Developer Needed for Custom Online Learning Platform / Student Portal with Live Classes

Project: Custom Online Learning Platform / Student Portal with Live Interactive Classes I am looking for an experienced full-stack developer / LMS specialist to help me create a professional online learning platform for children. IMPORTANT: I am NOT necessarily looking to build the entire platform from scratch. My preference is to first evaluate existing LMS, virtual classroom, white-label education, or open-source solutions and determine whether one of these can provide most of the functionality required. I would then like the selected developer to customize, integrate and brand the system, with custom development only where necessary. I am looking for someone who can advise me on the best technical architecture—not simply someone who will immediately propose building everything from scratch. PROJECT OBJECTIVE The platform will be used to deliver structured online classes to children in different countries. Each student should receive their own username/password and have access to a personal student portal. From the portal, students should be able to: View upcoming classes Join scheduled live classes See their learning progress Access homework/home practice Access learning materials Complete activities or skills Progress through structured learning stages/levels View achievements/rewards Parents should eventually be able to monitor their child's progress, while teachers/coaches need tools for scheduling, teaching, assigning work and recording student progress. 1. STUDENT LOGIN & PROFILE Each student should have an individual account. Ideally this includes: Username/email and password Student profile Current learning stage/level Completed skills/modules Upcoming classes Previous classes Homework/home practice Achievements Progress The interface must be very simple and child-friendly. 2. STUDENT DASHBOARD After logging in, students should see a dashboard containing information such as: Next scheduled class Join Class button Current learning stage Progress Current assignments/home practice Recently completed activities Achievements/badges Upcoming sessions The dashboard should work well on desktop, tablet and mobile. 3. LIVE ONLINE CLASSROOM A major part of the platform will be live teaching. I need support for both: 1-to-1 lessons Group lessons The live classroom should ideally provide: Video conferencing Student and teacher audio/video Screen sharing Interactive/shared whiteboard Presentation of images/slides/videos Basic classroom controls Multiple students in one class I am open to using an existing video/classroom provider rather than developing video conferencing technology from scratch. Examples could include integration with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, ClassIn or another suitable virtual classroom solution. I would like the developer to recommend the best approach. 4. CUSTOM INTERACTIVE TEACHING TOOL There is one important feature that may require custom development. During a live class, the instructor needs to be able to activate and control simple visual animations on the student's screen. For example, the instructor may select: ACTION A → animation expands ACTION B → animation remains still ACTION C → animation contracts The instructor should ideally be able to control: Duration of Action A Duration of Action B Duration of Action C Number of cycles/repetitions Start Pause Stop Restart Different visual themes/animations The student should see the animation synchronized with the instructor's controls. I will explain the exact use case and design requirements privately to shortlisted developers. This is NOT intended to replace the virtual classroom. It would be an additional interactive teaching tool used during lessons. I would like applicants to explain whether this can be integrated into an existing LMS/virtual classroom or whether it should exist as a separate web component. 5. CLASSES & SCHEDULING The system should allow administrators/teachers to: Create classes Schedule date/time Assign teacher Assign student(s) Create individual classes Create group classes Reschedule/cancel classes Track attendance Students/parents should see upcoming classes from their account. A calendar view would be preferred. Self-booking may also be required, depending on the platform selected. 6. STRUCTURED LEARNING PROGRESSION The educational program follows a structured progression. Students progress through multiple stages/levels, and each stage contains individual skills/modules. Conceptually: Level → Skills → Activities → Completion/Assessment → Reward → Next Level I need the platform to record which skills have been completed and show the student's overall progression. Ideally, certain content/stages can remain locked until prerequisite skills or levels have been completed. Please advise whether the recommended LMS already supports this or whether customization would be necessary. 7. HOMEWORK / HOME PRACTICE Teachers should be able to assign activities to students between classes. Students should be able to see: Active assignments Instructions Due dates where applicable Completed assignments Ideally, the teacher should be able to mark an assignment as completed or review the student's work. 8. ACHIEVEMENTS / BADGES I would eventually like students to receive digital achievements for completing certain milestones. Examples: Skill completed Stage completed Level completed Special achievement The system should ideally display earned and upcoming achievements. This feature does not need to be extremely sophisticated for the MVP, but the system should allow it to be expanded later. 9. PARENT ACCESS Ideally, a parent can have an account and see information related to their child/children. This could include: Upcoming classes Attendance Current learning stage Skills completed Progress Teacher feedback Home practice Reports Packages/payments If full parent accounts significantly increase the cost of the MVP, please explain what could be implemented initially and what could be added during Phase 2. 10. TEACHER / COACH DASHBOARD Teachers should ideally be able to: See their students See upcoming classes Start/join classes Assign homework Record attendance Mark skills/modules as completed Add notes Review student progress 11. ADMIN DASHBOARD Administrator functionality may include: Create/manage students Create/manage parents Create/manage teachers Create/manage classes Assign students to classes Manage courses/levels Manage homework Manage achievements View attendance View student progress Manage packages/subscriptions View basic reporting 12. PAYMENTS / PACKAGES I would eventually like the ability to sell class packages or memberships online. Examples could include: Individual classes Multi-class packages Group programs Memberships/subscriptions I am open to using an established payment provider rather than building payment processing from scratch. Please recommend an appropriate solution. 13. RESPONSIVE DESIGN The platform must work well on: Desktop Laptop iPad/tablet Mobile A native iOS/Android application is NOT required for Phase 1. A high-quality responsive web application is preferred initially. 14. BRANDING / WHITE LABEL The final student experience should look and feel like our own online academy. I do not want students to feel that they are constantly being redirected between unrelated third-party services. Ideally we should have: Custom domain/subdomain Logo Brand colors Custom dashboard appearance Customized student experience Minimal third-party branding where technically/licensing-wise possible Please explain the white-label limitations of any software you recommend. EXISTING SOFTWARE VS CUSTOM DEVELOPMENT This is particularly important. I would like applicants to evaluate whether an existing platform can provide most of the requirements. I am open to: Commercial LMS platforms Open-source LMS platforms White-label education platforms Virtual classroom platforms Combination of LMS + classroom software Custom front-end connected to existing infrastructure Hybrid solutions I am NOT committed to any specific LMS. Please do not recommend a particular system simply because it is the only platform you work with. I am looking for the best solution for the requirements. Ideally, I would like the project categorized into: A. Existing functionality — already available in the recommended software B. Configuration/customization — existing functionality that needs to be adapted C. Custom development — functionality that genuinely needs to be built I would strongly prefer not to spend development time recreating mature functionality such as authentication, calendars, video conferencing or payment processing if reliable existing technology can provide it. MVP / PHASE 1 I do NOT expect every possible feature to be developed immediately. I would like the developer to help identify the smallest professional MVP that allows us to start teaching students online. My priorities for Phase 1 are approximately: Student accounts/login Student dashboard Scheduled classes Live individual/group classes Video/audio Screen sharing Whiteboard Homework/home practice Basic structured progression Basic progress tracking Teacher/admin management Responsive tablet/mobile experience The custom interactive visual teaching tool is important, but I am open to discussing whether it belongs in Phase 1 or immediately after the core platform is operational. More advanced gamification, detailed parent analytics and other features can potentially be Phase 2. WHAT I NEED FROM THE DEVELOPER I am looking for more than someone who can write code. I need someone who can help determine the most sensible architecture for this project. In your proposal, please answer the following: 1. What platform/technology would you recommend for this project? Please name the actual LMS/platform/technology you would use. 2. Why would you choose it? Please explain why it is suitable for these requirements. 3. Would you recommend: existing software customization, custom development, or a hybrid? 4. Which of my requested features are already available in your proposed system? 5. Which features would require customization? 6. Which features would require completely custom development? 7. How would you handle the live classroom? Please specify whether you would use an existing provider or build/integrate another solution. 8. How would you approach the interactive visual teaching tool? You do not need to provide code. I simply want to understand the architecture you would recommend. 9. Can the platform be expanded later without rebuilding everything? 10. Please provide examples of similar LMS/student portal/education projects you have completed. Please provide working URLs or screenshots where possible and explain specifically what you developed. 11. What would your estimated timeline be for an MVP? 12. What would your estimated cost be? Please separate: Initial setup/development Software licensing/subscriptions Hosting Third-party services Ongoing maintenance IDEAL EXPERIENCE Experience in several of the following would be valuable: LMS development eLearning platforms Full-stack web development Student portals Online tutoring platforms Virtual classroom integration Video conferencing APIs Interactive whiteboards JavaScript API integration Gamification User roles/permissions Parent/student account structures Responsive web applications Payment integration SaaS architecture IMPORTANT PROJECT PRINCIPLES 1. Do not over-engineer the MVP. I would rather use reliable existing infrastructure than pay to rebuild functionality that already exists. 2. Scalability matters. Although the initial number of students will be relatively small, the system should be capable of supporting growth and students in multiple countries. 3. User experience matters. This platform will be used by children, so it needs to be intuitive, visually clear and easy to navigate. 4. I need ownership and clarity. Please clearly explain what I will own, what is licensed from third parties and what would happen if I change developers in the future. 5. Security/privacy matters. Because the platform may be used by children, please explain how you would approach account security, data protection, permissions and any relevant privacy considerations. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Please begin your proposal with the words: ONLINE ACADEMY This is simply so I know you have read the full project description. Then answer these three questions near the beginning of your proposal: A. Which existing platform/LMS would you investigate first for this project? B. What percentage of the MVP do you believe can be achieved using existing software rather than custom development? C. What do you believe will be the most technically challenging part of this project? Generic proposals that simply say “I can build your website” without discussing the LMS/platform architecture are unlikely to be shortlisted. I am happy to provide additional details, reference screenshots and a more detailed functional specification to shortlisted candidates. Budget: The listed budget is indicative for the initial MVP. I am open to discussing the budget based on the recommended architecture and the amount of genuine custom development required.