The role of UCaaS in modern learning environments

Objectives of education technology

In a modern education environment, classrooms are utilising advancing technologies for a streamlined schooling process - classrooms are being reimagined in a number of ways to fit not only a post-pandemic hybrid culture but to adapt to the needs of modern digital learners who need to embrace modern technologies for day-to-day life, moving away from static, lecture-heavy environments of the past.

Education Technology has evolved from a novelty pre-pandemic, to a necessity during, to a staple of everyday schooling. According to the Department for Education, Education Technology (EdTech) refers to any technology that can be used to “support teaching and the effective day-to-day management of education institutions”. This includes “hardware, such as tablets and laptop computers”, but can also include “digital resources, software, and services”. This could be hardware like tablets and laptops, to software like UCaaS and digital learning tools.

Optimising the education sector with advanced technology 

A number of areas in the education sector can be optimised by utilising advancing technologies, in order to save time and increase efficiency:

Administration: Reducing the burden and time consumption of non-teaching tasks, improving parental engagement such as during parent’s evenings and homework tasks, cutting related teacher workload, and encouraging the use of technology for more flexible and accessible work patterns.

Assessment: Making assessments more effective and efficient with enhanced flexibility and accessibility from virtually anywhere. Flexibility for teachers marking.

Teaching Practice: Supporting access and inclusion of people in various geographical locations and differing needs to improve educational outcomes, whilst levelling the playing field for learners who need additional support.

Professional Development: Supporting teachers and staff with accessible meetings and training, with additional support readily available.

Remote learning tools have become a staple in day-to-day learning environments, whereas before they were not used regularly. The most effective EdTech doesn’t divert attention from the classroom or take away from the lesson plan, but rather enhances learning environments by providing users with additional tools to boost productivity and accessibility, in ways that work best for them, and with communications channels to ensure they get the help and support they need.

70% of students in schools with sufficient technology devices performed better than those without access to technology and high-speed internet (McKinsey). The world may have moved on from the pandemic, but the technology that was utilised in order to benefit students during this time remains a vital tool to enhance performance.

Why communications are a central part of EdTech strategy

The connection between education and advancing technology isn’t going away. There remains a growing demand for platforms that support more equitable parent-teacher communication, as well as an aspect of flexibility and continuity between school and home for students. Schools are implementing communication systems with expanded capabilities that enable them to have in-depth, meaningful discussions with parents. These are platforms with a range of communication options and collaboration tools that allow teachers and parents to interact more effectively.

Clear audio and video calls allow education to happen remotely when required, at a moment’s notice. Instant messaging between teaching staff enables for a more collaborative teaching environment, and call conferencing tools allow school management to conduct meetings effectively wherever they are.

This has seen more educational institutions turn to cloud-based communications, which can make schools and colleges more effective, but most importantly, they enable every educator and administrator to carry a fully-featured communications platform wherever they go.

94% of teachers saw the benefits of using cloud communication in remote teaching and learning during the pandemic, according to the UK Department for Education. This has not changed since the return to usual working practices. The chance to connect with peers globally and have more flexibility within learning environments has seen a permanent adoption of these technologies even in 2024.

Unified Communications: The evolution of VoIP technology

VoIP allows voice calls, as well as video and data to be transmitted over the internet, instead of the PSTN, which is being switched off in 2025. Users can send faxes, host conference calls, forward calls from one location to another, use voicemail, route calls, have an auto-attendant, and more, for a fraction of the cost.

School staff field dozens of phone calls and emails each day, so it’s important to have a telephone system that’s affordable and reliable, where calls can be taken from anywhere and routed appropriately with ease, which saves time on admin.

Key call features 

It’s also vital that staff can handle these call volumes. Features like call queues, call parking, forwarding, and transfer enable staff to accept and direct calls efficiently with minimal errors.

All that is required is a broadband connection, also giving teachers access to a wide variety of apps and tools to help them maintain effective communication with students and co-workers while working at home.

Because UCaaS solutions are cloud-based and support multiple communications channels, including call conferencing, video meetings, and instant messaging, it has become central to schools adopting a unified communication strategy, sometimes referred to by the telecoms industry as UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service). UCaaS offers a secure way for schools to integrate multiple communications methods through a single cloud provider.

Just imagine calls, messages, audio, and video conferencing, screen-sharing, task management, and more with all files and communications kept in one secure place that can be accessed anywhere, anytime, using any device (desktop, web browser, mobile phone, tablet).

With UCaaS, teachers can initiate video and content sharing meetings anytime, anywhere. Teachers can chat and screen share with students in real-time, as well as create groups for students to collaborate on projects. Videos can be recorded and kept for future use, and task management capabilities allow teachers to assign tasks to students.

Statistics show that 74% of teachers believe their workload has been reduced due to the advancement of education technology.

What are the benefits of a UCaaS strategy?

Flexibility – With the increase in remote working, VoIP systems allow teachers to provide classes and make/receive calls at home or wherever they are, with any device.

Productivity – A VoIP system can enhance the efficiency of daily tasks whether it’s planning classes or attending faculty meetings, so teachers can focus more time on teaching.

Added mobility – Teachers can provide classes from their homes or offices, making use of features like video conferencing to hold discussions, live tutorials, and more.

Cost savings – VoIP is usually much cheaper than traditional phone lines. Furthermore, because VoIP is cloud-based it usually requires no installation or maintenance costs.

Online Administration – Using interactive voice response (IVR) for inbound callers, enables messages to reach the right ears fast, even during school holidays or closures

Remote learning – Students can attend classes or discuss assignments virtually, with audio or video meetings to help students stay on track with distance learning.

Remote meetings – Video conferencing can be used for interactive parent-teacher meetings and video-based teacher training sessions, without additional software.

Emergency – During emergencies, schools with UCaaS solutions can communicate instantly with students and parents via voice or messages.

Safeguarding – Call recording can be used to help with everything from resolving disputes and addressing safeguarding concerns to tackling pupil absenteeism.

Security – Security is at the heart of hosted VoIP phone systems. Schools’ data will be hosted in secure data centres, assuring that it remains protected.

Microsoft Teams – For schools using Microsoft Teams, UCaaS can be integrated to support collaborative classrooms, and improve school staff communication, plus file sharing.

Click here to learn more about our UCaaS platform.