EdTech Software Trends and Things to Focus on While Testing

EdTech services are becoming more broadly used by both academic and corporate sectors. The digitalization of education began a while ago, and it achieved a powerful boost in 2020. Due to the conditions, schools, universities, and organizations were to adapt their learning and training curriculums to the available online procedures. Despite inconveniences and inequality interests, this experience reminded (and to some, reported) the right potential of educational technology software.

The present climate presents immense possibilities before EdTech software organizations. However, the competition also becomes more severe. The creation of a product that will draw attention comes with accurate research, careful implementation of logic and characteristics, and, of course, lots of testing. 

The Demand for EdTech Keeps Growing

International EdTech organizations can be sure to locate users all over the world. According to UNESCO research, the global pandemic has constant classroom learning for at least 9 out of 10 students worldwide. 191 countries have closed their schools, influencing over 1.5 billion students from pre-primary to tertiary education. With organizations switching to remote or hybrid work models for an unknown period, the requirement for education technology keeps growing. 

This surge in technology adoption triggered the rise in downloads of educational apps by 130% in the USA, EdTech Digest. The numbers across other countries can change, but the general tendency is apparent. Institutions are forced to improve the infrastructure that will enable efficient on-site, remote, and, potentially, mixed learning. 

Meanwhile, the demand for MOOC and online training keeps growing due to other reasons, too. In particular, such courses are recognized for affordability and convenience. Online training is significantly less expensive. Besides, students don’t require to relocate, and neither family life nor work becomes an obstruction for learning. Ultimately, online programs enable students to finish education in less time associated with classroom studies. The feedback from MOOC users shows that online certifications are absolutely accepted by employers and enhance career opportunities. 

What it means for product owners

Learners’ backgrounds differ greatly. Some have a fast internet connection and top-notch devices, while others employ low-end PCs and older smartphones that may not support updates anymore. The job of e-learning development organizations is to make their software affordable for everyone. In other terms, it is important to assure compatibility with various devices. For this, a QA team requires to verify how an application works on various platforms, OS, screens, browsers, and their versions. It assures that user experience isn’t defined solely by a device.

Ed-Tech Software Testing Process: Things to Focus On

Describing the role of software testing services and features of the QA processes is my favorite part of every article. So here’s an estimated e-learning testing checklist. You can use it for the review of a software product or, more likely, as the reason for writing a test plan.

The Basics: Smoke Testing

Smoke testing confirms the stability of the initial build and demonstrates that the critical functionality works. At this point, you should examine the following:

• Install/uninstall features.
• The app starts successfully.
• New users can register.
• Existing users can log in.

App Features & Highlights: Functional Testing

This stage of ed-tech software testing incorporates application features. The checklist for functionality checkups will vary depending on the kind of software below the test. You don’t assume that an e-learning app for preschoolers and a corporate LMS will have similar functionality, do you? Here are some instances of what QA engineers might require to check in your product.

User profiles & plans:

• Teacher/tutor, student, and parent profiles have somewhat different interfaces and features.
• The functionality/content available depends on a chosen subscription plan.
• Users on free plans view ads and subscription reminders, and users on paid plans don’t.

Course enrollment procedure:

• All enrollment choices are displayed, and a user can pick any of them.
• If a course is available on subscription only, a corresponding message pops up.
• If a paid program appears with a trial period, the trial begins after enrollment, and a user is charged after the trial ends.
• A user gets an enrollment confirmation by email, and a course arrives on the list.
• A user can unenroll from the course and delete it from the list of courses in development.

Starting in-app lessons:

• If the number of courses a user can subscribe to (subjects or languages to learn, etc.) is limited, they are notified before reaching a maximum number.
• If a user doesn’t begin learning from scratch, they can pass a test to unlock further levels.
• Test questions & answers are matched with proficiency levels accurately.

Choosing a tutor:

• A user has a chance to define preferred parameters (e.g. subject, language, experience, time zone, etc.).
• A list of tutors presented in the search results resembles the indicated parameters.
• A student can send a request to schedule a lesson/lessons on a specified date.
• A tutor can approve or decline the request.
• The schedule integrates with a calendar, presenting the time when a tutor is available.

Communicating with other users:

• A user can start a chat and send messages to different app users (e.g. tutor, classmates, etc.).
• The messenger supports various sorts of attachments — documents, photos, links, etc.
• Users can build group chats.

Notifications:

• A user gets reminders about a future course, lesson, assessment, etc.
• Users can set up notifications depending on their preferences.

Lesson flow & studying process:

• Audio, video, and transcript are synchronized.
• The next lesson/level of a course is available only following the previous one is finished.

Video conferencing features:

• The application supports video and audio tools.
• Users can set up the number of participants to present on the screen.
• Users can switch on/off video and audio.
• If a person exercises recording tools, the rest of the users view a notification about the beginning of the recording.

Availability: Compatibility Testing

The majority of smartphone and PC users don’t have the latest hi-tech equipment. E-learning QA can help resolve this problem. A testing team should operate tests for cross-browser support and verify the compatibility with various OS and specifications.

Reaching New Markets: Localization Testing

The more languages the app supports, the more users you will be capable to attract. Thus, localization testing is a must for those who intend to break into various markets.

Features to consider:

• A user can edit the default language during installation.
• A user can change between different languages in settings.
• A user can decide whether to exhibit content or activate characteristics that are not available in their default language.
• AI voiceovers adapt to the default software language automatically.
• A user can determine relevant audio files and scripts in corresponding sections.
• Time and date are illustrated in a proper format.
• The application supports various types of keyboards and symbols.

Extended Functionality: Payment Gateway Testing

Provide several payment choices so that users can pick a convenient one. Popular payment gateways are credit and debit cards, cash cards, payment systems, reward points, promo codes, etc.

Functionality to test:

• The payment begins after a trial lesson/period (if those are provided).
• A user can pick a payment method they prefer to use.
• A user inserts only information that is required for payment.
• All lines to fill in are clickable and support a similar format (words, numerals, or both).
• All confirmation methods (OTP, call, banking app, etc.) work.
• A user can get a receipt.
• The payment is safe; no sensitive data is collected or leaked.

Also Read: A Comprehensive Guide On Chatbot Testing: Features To Check & Quality Tips To Keep In Mind

To Sum Up

The features stated above are just an example of what you should test. QA engineers will have a comprehensive list after they get more about the product

The testing team will run regression tests each time an e-learning dev team appends new features or fixes defects. To publish an application in the stores, you’ll probably require to run compliance testing to assure that the app matches the educational standards. If you want to create a product fit for users with disabilities, you’ll require accessibility testing. And most likely, at a certain point, you’ll implement test automation services to improve manual software testing.

Need to implement testing in your edtech software? Think no more! TestUnity provides the testing services on-demand, serves with projects of any scale, and is ready to start with a few days’ advance notice. Choose to team up with a QA services provider like TestUnity. Our team of testing experts specializes in QA and has years of experience implementing tests with different testing software. Get in touch with a TestUnity expert today.

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