Creating interactive online lessons with CoreApp and

Contents:

• Planning Options: Advantages and Disadvantages
• Getting Started with CoreApp
• Educational Content Options for the CoreApp Platform
• Features of the Lesson and Course Builder from CoreApp
• How to Set Up a Lesson
• Efficient Ways to Deliver a Lesson to Students
• Methods for Monitoring Student Progress

In 2018, engineer and NUST MISIS graduate Anton Sazhin launched the CoreApp platform, designed for organizing online schools and selling information products. Anton notes that his initial idea was to create "a convenient tool for teachers that would allow them to quickly and easily collect digital materials." However, it soon became clear that the platform was of interest not only to school teachers and tutors, but also to a wide range of users, including university professors, corporate training specialists, and representatives of the information business.

Currently, CoreApp provides comprehensive functionality that allows you to develop, promote, and sell educational products online. It offers the following:

• essentially a platform for creating courses and individual online lessons;
• a system for organizing webinars;
• reports on student activities and achievements;
• Marketing tools include email newsletters, the use of promotional codes, and the implementation of referral programs, as well as the development of lead magnets and tripwires.

An appropriate payment system is selected for processing payments, and a CRM system is integrated to optimize the sales process.

Let's delve deeper into the platform's functionality and consider how you can begin developing educational digital content based on it.

Price options: advantages and disadvantages

CoreApp offers four different pricing plans.

• The "Basic" plan is free and allows you to try out the designer's features courses, allowing you to create individual lessons. It is ideal for teachers and tutors developing interactive materials, including assignments and exercises for their students. Additionally, it is possible to track student progress for each lesson.
• The "Pro" plan, which starts at 1,190 rubles per month (data is current as of September 2024), is designed for professionals creating information products independently, as well as for small educational initiatives. It allows you to develop up to ten online courses, including modules, lesson breaks, live webinars, and other elements. This level includes all the key features needed for promoting courses, managing financial flows, and managing your client base. A built-in chat is also available for interacting with students. Furthermore, starting with this plan, the builder now allows you to generate content using ChatGPT.
• "Guru" is a platform aimed at online educational institutions that require additional branding capabilities along with basic marketing and analytics tools. These features include options such as issuing certificates, customizing course designs, managing system emails, and using a custom domain. There is no limit to the number of courses that can be created and launched, and the subscription costs 16,800 rubles per month. "Online Academy" offers the development of a customized educational platform tailored to the client's needs. This can be particularly useful for large online schools targeting the B2B segment, as well as for organizations wishing to create a corporate online university. This plan includes hosting the project on the client's servers, integration with external services, the ability to accept payments from legal entities, and access to modern gamification tools. A mobile app for students and personalized support are also available. The service starts at 30,000 rubles per month.

Within the "Pro" and "Guru" plans, you can additionally connect to an internal webinar platform for 1,490 rubles per month. This will allow you to organize synchronous online classes with students. Webinar recordings will be available for download as a video file after the broadcast.

The first step to getting started with CoreApp

First, you need to complete the registration process by clicking the "Login / Register" button located on the platform's main page.

After completing the registration process, the user has access to a personal account. In fact, it includes two separate sections: the first is intended for the "Learning" mode, where lessons and courses available for study are presented, and the second is for the "Teaching" mode, which allows you to create and manage educational materials. When you first log in to the CoreApp platform, you'll be prompted to select one of the modes, but switching between them is easy at any time—just click on your name, located with the icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. In this article, we'll focus on CoreApp's capabilities from the perspective of an educational content creator, meaning we'll be working in the "Teach" mode.

In the menu that opens when you click on your name, you can find the "Personal Account" section. This page provides information about your current plan and financial status - for plans starting from the "Pro" level, the amount received from course sales, as well as funds available for withdrawal, are displayed. Below are five more tabs:

• The "Plans and Payment" section allows you to select a suitable plan, as well as view the payment history for your CoreApp subscription.
• The "My School" section offers settings for your educational project and is only available for "Pro" plans and higher, which allow you to create and manage your own online courses. In this section, you can set a name, upload a logo and cover image, organize courses for students by category, and add contact information and a proposal document. Here you can also set up a payment system, create a payment page, and add promo codes and certificates. Additionally, this section provides the ability to register tutors—experts or curators—who will be able to update the course, interact with students, check completed assignments, and perform other important tasks.
• The "Finances" section provides information about the deposit of funds into your account through the selected payment system, as well as the withdrawal process.
• The "Affiliate Program" is a referral initiative from CoreApp, in which participants receive a set percentage of revenue when new users register and purchase a paid plan through their links.
• The "Profile and Security" section includes the information you provided during registration. This section also allows you to edit data, for example, you can enter a new email address.

In The top menu bar for the educational project settings includes a CRM section. Access is only available to users with paid plans. This tool offers the ability to integrate with a customer data management system, allowing for tracking registrations and financial transactions. It also includes contact information from potential clients obtained through lead magnets created on the CoreApp platform.

Educational Content Options for the CoreApp Platform

Before analyzing the course and lesson creator, let's consider what types of educational materials can be developed on this platform. The main categories can be found at the top of the menu.

In CoreApp, users can develop exclusively longread courses or individual lessons formatted in a similar manner. This means that the content consists of text and graphic elements displayed on the screen in a vertical format, allowing the user to scroll from top to bottom. Video and audio files can also be integrated into such longreads. To begin creating and launching courses, you must select the "Pro" or "Guru" plan. However, you can test the platform without investing money. To do this, go to the "Courses" section in the menu and click the yellow circle with a plus sign, which initiates the process of creating a new course. Next, the system will prompt you to specify a name and description of the course, upload a cover, and add the first lesson by clicking the "Create" button.

The platform offers three categories of lessons for educational courses:

• The primary content format used for teaching and conveying new information is called a "lesson." It can include various media formats, including text, images, audio, and video. This format not only facilitates learning but also promotes retention and self-assessment. When students interact with such materials, answering test questions and completing automated tasks, they receive immediate feedback, revealing their mistakes and correct solutions.
• The lesson type called "Test/Homework" is used to assess student achievement. In this system, correct answers remain inaccessible to students. This format can also be used as a breakout lesson: a minimum completion percentage is set, and only upon reaching it are students allowed to continue with subsequent lessons. "Webinar / Online Meeting" is a tool that allows for live broadcasts from platforms such as Twitch, YouTube (note that slowdowns are currently being experienced for users in Russia), VK, and RuTube. Integration with Zoom or Webinar is also possible, as is the native CoreApp video conferencing platform, although it is a paid platform and does not offer a free plan. In addition to live webinars, you can also schedule a recorded lecture by uploading it to a video hosting service. Supported platforms include YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Twitch, VK, and RuTube. A chat function is optionally available for both types of broadcasts.

To provide structure to your course, you can group lessons into modules.

All course settings can be found in the right panel. In this section, you can copy the course link to send to students, as well as add student users and mentors by entering their email addresses. Less obvious features include the following:

• The "Monitoring" function provides reports on student activity for both the entire course and individual lessons. This data can be exported to a spreadsheet in XLXS format.
• The "Settings" section is where you can set up pricing options. For example, students who select the minimum pricing plan will only have access to part of the course, or it will be active for a limited time. The maximum pricing plan, on the other hand, provides permanent access to all materials. You can also select a payment system here.
• "Chatbot" allows you to integrate and configure a virtual manager to help automate the sales process.
• "Webhooks" are a mechanism that allows you to customize notifications that appear in response to certain events, such as enrollment in a new course, the provision of discounts, or other promotions.
• In the "Completion" section, you can define the criteria by which a student will be recognized as having successfully completed a course. This can be based on the number of lessons completed or the results of the final lesson. You can also configure the certificate issuance process here.

This tool is designed for developing independent lessons that are not tied to any courses. Its use is free, which allows you to share developed materials with students and track their achievements. The "Lesson" function offers the ability to present information in various media formats and also includes assignments and exercises for self-assessment. The "Quiz/Olympiad" feature is used to organize tests and quizzes, after which students can see their results as points. All created lessons can be organized into special folders.

This type of content is aimed at attracting new clients, particularly potential students, and collecting their contact information. In this context, CoreApp suggests using free lessons or sharing valuable resources with the audience, such as tips, common mistakes, or successful examples, while also enabling a form for entering email addresses. However, it's worth noting that with the free plan, the core idea of ​​lead magnets loses its importance, as the collected contacts will not be saved without a CRM system. To enable one, as we already mentioned, you must select the "Pro" or "Guru" plan. It's also important to note that accessing lead magnets does not require registration or providing personal information—just follow the link. Therefore, if this approach suits you and collecting individual data is not critical, this may be a perfectly acceptable solution.

The top menu bar also includes another section: "Assignment Review." It collects all student responses to open-ended questions, as well as solutions to tasks that require self-entering and are intended for manual grading. Here, you can either approve or reject submitted responses, as well as provide the student with written or verbal feedback. You can also attach an image or document to the feedback.

Features of the Lesson and Course Builder from CoreApp

Now we move on to the process of developing educational materials using the built-in builder. For all previously mentioned types of content, whether course elements or individual products, the builder's functionality is virtually identical, with the exception of a few nuances. For example, with lead magnets, there are no open-ended questions, as they cannot be checked manually.

Here, longread content is formed from individual modules that can be moved from the right panel to the main field. Unfortunately, there are no options for changing the appearance of the materials – you cannot change the shape of the blocks, insert images or icons in places not intended for them, or place multiple blocks next to each other (only a vertical sequential layout is possible). Completed lessons are perceived as pages with vertical scrolling.

All blocks added to the page can be easily moved by simply dragging them. You also have the option to duplicate or delete them as desired. The standard lesson page can be converted into a "Checklist" page, preventing students from accessing the correct answers to questions and tasks posted on it. To do this, click the checklist icon in the upper right corner of the page and activate the corresponding switch. The remaining lesson pages will continue to function as usual.

Six information modules are designed to present educational content in various Media formats:

• The "Text" block allows you to place plain text, and selecting any fragment reveals various formatting options. Subheadings of various levels are available, as well as numbered and bulleted lists, the ability to change case, insert links and emoji, underline and highlight, and a special Code format suitable for programming lessons. In addition, by hovering over the left border of the block before entering text and clicking the plus icon, you can supplement the content with an image, table, formula, spoiler (the text will be visible only when clicked), a quote, or a horizontal line.
• "Instructions" is a dedicated colored panel with an icon and bold text, designed to draw students' attention to an assignment or important comment. You can choose the color and icon at your discretion.
• "Media file" allows you to upload an audio or video file for later playback on the lesson page. Accepted formats include MP4, MP3, and WAV, and the uploaded file size must not exceed 100 MB. Media files can also be added using links to platforms such as Vimeo, Kinescope, SoundCloud, Dailymotion, YouTube, Twitch, VKontakte, and RuTube. The "Image" feature allows you to embed graphic files in JPG, JPEG, PNG, or GIF formats. The size limit is 5 MB. You can also upload an image via URL. A "Document" refers to a file in one of the following formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, or PPTX, and its size must not exceed 5 MB. You can also add a document of a suitable format via a link. In addition, CoreApp supports integration with services such as Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Docs.
• A "Button" contains one to four buttons, each containing a link.

These components integrate assignments and exercises into the learning process, promoting material acquisition and assessing students' knowledge.

• A "Test" is a task where students must select one or more correct answers. Randomization can be enabled, allowing each student to see the answer options in a different order.
• In the "Assignment Checking" section, students can independently enter their answers in the designated field or upload a document. These answers will be pending evaluation.
• "Classification" is a task that involves correctly placing words into specific groups.
• "Self-checking problem" is when the teacher provides the correct answer in advance, which the student must enter as their answer to the question.
• In the "Fill in the blanks" exercise, after the student enters the text, the teacher highlights the missing words and decides how to continue the lesson: the student will be able to fill in the blanks independently or choose from the suggested options.
• "Dialogue simulator" is a complex scenario in which the student's choice determines the further development of events. This simulator includes multiple screens containing text and images. The user is faced with a question or description of a situation and must select one of the proposed answer options or actions. Depending on the choice made, the student moves to the next screen, and this continues until the scenario is completed.

Comments can be attached to each type of test and task with automatic grading, which the student will be able to see for both correct and incorrect answers.

This group includes various formats designed to receive feedback.

• "Survey" offers several answer options to choose from and also provides the option to add "Other", which allows the user to enter their own answer.
• "Feedback" is an open-ended question with the option to attach a file. Unlike a similar item in the "Assignments and Tests" section, the student's answer in this case is not subject to verification, therefore, it is immediately displayed in the results report.

This block provides the ability to integrate content posted on third-party digital platforms into the educational process using a link or HTML code. Compatible services include:

• LearningApps;
• Wordwall;
• Quizlet;
• 3D Viewer Online;
• Apple Music;
• Landbot;
• Typeform;
• GoogleForms;
• Trinket.

However, the results of the built-in assignment or exercise will not be reflected in CoreApp reports.

How to set up a lesson

When you hover over the right panel on the lesson edit page, it expands, providing access to the settings.

First of all, you need to save the data - to do this, just click the "Publish" button.

The following elements are located in the central area of ​​the panel:

• The "Lesson Content" section displays all the pages included in the material. In this section, you can remove unnecessary subsections or add new ones.
• The "Launch Presentation" function allows the lesson author to activate full-screen mode, in which various blocks of material can be switched like individual slides. This can be useful for both in-person and synchronous online lessons. However, frankly, this solution leaves much to be desired visually and functionally, especially when the blocks are small and occupy only a small portion of the screen. Students do not have access to this mode.
• In the "Lesson Settings" section, users can choose how the material is displayed: paginated, in which a list of pages is presented first, and then the student can navigate to their content, or in a pageless format, when all content is opened at once, and sections are loaded by clicking the corresponding button. In addition, this section provides the ability to activate a timer for the lesson and configure access periods for the material. There is also an option to access the lesson via LTI rather than a link. Details on how this tool works and other ways to access lessons will be described below.
• The "Edit History" section displays various versions of the developed lesson. If you make any editing errors, you can restore the desired version of the material by reverting to previously saved changes.

Effective Ways to Share a Lesson with Students

To share finished content, use the "Share" option located in the sidebar.

CoreApp creates two different links. The first link, which looks like https://coreapp.ai/app/preview/lesson/…, is for teachers and allows them to copy other users' materials to their personal account for future use. The second link, https://coreapp.ai/app/player/lesson/…, is required for inviting students.

You can access the lesson without using the link. Simply enter the lesson code located next to the student link.

Students can log in to an existing CoreApp account, create a new account, or use the login feature without registering. This is especially convenient for those who use the platform occasionally. In this case, you will only need to indicate your name in a special field, which is necessary for tracking personal achievements.

As already mentioned Previously, students were able to log in to CoreApp using an LMS account that supported the LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) standard. Integrating these platforms makes it possible, for example, to transfer learning outcomes from CoreApp to the primary LMS—this is especially useful in corporate training contexts. For proper setup, we recommend contacting the technical specialist who manages your primary LMS. The keys required for this procedure can be found in CoreApp by going to "My Account," then "My School," then "Integrations," and selecting LTI.

Methods for Monitoring Student Progress

On the right side of the lesson designer interface, there is a section called "Progress." Here you can view students' responses and analyze reports regarding their activity and achieved results.

By activating the "Enable statistics view mode" function, the teacher will be able to view overall lesson statistics, presented in a pie chart format. It clearly shows the percentage of students who gave correct or incorrect answers, and also shows how many participants skipped questions. Below the chart will be a list of students with their results, where the corresponding marks will be indicated next to each question.

For a more detailed analysis of individual achievements, you must disable the statistics view mode by clicking the same button again. Then, select the student's name from the list located on the left under the heading "View results for each student separately." In this case, the system will display the student's responses to each specific question. You can also choose to display results from either all lesson pages or only from individual ones.

At the very bottom of the list of students is a button called "Reset results." Clicking on it will delete all lesson completion reports and, unfortunately, they cannot be restored.

Finally, at the top of the page is a table with the results, which is available exclusively to users of paid plans. The report can be customized depending on the data types:

• The "By Results" function provides answers to all questions and tasks that have been automatically checked. This applies to formats such as "Test", "Classification", "Question with Auto-Checking", "Fill in the Gaps", and "Dialogue Simulator".
• The "By Questions" section includes only those answers that were obtained from tests and surveys.
• The "By Answers" section contains the answers that students entered independently in blocks such as "Question with Auto-Checking", "Open Question", "Survey", and "Feedback".

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Read also:

• Creating interactive learning resources on the Udoba platform requires understanding the functionality and capabilities it offers. To get started, you need to register on the site and familiarize yourself with the interface.

  The first step is to choose the type of material you want to develop. The platform offers various formats, such as quizzes, presentations, and assignments. Once you have decided on the format, you can begin filling the content.

  When creating content, it is useful to use text, images, video, and audio. This diversity will make the material more engaging and accessible. Don't forget that interactive elements such as buttons and links can significantly improve user interaction with the material.

  The next step is to configure access settings. You can determine who can see and access your materials, as well as set time limits for completing assignments. This will help organize the learning process and make it more structured.

  After completing development, we recommend testing the created material. This will allow you to identify potential flaws and improve the user experience. Once everything is ready, you can share your interactive resource with other platform users and receive feedback for further improvement.

• The process of developing educational quests and interactive resources on the Joyteka platform includes several key stages. Start by defining the main goal of your quest, considering what knowledge or skills you want to impart to participants. Next, it is important to think through the scenario: what tasks and challenges will be included, how they will be interconnected, and what logical chain they will form.

  Once the concept has been developed, move on to content creation. Use a variety of formats, such as text, images, video, and audio, to make the material more engaging and accessible. It is also worth considering gamification elements, which can increase participant engagement.

  The Joyteka platform offers tools for customizing interactive elements, which will allow you to easily integrate tasks and tests into your quest. Don't forget to test the created material to ensure everything works correctly and the tasks are clear. The feedback you receive can be used to refine and improve your project.

  Finally, publish your quest and monitor its success. Pay attention to participant feedback so you can make further changes and improvements based on their wishes and suggestions. This way, you can create an engaging and educational experience for everyone who participates in your educational quest.

• A wide range of Russian online resources for conducting interactive educational activities.
• There are many free platforms offering online quizzes and trivia that can be useful for the educational process.
• A list of tools for creating worksheets for teachers and tutors.

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