How To Build A Cohort-Based Learning Platform And Its Must-Have Features

The eLearning industry has seen a dramatic change in the last few years. There has been a noteworthy shift from face-to-face classes to online learning and a sharp rise in the uptake of online courses. Although a huge number of learners are signing up for online courses, the completion rate for these courses is dwindling.

To increase the engagement and motivation of the learners, specialists have been looking for new teaching methodologies. This is where cohort-based course platforms come into the picture to transform the eLearning industry. Cohort-based platforms allow students to learn together in groups while providing a collaborative learning environment. Learners start and complete the course together within a specified time duration. The syllabus is often divided into sections or modules and learners go through the course content as a group together.

According to research, cohort-based platforms have proven to be more successful and have a completion rate of 85% while the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) which are already popular for the asynchronous style of teaching have a completion rate of only  3 to 6%. Lack of social and collaborative learning may be the primary factor for these low numbers.

Needless to say, cohort-based courses are gaining popularity among learners. Let us see, some added advantages these courses offer to their learners.

Key Benefits Of Cohort-Based Courses

• Community-driven environment enhances the learning experience.
• Learners get additional support from their peers and online instructors.
• Provides an opportunity to connect with fellow learners.
• A clearer structure for arranging live lessons and assignment deadlines
• Maximum student engagement, commitment, and accountability

Now that you have gathered enough information about Cohort-based courses. Let’s find out about the essential features required for building such a platform.

Must-Have Features For A Cohort-Based Learning Platform

The following are some key features common to the best cohort-based learning platforms to look out for. With the following features, the admin can ensure smooth management of the courses and deliver a seamless learning experience. Cohort-based platforms support collaborative learning, which makes it important for the platform owner to provide a powerful community space packed with all the interactive tools mentioned below.

Live chat: Live chat plays an essential role in bringing learners together. They can have real-time interactions and can discuss questions and doubts among themselves and with tutors.

Discussion boards: Discussion boards are shared whiteboards that all learners in the sessions have access to. Learners post anything they would like to discuss or can ask questions. Others can comment on the post and contribute to the discussion. The purpose of this feature is to foster healthy and trustable learning relationships among learners and tutors.

Discussion forums: Forums also play an important role in encouraging peer-to-peer interaction and promoting engagement among learners. A well-coordinated discussion forum is a valuable tool to reflect back on learning and shared information. Individuals can collaboratively gain knowledge while participating in the discussions.

Assessments: Assessments help tutors understand more about individual students’ performance to measure whether the learning objectives of students are being met or not. A detailed report on students’ performance also helps in determining the best teaching strategies for further improvement.

Interactive features: Interactive tools like polls, Q&As, quizzes, virtual events, and more make the learning space more delightful for learners. In addition to that, eBooks, downloadable study material, gamification, and leaderboards encourage user engagement and enhance interactivity.

Personalized courses: Tutors can customize the course content according to the needs of the group, providing a personalized experience. Tutors can design content based on learners’ knowledge levels and competencies which can eventually build a goal-oriented learning environment.

The purpose of the above features is to create a space where learners feel comfortable sharing ideas and opinions to facilitate building relationships with other peers in the sessions.

How To Build A Cohort-Based Platform With Yo!Coach

Considering the popularity of cohort-based learning among learners and the high course completion rate, we can anticipate this domain will grow tremendously in the near future. These days every learner looks for interactive and collaborative features on an eLearning platform and, a cohort-based platform can efficiently cater to those needs.

Building a cohort-based platform from scratch with all the features mentioned above may seem like a daunting task. However, if you are determined enough to build a similar platform, Yo!Coach can be a solution for you. This is a 100% white-label solution allowing you to run a live course-based platform along with providing interactive and collaborative features to build a thriving community on your platform.

Apart from providing all the necessary features required for a robust cohort-based platform, this solution offers the ability to manage the community with features like discussion forums, assessments, etc. Yo!Coach comes pre-integrated with popular video conferencing APIs for the seamless conduction of sessions and payment APIs for hassle-free transactions. This powerful software solution is ideal for building your own cohort-based platform with much ease.

The Way Forward

The potential of interactive learning can be gauged by the fact that almost 85% of students complete their courses while learning in a group live class as compared to a self-paced course. The popularity of such platforms is increasing and under such circumstances, it would be ideal for budding and established entrepreneurs to invest in interactive online platforms.

Not only would this enable them to keep up with the continuously evolving eLearning industry, but boost their overall turnover and revenue.

Cohort-based course platforms are ideal to increase the engagement and motivation of learners and specialists.