--- description: Read tips for educators facing the reality of virtual teaching, plus we reveal the best online teaching software for building digital classrooms.  image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/capterra/og_logo-e5a8c001ed0bd1bb922639230fcea71a.png?auto=format%2Cenhance%2Ccompress title: Online Teaching Software: A Guide To Tools And Best Practices --- # Online Teaching Software: A Guide To Tools And Best Practices Canonical: https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog/1409/online-teaching-guide-tools-software-best-practices Published on 31/03/2020 | Written by Capterra. ![Online Teaching Software: A Guide To Tools And Best Practices](https://images.ctfassets.net/63bmaubptoky/ZzBo2TcqeWQS5W2aBXprN4eb79UMTaigpIWPpKacNjM/e5396250a90216620ae0c91fef3dfa03/uk-education-systems.png) > Online teaching is nothing new. Tutors, teachers, and professors have been using technology to connect remotely with students since the advent of the internet.  ----- ## Article Content Online teaching is nothing new. Tutors, teachers, and professors have been using technology to connect remotely with students since the advent of the internet. However, in recent months, the Coronavirus pandemic has required more students and their educators to adapt to online or digital courses than ever before. Regulations around social distancing and isolation have come at us so quickly, many teachers and tutors are scrambling to find the best ways to convey their lessons to students, even when far apart. Here’s the good news: The technology required to connect educators and students in these uncertain times exists. In this article, we’ll provide tips for educators facing the reality of virtual teaching, and outline some of the best tools on document management, collaboration and web-conferencing software for building digital classrooms. How educators are adapting to Covid-19The news about Covid-19 is changing every day, but one thing is for certain: Our way of life has changed fundamentally for the foreseeable future. Social distancing guidelines require us to limit human contact as much as possible, which has had an enormous business impact on the traditional classroom. Fortunately, this is not uncharted territory. Digital classrooms have existed before, and schools in Italy, China, and other countries impacted by Covid-19 earlier have already paved the way for teachers today. And they’ve seen some incredible results. “We were initially concerned about whether our students, particularly younger students, would adapt well to online learning,” says Hannah Titley, Director of The Golden Circle, a UK Professional Home Schooling Group. “However, the feedback is that they are proving as effective as in-person lessons.”In some cases, online education may be an improvement for some students. Learning in the comfort of their own home, free from distractions found in traditional classrooms, may make it easier for them to absorb information and apply their lessons. Leaning on technology during the pandemicOne silver lining to the timing of the Coronavirus outbreak is that we already have the technology required to help students and educators communicate—while maintaining social distancing. There are many video conferencing tools, document management applications, and digital collaboration products available on the market. These tools are easy to use (for students and educators) and don’t require a huge IT team to manage. They also work reliably and are typically available for little to no cost.We’ve outlined some of the best online teaching software platforms and tools for educators. We’ve selected these apps based on the features they offer, their overall rating, ease of use, customer support, and the number of reviews on Capterra. Find the detailed methodology at the bottom of this page.\*A quick comparison of the online teaching software solutions analysed in this article.Software to run virtual lessons Zoom Meetings \& Chat Rating: 4.6/5Ease of use: 4.5/5Customer service: 4.2/5SME Pricing: £15.99 per user per monthFree version: Basic planVideo tutorial for Zoom Meetings \& Chat (Source)About Zoom:Zoom is one of the leading video conferencing platforms and also used as an online teaching tool. It’s versatility and low price point (including a free option) make it a preferred tool for businesses large and small, and educators. The tool features one-on-one video conferencing (suitable for tutors), but it also easily accommodates large group lessons—the free version allows for up to 100 participants. You can make the call as interactive as you like, or you can elect to be the leader on the call. This means you will be the only one able to speak out loud, and you can share your screen as a presentation. The free version also includes: HD video conferencingUnlimited number of meetings (maximum 40 minutes runtime) Chrome \& Outlook pluginsBreakout rooms Group messagingWhiteboardingScheduling for Chrome \& OutlookZoom is compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. Cisco Webex Meetings Rating: 4.4/5Ease of use: 4.2/5Customer service: 4.2/5SME Pricing: £11.25 – £14.85 per user per monthVideo tutorial for Cisco Webex Meetings (Source)Free version: Personal plan (recently updated with new features), plus first month free with any paid monthly plan, and four months free when purchasing an annual plan (updated: April 2020).Over 110 million professionals use Webex to connect every month. Though originally developed for business use, Cisco Webex has become a popular option among educators in the virtual classroom as well. Webex works particularly well for education settings as an online teaching software solution because a number of its built-in features allow for collaboration that mimics traditional classrooms. For example, Webex allows “virtual hand-raising” so students can ask and answer questions, and it also has live chat features so that pupils can discuss the lessons with one another without interrupting the teacher. Additionally, Cisco Meetings includes: Brainstorming featuresAttendee and invite managementWeb conferencing and screen sharingCollaboration toolsScreen capture and recordingPresentation toolsCisco is compatible with Apple and Windows products. Join.meRating: 4.3/5Ease of use: 4.4/5Customer service: 4.2/5Pricing: £9 – £20 per month for multiple usersFree version: 14-day free trialVideo tutorial for Join.me (Source)About Join.meJoin.me has been helping groups connect virtually since 2003. Users highlight the tool’s simplicity—it’s easy to set up, and once you’re on the platform, launching meetings with small or large groups only takes a few clicks. Join.me also features personalisation features. For example, you can customise backgrounds and chat bubbles to suit your personality—this may be particularly appealing to educators who are keen to help students express themselves and have fun while learning using online teaching software. Join.me also includes: Meeting prep toolsAction item trackingTime-zone trackingDesktop/browser sharingReal-time chatMobile accessMulti-hosting. Join.me works on both Mac and Windows products, as well as iOS and Android. Communication toolsFurther requirements: To aid remote working environments, we extended the tool requirements to include a live group chat conversation feature. Slack Rating: 4.6/5Ease of use: 4.6/5Customer service: 4.4/5Pricing: US$8 – US$15 per user, per monthFree trial: Available (contact sales for free trial options)Video tutorial for Slack (Source)About SlackSlack is a versatile communication tool, and it’s used widely by businesses of all sizes. However, it’s well-suited for educational purposes and as an online teaching solution as well. Slack works in your browser, as a mobile app, and also as a downloadable app for laptops and desktops. At its base level, Slack is a customisable chat platform that allows users to create chat rooms within a single, digital environment. For example, teachers could create a room for every course they teach or create small groups for students to work on projects together. Slack also features one-on-one chat features, and it’s very simple to share videos, screenshots, hyperlinks, and other forms of media with anyone on any channel. As a communication tool, Slack features: Realtime chatTask managementChat searchChat threadsAudio and video callsFile sharingThird-party integration.Slack is compatible with virtually any browser and can be installed on Mac and Windows machines. Google Hangouts Meet Rating: 4.5/5Ease of use: 4.6/5Customer service: 4.3/5Pricing: Free with a G Suite account Free trial: 14-days free trial (G Suite)Video tutorial for Google Hangouts meet (Source)About Google hangoutsIf you use Gmail, you may already be familiar with Google Hangouts. The communication platform is built into G Suite, making it easy to hop on a chat or video call with anyone else who uses the platform for email (or anything else). Google Hangouts allows you to start a one-on-one or group chat with other users, or you can start an audio or video call in just a few clicks. You can also schedule meetings, which comes in handy as an online teaching tool, especially for tutors or teachers who want to make sure their students are available at certain times. In addition, Google Hangouts includes: File sharingReal-time chatAudio callsA mobile appPrivate chatRecording \& playback ability. Microsoft Teams Rating: 4.4/5Ease of use: 4.2/5Customer service: 4.2/5Pricing: Free with Office 365 Free version: Try 1 month freeVideo tutorial for Microsoft Teams (Source)About Microsoft TeamsIf you and your students are comfortable with Microsoft products, then Microsoft Teams may be a logical online teaching tool for you to manage your virtual classroom. The diverse product, which includes features such as one-on-one chat to group video conferencing, is well-suited for educators of all sorts. Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one, cloud-based solution. Not only can you use the platform to communicate with teams, but you can also use it to manage documents, as it integrates seamlessly with Microsoft’s OneDrive . Other features of Microsoft Teams include: Discussion threadsSurveys/feedbackTask managementPresentation streamingOn-demand webcastingPresentation tools.Collaboration software:Further requirements: Must include a document management feature. Dropbox Business Rating: 4.5/5Ease of use: 4.5/5Customer service: 4.2/5Pricing: £12 – £18 per user per monthFree version: 30-day free trialVideo tutorial for Dropbox (Source)About DropboxDropbox is a popular document storage and management tool for businesses, but it’s also well-suited to students working in a virtual collaborative environment. With Dropbox, anyone who has access to a “box” can upload documents from their mobile device, browser, or desktop/laptop. Once documents have been uploaded, they can easily be accessed by anyone else who has permission to organise the “box”. Documents can be updated live, or downloaded in their original form. It’s a way for teachers to share syllabuses, worksheets, and other documents students will need. On the flip side, students can upload their papers and projects for a teacher’s review. Some other great features from Dropbox: Access controlBackupsArchiving \& retentionEncryptionProject managementReal-time editing.DropBox works on both Mac and Windows products, as well as iOS and Android devices. Trello Rating: 4.5/5Ease of use: 4.5/5Customer service: 4.3/5Pricing: US$12.50Free version: Free planVideo tutorial for Trello (Source)About TrelloTrello’s unique design allows users to create visual task management dashboards, where anyone can see the different projects and tasks happening at any given time. Trello allows you to add labels, assign tasks to specific people, group tasks together, and add backgrounds to your projects. Users can also upload imagery, videos, and links to your different tasks, making this tool a diverse task-management platform too. Trello also includes: Milestone trackingResource managementProject roadmappingIdea managementAgile \& traditional methodologiesGantt chartsCustomisable templates. Slack Example of document management within Slack (Source)About SlackWe’ve already discussed the benefits of Slack as a communication tool, but it’s also an option for document management. If you need students to be able to exchange documents, find them later on via search, and collaborate on live documents together, Slack can fulfil these needsSlack integrates with third-party document storage platforms you or your students may be using. While you can exchange documents via the platform itself, you can also integrate Slack with Google Drive storage or Dropbox, for example. This means that students can easily share their work, even if they are using different storage tools. Check out Capterra’s directory to discover more document management, collaboration and web-conferencing software. ## Disclaimer > \*Methodology All of the software on this list meet the following criteria: Rated 4+ stars by users on Capterra.co.ukHigh search volume in the UKFree version availableRated 4+ stars for ease of useRated 4+ stars for customer service.Note: The tools included in this article have been listed in no particular order. ## Related Software - [Zoom Workplace](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/144037/zoom-video-conferencing) — 4.6/5 (14573 reviews) - [Webex Suite](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/733/webex) — 4.4/5 (7400 reviews) - [Slack](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/135003/slack) — 4.7/5 (24098 reviews) - [Google Meet](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/176572/google-hangouts) — 4.5/5 (12104 reviews) - [Google Workspace](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/168389/google-workspace) — 4.7/5 (17549 reviews) - [Microsoft Teams](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/168668/microsoft-teams) — 4.5/5 (11010 reviews) - [Microsoft 365](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/58688/microsoft-365) — 4.6/5 (14071 reviews) - [OneDrive](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/161304/onedrive) — 4.5/5 (12686 reviews) - [Dropbox Business](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/143068/dropbox-business) — 4.5/5 (21687 reviews) - [Trello](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/1010321/trello) — 4.5/5 (23525 reviews) - [Slack](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/135003/slack) — 4.7/5 (24098 reviews) - [Slack](https://www.capterra.co.uk/software/135003/slack) — 4.7/5 (24098 reviews) ## Related Categories - [Collaboration Software](https://www.capterra.co.uk/directory/15/collaboration/software) - [Document Management Software](https://www.capterra.co.uk/directory/30063/document-management/software) - [Project Management Software](https://www.capterra.co.uk/directory/30002/project-management/software) - [Task Management Software](https://www.capterra.co.uk/directory/10030/task-management/software) - [Web Conferencing Software](https://www.capterra.co.uk/directory/30075/web-conferencing/software) ## Related Articles - [Short-term rentals, long-term issues: Utilising technology to solve tenant challenges](https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog/6891/short-term-rentals-utilising-tech-to-address-tenant-concerns) - [Sustainability: 60% of UK consumers are reassessing their buying habits due to the pandemic](https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog/2184/sustainability-uk-consumers-pandemic-reassess-the-way-they-buy) - [5 best UK-based task management software for SMEs](https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog/3013/best-uk-tools-for-task-management-software) - [76% of UK businesses will spend more on software in 2025: Here's why](https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog/7557/uk-software-buying-trends-2025-research) - [UK housing market: Is PropTech changing the way people house hunt?](https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog/2574/uk-housing-market-proptech) ## Links - [View on Capterra](https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog/1409/online-teaching-guide-tools-software-best-practices) - [Blog](https://www.capterra.co.uk/blog) - [Home](https://www.capterra.co.uk/) ----- ## Structured Data