The Impact of Education Apps to Transform Students' Lives

The COVID-19 outbreak has significantly impacted the development of education apps and has had a lasting effect on how people access education. Now that these applications are available, billions of people will have the ability to study at their fingertips.

FREMONT, CA: An estimated 1.2 billion kids were physically unable to enter their classes due to government-mandated lockdowns in 2020. E-learning and video conferencing systems, such as Google Classroom and Zoom, grew as educators resorted to technology to maintain the appearance of a typical school day. Mobile devices served as temporary tutors for adolescent students, and education applications supplied the solution. During the initial stay-at-home orders in April and May last year, the global time spent per week on education applications surpassed 100 million hours, according to App Annie. This number decreased throughout the summer but remained above pre-pandemic levels before increasing to more than 100 million once the new school year began in September.

As the world gradually recovers from the pandemic, many developers and marketers will undoubtedly wonder if the huge popularity of learning apps will wane. Technavio projects that the education apps market will increase by $46.88 billion at a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent by 2024. All indicators point to a permanent transformation in the way individuals acquire education. While schools will revert to in-person instruction, mobile technology will likely be integrated into the learning model for various reasons.

The influence of Gen Z: This generation of customers is unquestionably the most proficient with technology compared to all others. They spent an average of 4 hours and 15 minutes daily on their smartphones since they grew up with them. Gen Z consumers spend 10 percent more time in non-gaming apps than older users, which speaks much about their smartphone usage. They utilize their smartphones for social interaction, entertainment, and learning. Consumers of Generation Z are accustomed to the personalized experience that mobile devices provide; they expect their education to be tailored to their needs. For instance, zoomers desire the flexibility of learning via their smartphone, whether through pre-recorded classes they can watch whenever and wherever or through interactive quizzes tailored to their attainment level.

The use of gamification in e-learning: The degree to which they gamified the learning experience is crucial to the success of educational apps. For instance, consider the program Duolingo, which has mastered the art of making learning a new language enjoyable. Users are encouraged to compete for the app's internal cash, and badges are granted for success and unlocking new levels. Additionally, users can connect with their social network acquaintances. Class Dojo, one of the most popular education apps in the United States, has implemented the most effective gamification strategies to increase students' engagement. Children are given avatars via which they can accumulate points for "participation" and "hard work." The technology has also effortlessly bridged the gap between home and school learning by providing parents with access to a portal to review their child's grades and progress.

Device cost will increase Edu-app adoption: The penetration of smartphones has grown phenomenally. There are 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide, representing about half of the world's population. Compared to 2016, when there were only 2.5 billion smartphone users, mobile penetration is increasing, particularly in emerging nations. Part of this rise can be ascribed to the fact that cellphones are no longer a luxury item for most people. In emerging nations, experts believe the growth of educational apps will continue to accelerate. For example, in 2020, the number of app downloads for Ruangguru, an Indonesian firm that provides education to children in rural areas, increased to 8.4 million as the company expanded its reach. Large portions of the developing world's population that lack access to or the time for formal education will seek out education applications in the future as a method to improve their employability.