Remote Schooling’s Effect on Software Shifts
As a result of COVID and our increasingly virtual world, the rise of remote learning tools, communications platforms, and bill paying software has taken our school systems by storm.
In 2014, only 26 states offered state virtual learning. This past year, 75% of US schools planned to operate completely online. How is software working to keep up with these trends? And how are districts and families going to have to adapt?
What’s Changing
Prior to the pandemic, we were already seeing shifts to online learning in select cases: for example, programs to accommodate different learning styles of students in elementary schools.
These programs have now transformed into a fully integrated learn-from-home model. This is where we’re seeing the largest shifts in software:
- How students learn information.
- How schools communicate with families.
- How districts manage billing.
Learning tools
Learning spelling and arithmetic is looking less like pen and paper notes to a blackboard drawing, and more like video calls, remote projects, and online file submissions.
Platforms like Google EDU, Zoom, and Wyzant are becoming the new classroom as students join class from home. Zoom alone had nearly 200 million users per day in 2020, 190 million more than in 2019.
From an educator’s perspective, video calls are a more efficient use of class time. Paired with Learning Management Systems, like Schoology Learning, Canvas, and Blackboard Learn, these platforms can streamline access to learning videos, practice resources, and assignments. Thanks to new software integrations, eLearning courses can be completed almost 60% faster than in-person classes.
Lastly, collaboration tools allow students to have access to software they wouldn’t typically have at home: new tools like MURAL, Drawp for School, and Loop mirror in-class resources by allowing students to interact with assignments in groups and share progress with their teachers in live-time. Thanks to a new wave of classroom software, education is becoming increasingly flexible.
Communication Platforms
Due to the popularity of video conferencing platforms, families now have greater access to school communications than ever before. Now, parents can listen in on PTA and board of education meetings without the hassle of a long commute. Mobile applications like canvas can also give parents real-time updates on their students’ grades and assignments so they can help when they’re struggling or congratulate them on their progress.
We’ve also seen schools and administrators greatly benefit from Robotic Process Automation (RPA) this year. RPA automates what would be tedious paperwork across school finance, administration, or HR with minimal error and high efficeicenty.
Now, over 60% of tasks including “biometric authentication, scheduling meetings, enrollment processes, teacher substitutions, creating fee structures, classroom learning, online learning, and assessment tasks” are fully automated, increasing transparency between schools and families.
Billing Software
Recent software has helped make educational billing more transparent and efficient. Automated billing and other online solutions eliminatet he tediousness of manually estimating school fees, collecting late fees, and generating receipts. These systems are also completely paperless, helping with organization and timeliness.
However, school payments solutions still have a long way to go. Many school districts rely on Stripe and PayPal to process payments — which don’t offer clear communication to parents, provide support for the underbanked, or help meet school reporting requirements.
What the Future Holds
Education software continues to evolve to meet growing acceptance and demand: Zoom is currently partnering with AI companies to improve software accessibility and create new communication solutions. Google Classroom recently announced an initiative to offer virtual reality museum field trip simulations.
These trends have real environmental benefits. From school billing going paperless to eliminating the need for paper handouts and textbooks, the virtual transition in schools has been estimated to save 148 pounds of CO2 a semester!
New payments solutions like Pay Theory are also emerging to bring financial inclusivity to schools.
So What is Pay Theory?
Pay Theory is a family-technology platform that helps make payments accessible to the one-third of US families that are underbanked. Unlike traditional payment processors, Pay Theory offers a cash-payment option that allows families to use a barcode that can be scanned at one of 40,000 stores across the US, including CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens.
The ease of use to make online payments with cash, easy integration, and lower transaction fees make us a preferred payment processor for schools and ed-tech SaaS platforms.
You can learn more about Pay Theory here.
Sources Referenced
https://www.thinkimpact.com/elearning-statistics/
https://www.splashtop.com/top-5-software-tools-distance-learning
https://skillscouter.com/video-conferencing-statistics/
https://papersowl.com/blog/future-of-online-learning
https://kevinfromadamo.medium.com/6-significant-trends-in-educational-technology-9a0e141ed8ea
https://elearningindustry.com/edtech-trends-you-must-keep-an-eye-on-in-2021
https://www.muvi.com/blogs/role-of-automated-billing-in-the-edtech-industry.html
https://fedena.com/blog/2020/10/top-school-management-software-trends-in-2020.html
https://www.sustainablebusinesstoolkit.com/social-and-eco-benefits-of-online-learning/
