Building An E-Learning Website From Scratch: A Guide For Non-Developers
It seems like more and more universities, companies, and other educational institutes are going online these days, with good reason. e-Learning website Udemy was recently valued at $3.25 billion, and it’s still growing. If you want to build an e-learning website, but you don’t have the tech skills for it, don’t worry.
In this article we’ll show you:
- how to create an online learning platform,
- what skills to look for in your app development team,
- how much it will cost,
- and where to find an e-learning mobile app development company you can count on.
Build an e-Learning Website with Plugins
Building an e-learning platform from scratch is great, but it might not be necessary or even feasible to build every single element yourself. Building a site completely from scratch can cost upwards of $150,000, so it’s a good idea to look for cheaper alternatives. Some features can easily be plugged in from outside sources.
LMS Plugins
If you are building an online learning platform with WordPress, you could use a plugin like Tutor LMS. It’s a complete learning management system that allows you to upload courses, certificates, set assignments, and more.
Payment Plugins
When you create an e-learning website, you want to receive payments from your students. You shouldn’t build an entire financial system from scratch, though. Use plug-ins to enable Stripe or credit card payments.
Make sure that your site has the right authentication methods in place, though. You don’t want students sharing your course information online or sharing their credentials with friends and family.
Video Hosting
Video is a big part of educational websites, so make sure you use a good video hosting platform for your site. Again, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You can even create a private YouTube channel for your lessons or use Skype or Zoom for in-person lessons.
The Right Skills And The Right Developers
When you build your site, you need to find the right tech stack. The tech stack is the languages, frameworks, and tools you’ll need to build a web or mobile app. You’ll need a front-end and back-end development team to build the app. The front-end is everything your clients can see, and the server-side is everything that happens behind the scenes. These two application layers are built on top of each other, hence the reason it’s called a stack.
Most sites are built in Java, using React.js or Reactive Native for front-end development and Laravel for the back-end. Laravel is a framework that allows for quick turnarounds and flexible working. You’ll be storing a lot of information in the cloud that has to remain accessible and secure, so make sure to look for a reliable database provider like MySQL or MongoDB. Finally, you’ll need to secure your application environment in the cloud using a service like AWS (Amazon Web Services).
You’ll need at least two back-end developers, a front-end developer, a project manager, a business analyst, and a UI/UX expert to ensure that your entire project runs as smoothly as possible.
It can take up to two months to build a fairly simple educational site, and you’ll need some skills on hand for ongoing maintenance and support.
Finding the Right Development Company
It’s a good idea to outsource your development to an offshore provider you can trust. Look for a company that offers competitive rates, coupled with proven experience and a history of building e-learning sites. Ask for testimonials and examples of their work, and make sure that they supply a scope of work before they build an online learning website for you.
Anyone can build an e-learning website if they have the right team at their side, even if they aren’t familiar with coding themselves. Start with a team that understands the intricacies of an e-learning site, and you are on your way to creating the next big e-learning site!
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