our online teaching platform is mobile-friendly, with features like HTML5 video player design or ABR (Adaptive Bitrate Streaming).

• Security And Reliability

Students rely on teachers (and technology) for their online education. It is critical to provide strong security and dependable service; technical outages and security breaches can result in losing students in an instant.

• Collaboration Features

Collaboration is a necessary component of learning. So, to help students progress together, we must opt for the best online teaching platforms, including collaborative whiteboards, shared note taking, and breakout rooms.

• Engagement Features

Some online teaching platforms go above and beyond by incorporating interactive tools, polls and quizzes, games, and media playlists. All of these tools require regular participation from our students throughout the session and keep them engaged.

• Multiple Chat And Moderator Functions

Communication between teachers and students is central to teaching and learning. So, we should look for an online teaching platform that includes a Q&A chat, 1:1 chat, classroom chat, moderator chat, and multiple mute options.

• Video API

The Application Programming Interface, or API, is a tool that allows presenters to integrate third-party apps and programmes.

The video API feature of an online teaching platform allows us to customise video content management systems. Furthermore, the video API allows us to integrate video tools into existing web applications such as virtual classroom platforms like Blackboard, Canvas, and others.

• Powerful CDN for Streamlining Video Delivery

A CDN is a distribution model that allows us to transport video content across the internet efficiently and quickly. In other words, a CDN stores our content on multiple servers around the world and makes it available to students worldwide via the server closest to them with least latency.

That is why we should consider a video hosting platform with a strong CDN, as the consequences of not having a CDN would be too costly for us.

Final Word

We hope this comprehensive guide perfectly aligns with the business objectives of teachers and businesses. So, if you’ve never considered teaching online before, explore the world of online education and the opportunities it provides.