Online training platforms and e-learning apps have widely been used both by professionals and students these days. Masses are migrating towards online schools so that they can gain access to unlimited online knowledge in a matter of few seconds.
If you are an organization that is ready with ideas to launch a new e-learning application, then it is very important to incorporate quality assurance for your product. E-learning apps are used by a wide consumer base and a single mistake can cost a hefty amount to the business.
Take an example of a bug that is introduced in the paid video session that can lose you loyal customers. It can lead to loss of trust among students which can force them to choose another e-learning platform. So, testing speed, content, security, and access functionalities regressively before making the product live is very important.
Your product should have easy navigation and should be user-friendly. To verify LMS (learning Management System) test cases, we need a robust testing strategy. So, let’s dig deep into the tutorial which will elaborate on the testing strategy for your e-learning app.
More about E-Learning Applications
There are different kind of e-learning platforms available in the market such as Flash-based, Web-based, CD-ROM based and Server-based learning platforms. E-learning platforms should comply with some protocols such as AICC (Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee), SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model), and TIN CAN.
AICC is followed for CD-ROM-based training platforms which send data very securely over HTTPS. SCORM is a protocol that should be followed for seamless communication between client and server for web-based or flash-based platforms. SCORM makes the content more user-friendly for the audience.
TIN CAN is a protocol that should be followed for mobile platform learning apps. It makes the content independent of LMS. Let’s now look at the overview of functionalities and e-learning quality assurance checklist that need to be tested in-depth.
Different Platform-elements to test in eLearning App
Let’s look at different platform elements and elearning testing checklist of e-learning platforms that need to be tested in detail.
- Course Content
- Grammar Mistakes
- Visuals – Images and Graphics
- Audio
- Voiceover and Music
- User-friendliness
- Quiz and Assessments
- Ease of access
General Test Cases for E-Learning Apps
Let’s look at the most common test cases for e-learning website. These are sample test cases for learning management system.
- There are no spelling and grammar mistakes in the course content.
- Course content is easy enough to understand and deliver wonderful learning experiences.
- Font of text should be consistent.
- Images should not be of bad quality.
- There should not be too many pictures on a page.
- Images should be aligned properly to enhance consumer’s experience.
- The quality of audio and video so that students should get the best experience.
- There are no bad links in the application.
- There aren’t any inactive elements on the platform.
- Navigation is user-friendly. There should not be any missing navigation links in the application.
- The content form and FAQs are available on the platform and easily accessible by students.
- The product is responsive and demonstrates good performance.
- The product works flawlessly on all devices and browsers.
Learn more about how to write test cases in this article.
Testing Types required for E-Learning Platforms
You must be eager to know how to test an elearning course. Let’s now look at different kinds of testing which need to be performed for e-learning platforms and then dig into them one by one.
- Functional Testing
- Usability Testing
- Performance Testing
- Security Testing
- Compatibility Testing
- Compliance Testing
- Localization Testing
- Load Testing
Functional Testing
All the user requirements which are defined by product owners should be validated against the e-learning platform. Starting from grammar to checking audio and video quality are covered here. Regression and Integration Testing should be performed. If any third-party applications are integrated with e-learning platforms such as payment gateway, then they should also be tested in-depth to avoid any kind of bugs. Authentication and Authorization should be verified for the users.
Usability Testing
E-Learning platforms are used by thousands of students every day, so it is very important to test the accessibility of the application. Navigation should be easy, and representation of the content should be user-friendly. All the guidelines are in place and the user should not face difficulty in going through the application.
Performance Testing
Before making the product live, we should do performance testing for our e-learning application so that our application performs well under the expected load. There must be some metrics based upon performance testing will be performed. Suppose if our application should support 1000 students then even if 1000 students access the e-learning platform at the same time then also the content should work fine for them. We can achieve this via JMeter or Gatling tools.
Security Testing
E-Learning platforms are paid so it is very to verify useraccess to the content. We should verify that our application is secure enough that hackers have fewer chances to add to attacks. There should not be any vulnerabilities in our application. When payment gateway is associated, and cards are saved in user account then security testing becomes an eminent part of testing so that user data is not compromised. ZAP OWASP tool can be used for security testing.
Compatibility Testing
Our e-learning platform should be tested on all browsers and all platforms. If the application supports android and iOS platforms, then it should be tested on all version numbers of Android and iOS. For this, a testbed is created for the supported devices with their version numbers and online sources such as browser stack can be used for validating this.
Compliance Testing
Different compliance standards need to be followed by our e-learning platform. Some of them are SCORM, AICC. Testers should be aware of these protocols, and they should make sure that our e-learning platform should be compliant with the protocols.
Localization Testing
Localization testing should be done for e-learning applications. We need to make sure that our application performs well in all international locations so that we don’t miss any chance of enhancing our business. We need to make a test bed of locations list and then via different proxy providers such as Wonder proxy, we must test our application.
Load Testing
Load Testing should be done for e-learning applications because if load more than the expected load is applied to our application then our application should not go unexpected. It should display proper error messages if a spike in load is noticed. For this, the JMeter tool can be used.
Conclusion
Now, you must be aware of the strategy that needs to be followed for testing e-learning platforms. You must be aware how to test learning content with the best practices. Some best practices need to be kept in mind such as – real devices should be given preference over emulators for better analysis, multi-platform testing for reproducing not-so-easy reproducible bugs.
Applications can be tested on simulators too but there are hardware, framework, and UI limitations. It is always advisable to test e-learning platforms on real devices. If you still have any doubts, get a free estimation from us and make your e-learning platform more robust with minimum bugs.