Over the last six months, the team at Vacademy embarked on a research project. We spoke to over 100 educators—from solo yoga coaches in London to STEM academy owners in Bengaluru and corporate L&D heads in Sydney. We asked them one simple question: "What is the biggest barrier to your growth in the digital space?"
The answers were surprisingly consistent across geographies. Beyond the technical glitches, the real struggle is operational fragmentation. Here is what we learned and how it's influencing every feature we build.
Insight 1: Context Switching is Killing Productivity
78% of educators mentioned that they use at least 5 different tools to manage their teaching: Zoom for classes, WhatsApp for communication, Google Forms for tests, PayPal/Link for payments, and Excel for tracking.
"I spend more time copying links from one app to another than I do actually teaching my students." — Wellness Coach, UK
Insight 2: Attendance is a poor metric for Engagement
Many educators realized that a student being logged into a session doesn't mean they areLearning. The lack of eye contact and physical presence makes it hard to spot disengaged learners until it's too late (e.g., failed tests).
The Solution
Real-time interaction tracking. Vacademy now monitors not just attendance, but participation in quizzes, doubt raising, and content consumption to give a 'Health Score' for every learner.
Insight 3: The "24-Hour" Rule for Doubt Resolution
Educators who respond to student doubts within 24 hours have a 40% higher retention rate. However, managing these doubts across WhatsApp and Email is a nightmare for trainers at scale.
"If a student gets stuck on a Friday night and doesn't get help, they give up by Monday. Digital learning needs asynchronous support that feels instant."
Insight 4: Automation is needed for the 'Tail,' not the 'Core'
Initial fears about AI replacing teachers have shifted. The 100+ educators we spoke to don't want a "human robot." They want automation for the repetitive "tail" tasks:
- Generating mock test papers.
- Sending payment follow-ups.
- Marking attendance for 500+ participants.
Insight 5: Your Brand is Your Most Valuable Asset
In a crowded digital market, educators found that teaching on aggregate platforms (like Udemy) diminished their own brand value. They want to be seen as an Academy, not just a course creator.
The Move to White-Label
92% of the educators expressed a desire for a dedicated portal or mobile app that carries their logo and domain, not a third-party marketplace.
Summary: What 100+ Educators Want
| The Problem | The Impact | The Vacademy Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Fragmented Tools | 2-3 hours wasted per day | Unified Learning OS |
| Passive Attendance | Low mastery / drop-offs | Interaction-based Health Scores |
| Doubt Backlog | Student frustration | Unified Doubt Management |
| Repetitive Admin | Educator burnout | Vsmart AI Suite (Automations) |
| Generic Platforms | Loss of brand value | Branded Portals & Mobile Apps |
Research Methodology FAQs
Who were the educators in your study?
We spoke to a diverse group including STEM tutors, wellness instructors, corporate trainers, and school administrators. This allowed us to find universal pain points that affect all teaching domains.
How did you find these 100+ educators?
The group consisted of both existing Vacademy users and educators we approached on professional networks like LinkedIn to understand their current technical barriers.
Does Vacademy really solve all these problems?
Everything we've built—from the AI question paper generator to the unified CRM—is a direct response to these findings. We continue to interview educators to refine our feature roadmap.
How can I join your next educator roundtable?
We regularly host webinars and product feedback sessions. You can sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on future community events.