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🎉Celebrating 25 Years of Tech Excellence and Trust - Learn More
Nihar Raval
This Isn’t a Regular EdTech guide:Understand your need ➡️ Pay $$ to an EdTech partner ➡️ Launch & Pray for it to workThat’s exactly what most guides on eLearning challenges will tell you. Of course, with jargon, buzzwords, and pseudo-solutions. Not this one though. We’ve spent the past 25 years at Radixweb working on large-scale EdTech implementations, from K-12 platforms to higher-education SIS overhauls. This hands-on experience means we have seen (and fixed) the 10 costly (and recurring!) mistakes that educational organizations make.Mistakes that sabotage student success, frustrate educators, and destroy your bottom line. Read on to know how you can fix these mistakes for your institution.
In 2023, the global EdTech market was worth $340 billion. By the end of this decade (2029), it would be worth $740 billion. That’s more than 2X growth.
But did your new LMS double educator productivity?
Did your fancy student information system (SIS) improve learning outcomes?
Has your bottom line improved after you moved to the Cloud?
If not, that’s because your EdTech system is riddled with glaring gaps. Gaps that can be fixed. But until they are, they’ll continue to cost you – money, motivation, and momentum.
At Radixweb, we’ve been the education software partner for several organizations. And we’ve helped teams like yours fix these very gaps. Our solutions have helped educational institutions:
Based on these real-world field notes, firefights, and fixes we can help you save time, effort, and money.
Important: We’ve covered the top eLearning industry challenges and solutions before. So why this again? We understand that sometimes you need to act fast before it is too late. That’s why, in this blog, we cover the 10 most pressing challenges and offer solutions that you can implement fast – in just one quarter.
So, if you want actionable advice that you can implement now, read on.
Below we will walk you through the 10 more pressing eLearning challenges caused by tech gaps. And we will cover quick, actionable ways to fix these gaps soon.
Note: The ideal timeline for these fixes is about 3 months (for each). However, your specific needs and existing systems may increase/decrease the timeline. So, plan in advance and get software consulting services from experts for exact implementation timelines.
Platform piles and plugin puzzles paralyze productivity
When your LMS, SIS, grading platform, and comm tools sit on separate islands, it creates chaos. This disjointed learning environment helps no one and is a hassle for everyone. Teachers waste their time duplicating work. Students miss important updates. Admins grapple with disconnected datasets.
This leads to a whole lot of avoidable confusion. In fact, fragmented systems more than just slow you down. They erode the user's trust in your EdTech systems.
The 90-day fix:
Start by identifying the top 3 tools most frequently used by staff and students. Check if these tools support basic integration standards like LTI or APIs. If yes, use middleware platforms (Like Zapier) to connect your systems. This way, you can streamline and sync, at least, your core workflows. If integrations are not possible, you might want to look at a custom solution that lets your tools talk.
A word of caution: Interoperability among tools is one of the most complex eLearning issues and challenges. Integrations may seem simple at the forefront, but you also need to consider data security and compliance. If you aren’t internally equipped to handle it, work with an expert EdTech partner.
Switching classes feels like jumping between planets
Your online classes are held on Zoom. But offline class notes are circulated on a different platform. This isn't just about two different tools. It is a major digital learning challenge for students that affects learning outcomes and morale.
Diverse physical and virtual classroom solutions aren’t a great experience for educators either. They have to log into multiple eLearning portals for uploading study assets, grading papers, and sharing results. The workflow feels unnecessarily stretched out.
This inconsistency isn't just about inconvenience though. It can also cause cognitive overload and disorient learners. Especially those who struggle with self-regulation or digital navigation.
Smartest way to solve this in 12 weeks
Start by developing a standardized digital learning playbook for all types of courses. Define factors like:
Then, provide templates for course layouts and naming conventions for educators. But don't stop at that. Offer micro-training to onboard faculty into the new standard. Implement this across subjects and classes to reduce friction for learning starting the next term.
Your learning platform’s a ghost town and students are vanishing
You can't retain those you can't engage. Many EdTech platforms are underutilized because they deliver content, but not interaction. Students show up out of obligation, not curiosity, and drop-off rates climb as boredom sets in. It is one of the major problems in the EdTech industry.
Without interactive touchpoints, learning feels transactional rather than transformational.
How to course correct in a quarter?
Begin the fix by running an engagement audit on your top 3 courses. These could be the most valuable courses, courses with the max profit potential, or courses that you want to promote the most. Assess if you have quizzes, polls, discussions, feedback, and gamification to improve learner experience. If not, integrate these interactive elements into the courses. Start with modules that have a development timeline of under 60 days. Once you go live, track engagement data weekly and refine content accordingly. With consistent effort, retention will see a lift within 1-2 cycles.
A single form takes a thousand clicks and three deep sighs
From enrollment to grading to certifications, many schools still run mission-critical processes using spreadsheets. Or, worse, paper. This can be a problem, even when you have a school management application in place but its complex workflows make it an eLearning challenge instead of a solution. Ultimately, it increases the chances of errors, missed deadlines and non-compliance.
3-month game plan to fix it
Identify the admin workflows that cause the most eLearning challenges. This could be something like student onboarding or teacher scheduling. Map out each step, then use tools like Google Forms + AppScript or Airtable to automate and streamline them. Work with an education app development partner if you don't feel up for the tech-heavy work. Then test each automation with a small user group before expanding. Aim to fully digitize at least 2 high-impact workflows before the start of the new quarter.
No dashboards, no dings, just silence where insight should be
Most schools collect plenty of data but do very little with it. Without real-time analytics, instructors have no visibility into student performance trends, content effectiveness, or early signs of dropout risk. It becomes guesswork. And guesswork leads to gaps in support and equity.
The fast fix for long lasting gains
Leverage the built-in analytics tools in your LMS. If you don't have that, speak to an enterprise LMS development partner to help you integrate external BI tools like Google Data Studio or Power BI. Define key metrics: login frequency, assignment completion, quiz scores, and discussion participation. Then create dashboards for department heads and trigger alerts for at-risk students. In three months, you’ll be operating with your eyes wide open.
If no Wi-Fi = no learning, your system’s failing them
While you follow EdTech trends, it is equally important to ensure accessibility for all. Tech-based education shouldn't discriminate based on bandwidth, devices, or physical ability. But it often does. Students in remote areas or those with disabilities face systemic barriers. This is usually because content isn’t mobile-friendly, offline-accessible, or compliant with accessibility standards.
A 3-month sprint to solve this
Optimize your top 5 courses for mobile-first access. Add captions, transcripts, and alternative formats. Make sure your platform passes WCAG accessibility checks.
Remember: Accessibility and Equity aren't just tech challenges. Make sure you also build a culture of inclusivity to ensure actual accessibility.
Teaching with tech feels like driving with the brakes on
Teachers are the key to the profitability of EdTech startups as they are a major stakeholder. But too often, they feel unsupported and overwhelmed by the very technology that is supposed to help them. They're expected to adapt quickly, create digital content, and troubleshoot tech issues. All without training or time. This results in resistance, burnout, and half-hearted implementation.
What to do in the next 12 weeks
Survey faculty to identify their pain points and top training needs. Create quick-start guides and 5-minute video tutorials tailored to common issues. Integrate these micro lessons for the educators seamlessly in your systems. If the UX is too complex to be explained in 5-minute videos, consider design modifications and system simplification.
One weak password away from headlines and havoc
Security and compliance are the most important chapters in the guide to EdTech app development. That’s because EdTech apps handle sensitive data - student records, financials, and PII. Yet many still rely on outdated systems, shared credentials, and ad-hoc compliance practices. A single breach could cost millions and irreparably damage trust.
Go from stuck to secure in 1 sprint season
Implement multi-factor authentication for all users and require password resets every 90 days. Also, conduct a system-wide access audit to remove inactive accounts. Implement data encryption and secure file-sharing protocols. Even these simple tech fixes can significantly reduce your risk profile in just a few weeks.
Uniform lessons fit students like one-size shoes—poorly
Students aren’t standardized, but most learning modules are. This approach fails to support both struggling learners who need more time and advanced learners who are ready to go further. It creates disengagement on both ends of the spectrum.
The results directly reflect in low learner morale, higher drop offs, and negative feedback.
What’s your way out in 90 days?
Design branching content paths in your LMS with optional support materials and advanced tracks. Use AI-powered adaptive learning systems for assessments to personalize difficulty levels. You can also introduce reflection prompts to help students self-select pacing. Pilot these strategies in one subject and gather student feedback. Within a term, you'll have a blueprint for differentiated digital learning.
Also Read: How AI is Revolutionizing the Education Industry?
Timetables tangle, teachers trip, and learning stalls
Manual scheduling creates endless headaches like overbooked classrooms, faculty clashes, and lost learning time. Even small institutions suffer from the domino effect of one change rippling across the week.
But the fixes are surprisingly simple.
How to create visible change in one quarter?
Move to automated scheduling tools like EduPage and TimeTabler. If you aren't ready for another tool, discuss simple Excel macros with your tech team. Input constraints like room size, faculty availability, and subject priority. But don't just build the tech foundation. Also train one staff member per department to manage it.
Sometimes, yes. But that doesn't mean you need to stop at that. The 1st quarter is to identify and patch the most obvious gaps. Once you've stopped the fund bleeding, it is time to take a wholistic look at your EdTech software and find scope for optimization, enhancements, and growth. That’s when you can implement long-term solutions like:
With these solutions, you can further boost the efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability of your eLearning solutions.
Getting Started with Tech Fixes for Better LearningHere's an important eLearning statistic: The EdTech industry is growing at a CAGR of 14.1%.Now, if you want to keep pace with it, you need to act now. First, you need to fix the most obvious (and critical) eLearning challenges that are blocking positive outcomes for your students, educators, and admins.Radixweb can be your growth catalyst here. With 25+ years of experience and several EdTech transformations and implementations under our belt, we have fixed these tech gaps before. This means we won’t just be able to help you fix what you think is broken, but also help you understand what needs fixing. Plus, our industry understanding will ensure that we are equipped to recommend trends that you should bank on and even the specific compliance requirements.The best part? Our team is ready to share personalized insights and real recommendations in a 1:1 strategy session with you. No card or commitment needed. Schedule a no-fluff call with our team here.
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