Trend 06
The Renaissance
of Learning
Management Systems
Prioritizing Student and
Guardian Experiences
In 2024, we will witness more investment and innovation in the world of learning platforms. We believe that this shift will be a response to the growing dissatisfaction among students and parents with schools, curricula, and the existing learning platforms that support them. These learning platforms have often been criticized for poor designs and lack of alignment with the educational needs of students and the informational needs of parents.
In addition, public schools face the upcoming end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). It's a $190 billion funding program created by the U.S. federal government's economic stimulus response to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education.
These funds allowed schools to invest in tools and platforms to support online learning in response to the pandemic and to allot funds for professional development for faculty. As ESSER funds sunset in 2024, schools face the challenge of which platforms to continue to utilize. But perhaps more critically, schools face the dual challenge of lower student and family satisfaction and lower funding levels, forcing efficient and innovative technology solutions.
In the face of this upcoming funding cliff, schools are demanding more from their edtech platforms while families and students simultaneously demand more from schools. Platforms like Google Classroom and Canvas try to fill the current needs of educators and students but they are really administrative tools and fall short in enhancing student learning.
We have not seen platforms that are genuinely learner-centered, crafted to improve the student experience. Instead, many existing platforms have proven to be sources of frustration for educators, students, and guardians because of their cumbersome interfaces and inefficient workflows. These platforms have also left parents in the dark, turning school into a ”black box” in which parental engagement in their child’s education is limited to none.
“Most Learning Management Systems (LMS) assume that all schools, teachers, and students are the same. Really frustrating. Now as schools are seeing the potential that exists, we are in a position to personalize tools and deploy them to make life more efficient (hear that teachers?!) for everyone and do the job we need them to do. The pandemic woke us up to the need to design highly personalized learning environments for everyone. Edtech needs to seize the opportunity.”
Peter Hutton, Founder & CEO, theProjectLab
We predict that the trend of schools demanding more from their edtech platforms will become stronger throughout 2024, and lead to better systems. The development of these new, more individualized learning platforms will mark a renaissance in learning platforms. This reflects a broader trend toward technology that not only facilitates learning but also enhances it, creating a more connected, engaging, and supportive educational environment. Our hope is to also see these platforms facilitate transparent and continuous communication between schools and families.
Much like the promise offered by AI to enhance teaching and learning shared in Trends 1 and 2, a student-responsive LMS like Sora Home is revolutionizing learning.
By handing students the tools to customize and individualize their learning journeys, we are shifting the paradigm to student-designed curricula. This shift means flipping not just the classroom, but also the curriculum, letting students more readily learn what they want, when they want, while completing their graduation requirements.
It also empowers parents to become actively engaged in their children's education, thereby strengthening the bond between Sora and our families. For faculty, Sora Home automates routine administrative tasks, thus freeing up valuable hours to invest in relationships, feedback, and deepening learning for students.
In our recent survey with families with middle and high school students, we found that 76% of families felt strongly that a well-designed learning management platform that focuses on both student and parent needs can improve and enhance the overall learning experience. They also felt that these platforms can play a critical role in improving parents’ relationship with the school and make them feel more involved in their child’s educational journey.
76%
Strongly Agree
12%
Agree
7%
Neutral
5%
Disagree
Source: Sora Schools Survey, 2024
A revolutionary learning platform
At Sora, our proprietary Sora Home LMS has been developed to provide students and parents with real-time insights into student progress, learning activities, communication with faculty, and learning milestones. It includes dashboards that not only display grades and assignments but also showcase individual strengths, learning preferences, and areas for improvement. Picture progress trackers that gamify the learning process, motivating students with badges and personalized challenges.
Uncharted Waters
Effective implementation and adoption of modern learning management platforms will require significant effort. Integrating these learning management platforms into existing educational infrastructures and legacy systems can be a real challenge. Many schools and districts may not have flexible systems, processes, and required funds for the transition to new, more sophisticated platforms.
Shifting from traditional, administrative platforms to learner-centered ones demands school to make pedagogical and technological adjustments. Educators, students, and parents will need exposure and training to adapt to new ways of teaching, learning, and communicating, which might require behavioral changes.
“Learning platforms are overdue for a redesign for too long, we've seen poorly designed platforms that barely meet the needs of students, parents, and schools. We are in a place where outdated and cumbersome platforms will be challenged and replaced by user-centered learning platforms. The latest advancements in AI and educational technology have raised the expectations and desires of both parents and schools, fueling a drive for this necessary change”
Rit Mishra, Head of Design, Sora Schools
Our view at Sora
As outlined above, we have designed and built a proprietary learning experience platform - Sora Home, that enables an entirely new kind of interdisciplinary mastery-based and student-led education. The platform facilitates transparent and continuous communication between educators and parents, has learner-centered features, and enhances students' learning experience and engagement. On Sora Home, students access their calendar and take expeditions, get feedback on submitted work, propose new project ideas, and collaborate with faculty.
Our students will soon have access to Sora Portfolio, where they will build a portfolio of their projects as part of their journey to showcase their incredible work. We also have built Sora Journal, in which students showcase their work to the larger community. The platform is designed to serve students, parents, and teachers by keeping in mind their needs and pain points. Because this platform serves students and families, it is continually evolving. At Sora, we are responsive to the changing needs of today’s learners.
