Zoom Isn’t Built for Learning: Try SCOOCS Academies for Better Engagement

In the wake of the 2020 pandemic, Zoom became the solution for many teachers and educational organisations that needed to shift to online learning overnight. While Zoom is great for virtual meetings or simple webinars, it wasn’t built for education.

According to Statista, the Online Education market is expected to reach 1,121 million users by 2029, and is projected to generate $279 billion in revenue. As this sector grows, it’s clear that the tools we use need to evolve too. We need more than online courses for the future of learning- people are demanding platforms that are built purposely for an education that is digital, engaging, dynamic and scalable. The education of the future.

That’s why we started developing SCOOCS Academies—a platform designed to redefine online education by merging flexibility, security, and engagement into one powerful ecosystem tailored for educators and institutions alike.

Why Zoom falls short for educators and learning academies?

Designed for meetings, not for learning

Zoom was originally developed for business meetings, not for education. It’s hard for Educators to adapt constantly while creating workarounds and manual workflows to manage structured courses, for example.

Challenges that Teachers face while using Zoom

Educators have been facing some challenges like:

• No centralised content management: In Zoom, there isn’t any repository for course materials.
• No built-in learner tracking or analytics: This makes it difficult for teachers to monitor students progress.
• Limited access control and security: Challenges related to permissions/roles management and securing data privacy.
• Minimal engagement tools: Teachers need more than basic chats or Q&As to engage their learners.

These limitations can often lead to learning experiences that are fragmented and less engaging.

What makes SCOOCS Academies different from Zoom?

We’ve been creating and developing SCOOCS Academies, having the needs of the teachers/course leaders + learners in mind, offering a more holistic approach that goes beyond simple webinars or video conferences to create better learning moments:

Flexibility for Blended Learning: Interactive Webinars + On-Demand Learning

Combining live sessions with video-on-demand content allows flexibility in access and learning materials. Learners will be able to explore content at their own pace while attending live sessions in real-time.

Data Compliance and Hosting in the EU

SCOOCS Academy ensures GDPR compliance with data being hosted on secure servers in Germany.

Personalized Learning Journeys

Facilitating learning paths that are tailored according to each learner’s needs.

Granular Content Control and Access Management

Manage attendee access across multiple learning formats with ease. Whether you’re hosting workshops, webinars, or full conferences, SCOOCS Academies simplifies access management that was previously manual and complex.

Targeted Communication by Roles or Profiles

Send personalised communications to specific audience segments—ticket holders, session leaners, speakers, etc.

Public Course Promotion and Custom Pages

With SCOOCS Academies, you can create public pages associated with your courses/learning moments with customizable designs and your organization branding.

Real Use Cases: Heise Academy’s Transformation

Heise Academy paved its way into a online learning hub with the help of SCOOCS, achieving a 40% year-over-year growth. This success was driven by:

• Customizable Learning Paths: With SCOOCS Academy, Heise created customised learning journeys and content that served their different audiences.
• Granual Access Control: Allowing Heise to manage their access dynamically. This way, attendees only viewed the content, webinars, and workshops tied to their specific ticket type, subscription level, or role. This ensured a clear content management and segmentation with an extra layer of security added.
• Targeted Communication Tools: audience filtering capabilities to segment learners by ticket tier, session attendance, professional role, and more. They then sent personalized email campaigns and platform notifications, dramatically improving engagement and response rates.
• Combination of Live and On-Demand Content: SCOOCS enabled Heise to deliver blended learning experiences, combining real-time webinars with flexible on-demand modules. This format allowed participants to attend live or consume content on their schedule—maximizing reach and learner convenience.

SCOOCS Academies VS Zoom

Feature/Aspect	SCOOCS Academies	Zoom
Developed for Learning	✔️	❌
Combination of Live and On-Demand Content	✔️	❌
Targeted Communication Tools	✔️	❌
Granular Access Control	✔️	❌

Who Should Consider Switching to SCOOCS Academies?

SCOOCS Academies is ideal for:

• Universities and Schools: That are seeking scalable and blended online education solutions.

• Online Academies and Trainers: Looking for monetisation options and content control.

• Corporate L&D Teams: Requiring secure and personalised training environments.

In Conclusion: Prepare Learning for the Future with SCOOCS Academies

Zoom is a great platform for video meetings or webinars and was great during the initial shift to online learning. However, if you’re preparing your organization for the future of learning it will be important to make the shift to a platform like SCOOCS Academies- built to make online learning more engaging, flexible and scalable.

Ready to move beyond Zoom? Your students deserve a platform designed for learning. It’s time for SCOOCS Academies!