Industry · Education & EdTech

Education app development for educational institutions and EdTech platforms.

We build apps that fit the reality of education: teachers with limited time, students on four different devices, a student information system that has been running for twenty years, and privacy requirements that leave no room for experimentation. The right flow for each education level, with GDPR for education and WCAG from the first sprint.

SectorHigher education

SectorVocational & secondary education

SectorEducational publishers

SectorCorporate L&D

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The Dutch education sector in figures.

~6.300

Primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands

~3,4M

Pupils and students

~80

Recognised universities of applied sciences and universities

~78%

Of teachers use digital learning materials daily

Source: DUO Education Data, Kennisnet Monitor, OCW Trend Report.

A standard LMS never covers the entire education chain.

Most education organisations run on a combination of Magister or SOMtoday for administration, Canvas, Brightspace or Moodle for learning materials, and a handful of separate tools for assessment, communication and attendance. The core functions work: grades are recorded, modules are ticked off, reports arrive on time. But every meaningful extension runs into the fact that no single tool was designed for your specific learning route, your pedagogical model or your target group. The LMS is a platform, not learning design.

An examination body has its own proctoring standard that does not match generic video assessment. An educational publisher wants adaptive learning with its own content models and its own learner data under its own responsibility. A university of applied sciences wants a student app that is not simply a mobile wrapper around Brightspace, but combines timetable, grades, course registration and campus information in one seamless flow. On a standard package, this always ends in a long wish list that nobody can fulfil: not the vendor, not the vendor's vendor, and not the community that once promised a plug-in.

Experience also shows that in education, a software decision keeps echoing for years. A vocational college that chose package A in 2018 is still stuck with it in 2026. The only way to break that dependency without a massive migration is to build a layer on top: a custom app that solves the pain points the LMS does not address, with integrations so that data is entered only once, and with its own roadmap steered by your education team rather than a product manager elsewhere in Europe.

A custom app solves this differently: the learning flow is exactly what your didactic model prescribes, the SIS integration is built properly once, and teachers get the information they need without keeping four tabs open. We work structurally with clients in education and also build broader app development projects and custom LMS software. The service page for a single course is at building an education app; this page looks at the sector as a whole.

Software that fits every education level.

A dedicated learning flow, dedicated integrations, and dedicated privacy and accessibility requirements for each target group. Below, what we typically build for each level.

Higher education

Universities and universities of applied sciences almost all work with Brightspace, Canvas or Blackboard. The pain isn't in the LMS itself, which does its job reasonably well, but in everything around it: a student portal that combines timetables, grades, course enrolment and campus information, a research collaboration tool that meets the requirements of the institution and the ministry, or an app that connects assessments to adaptive study planning and the pedagogical coach.

Our module set for higher education integrates with SURFconnect for identity, reads LTI 1.3 modules from the LMS, and builds on top of it the experience your students or staff expect. For research groups we build collaboration tools with data export to government and publication channels, with version control that fits academic integrity and with granular roles for PhD candidates, postdocs and professors.

For teachers, we often build a separate teacher app, with a class overview, a planning tool, quick entry of observations and direct handover to the student information system. For student advisers, we build dashboards that provide early warning of dropout risk, without an algorithm making the decision and with full explainability of what the system has seen.

SURFconext loginSingle sign-on for all Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences.
LTI 1.3 + xAPIModule integration with Brightspace, Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle.
Timetable APIsIntegration with OSIRIS, Sympa, Tribase, Xedule.
WCAG 2.2 AAAccessibility tested with JAWS, NVDA and screen reader flows.

Which EdTech apps we typically build.

The education sector covers a broad range of app categories. For one institution, a student portal is the most important: grades, timetable, course enrolment, planning and campus information bundled into one seamless flow. For another institution, it is a teacher app where class management, pupil records and parent communication come together, so that teachers don't have to keep four different systems open just to do their job.

For publishers and EdTech start-ups, we often build e-learning and adaptive learning platforms with their own content models and their own learner data. We work with xAPI to store learner actions in a Learning Record Store, with SCORM for classic content packages and with our own content engine when adaptive learning requires a pedagogical model that no existing platform supports. For language learning apps, we connect Whisper for speech recognition and ElevenLabs for pronunciation feedback to a custom feedback loop that fits the publisher's pedagogical model.

For examination and proctoring platforms, we build test environments with audit logs, identity verification, video monitoring and a second-marker flow. We are cautious about fully automated grading, not because the technology can't do it, but because the AI Act risk, pedagogical risk and reputational risk are too great for an examining institution. An AI tutor can help a learner practise, but the final assessment belongs with a human.

For tutoring and private lesson platforms we build matching algorithms that pair learner and tutor by subject, level, location and style. For STEM learning tools we build interactive exercises with immediate feedback and progress tracking against the learning pathway. For parent apps we build communication between school and home that respects teachers' working hours: no push notifications at eleven in the evening, but an asynchronous inbox that gives parents and mentors peace of mind.

For library and learning-material apps we build catalogue management, lending flows and integrations with suppliers such as Iddink, Noordhoff, Malmberg and ThiemeMeulenhoff. For MOOC providers and online academies, we build platforms that can serve both B2C and B2B, with cohort functionality, certification and LinkedIn sharing. And for the growing corporate L&D market, we build apps that overlap with our opleiding-app laten maken service page, but within a corporate context with integration to HR, payroll and performance management.

Built to the strictest standards in education.

In education, compliance is not an afterthought. We work within the framework of GDPR, AVG-K, WCAG 2.2 and, where assessment is concerned, the relevant NVAO and AI Act requirements from the very first sprint.

GDPR & AVG-K

Privacy with extra care for children

Apps for minors are subject to a stricter regime than standard GDPR: processing only with valid parental consent for learners under sixteen, data minimisation limited to what is pedagogically necessary, and retention periods that we record for each data object in a data register. We deliver a DPIA as standard and align it with the institution's Data Protection Officer. Data processing agreements and sub-processor registers are part of the handover, not a later quarterly update.

WCAG 2.2 / EAA

Accessibility for public education

Since the European Accessibility Act of 2025, WCAG 2.2 AA is mandatory for public education apps. That affects timetable screens, assessment environments, grade pages and all communication between learner and teacher. We build accessibility in by default: colour contrast, screen reader flows tested with JAWS and NVDA, full keyboard navigation, subtitles on video and transcripts for audio. We also deliver an accessibility statement acceptable to the Stichting Drempelvrij or a comparable audit partner.

SCORM, xAPI & LTI 1.3

Standards for learning content and interoperability

For adaptive content we use xAPI with a chosen Learning Record Store, so that learning analytics work across different content sources. SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 for legacy content from earlier LMS projects. LTI 1.3 for embedding modules in the institution's LMS. All three standards run through a single abstraction layer, so the LMS can be swapped later without recoding and the content remains portable.

EU AI Act — high-risk

Adaptive learning and proctoring with responsible AI

Adaptive learning with learner classification and remote proctoring fall under the AI Act's high-risk category. We document the governance: training data, bias tests across gender and background, human-in-the-loop for decisions affecting study progress, and transparency reporting for the supervisory authority. We advise against building fully autonomous grade assignment; it carries AI Act risk, pedagogical risk and reputational risk for the institution. An AI tutor may help and explain, but the teacher remains ultimately responsible.

WPO / WVO / WHW

Education legislation in code

Retention periods for student records, examination procedures, resit rules, progression requirements, examination regulations, and complaints and appeals procedures are all governed by education legislation and regulations. We build these rules in as configurable business rules, so that a change in law, such as the Wet versterking positie mbo-studenten or new NVAO requirements, does not lead to a complete rebuild but to a configuration change that functional management can carry out independently.

NVAO & examination institutions

Securing assessment and quality

For accreditation processes we deliver audit logs of the examination process: who answered which question and when, which assessor gave which mark, and which resit was granted and on what grounds. For CITO, DUO and internal examination institutions we work with immutable logs, a second-marker flow and export functions that can withstand an NVAO visit.

Seamlessly connected to the education ecosystem.

We integrate with the software your institution already uses. No migration of your entire stack: our app complements it and rarely replaces it.

Magister

SIS · Secondary & VET

SOMtoday

SIS · Secondary & VET

Brightspace

LMS · Higher & VET

Canvas

LMS · international

Moodle

LMS · open source

SURFconext

SSO · Higher education & research

Iddink

Learning materials · Secondary

DUO

Education data & funding

Standard integrations, no project-specific connections.

We have standardised the integrations mentioned above across several education projects. For a new commission, we set up the integration using the same abstraction layer, which means fewer bugs, a shorter lead time, and your own IT team can manage it themselves once we step away. An institution that later wants to make changes of its own can do so without us needing to be hands-on.

For institution-specific software, such as custom middleware, legacy mainframes, custom SIS extensions or a Java layer built decades ago by the IT department, we work case by case. This takes extra time in the planning phase but prevents integration debt later. For publishers and EdTech start-ups that rely on a single LMS platform, we look at a dedicated LMS component or a custom content engine with an API-first design, so that partnerships with other publishers or institutions are technically supported.

Internationally, we also work with platforms such as Coursera, edX, LinkedIn Learning and Udemy when an institution wants to link certification to its own learning pathway. In corporate L&D, we often see overlap with GoodHabitz or Lepaya; there we build integrations that pass progress and certificates on to HR systems and performance tools. For review platforms such as Studyportals or EDUopinions, we look at publishing APIs for courses that want to increase their online visibility.

From curriculum audit to go-live, in clear steps.

An EdTech project for an education institution has its own rhythm. Five phases that are recognisable for every client.

01 · Audit

Pedagogical mapping

A day with a teacher, an educational specialist and an IT professional as guides. Outcome: the current learning flow mapped out, pain points highlighted, and pedagogical principles documented.

02 · Design

Scope per audience

Which flows go into the app per level, which integrations take priority (SIS, LMS, proctoring), and which flows belong in a later release.

03 · Build

Short sprints

One working flow delivered every sprint. Teachers and students test along directly, so the first working flow is live after just a few sprints.

04 · Cutover

Pilot & rollout

First one course or class, then the next. For each rollout: training for teachers, materials for the helpdesk, and handover to your functional management.

05 · Maintenance

Ongoing

We adapt with every OS update, GDPR change or new Brightspace version. Fixed monthly fee, first-line support within the same working day.

Working in a sector that measures.

Kennisnet Monitor Digital Learning Materials

"Since 2024, educational institutions have been shifting more towards custom apps when a standard LMS no longer covers the specific learning flow of a programme. We see this trend especially in vocational (MBO) and higher professional education (hbo)."

SURF Education & ICT Trend Report

"The greatest value of custom apps lies not in replacing the LMS, but in the integrations between administration system, learning material and student support, a layer that platforms themselves do not provide."

VO-raad whitepaper on digital pedagogy

"Apps that teachers have been able to design themselves, rather than apps rolled out over teachers, demonstrably achieve higher adoption and lower helpdesk pressure."

Answers for education that is going digital.

The questions we most often hear from executive boards, education managers and EdTech founders.

Which types of EdTech app do you build?

We mainly build student and pupil portals, teacher apps for class management and records, e-learning and adaptive learning environments, examination and proctoring tools, tutoring platforms, language learning apps with speech AI, parent apps for communication between school and home, and library or learning-resource apps for managing physical and digital materials. We work with universities and universities of applied sciences as well as with MBO colleges, secondary schools, examination bodies, educational publishers and EdTech start-ups. For the service layer of a single programme, see also our page on custom apps for educational programmes. For learning environments, take a look at custom LMS software.

What is the difference between this page and your training app page?

This page looks at the education sector as a whole: all target groups, all levels of education, all EdTech categories that we classify under education. The opleiding-app laten maken page is a service page that goes into more concrete detail about one defined service: an app for one specific course or educational institution, often for sharing study material and scheduling. Many clients start on the service page, look here for the broader context, and then move on to a project.

How do you handle GDPR and privacy for children?

Apps for minors fall under a stricter GDPR regime. We only collect data that is pedagogically necessary, define retention periods per data object, arrange parental consent where required, and deliver a DPIA as standard on handover. For schools working with a data protection officer, we align with that person directly. We also provide data processing agreements as standard.

Do you work with SCORM, xAPI and LTI 1.3?

Yes, all three. SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 for traditional content packages, xAPI with a chosen Learning Record Store for modern adaptive content, and LTI 1.3 for embedding modules in Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle or Blackboard. We build all three standards through a single abstraction layer, so switching LMS later doesn't require a full rewrite.

Can you build AI tutoring, and is it compliant with GDPR and the AI Act?

We build AI tutoring with both large models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) and domain-specific models that we run locally or in a European cloud. The latter is often the right choice for educational content: lower cost per user, better control over the output, and no data export outside the EU. Under the AI Act, tutoring and adaptive learning may fall under high-risk; we document governance, carry out bias testing and build in human-in-the-loop moments for teachers. See also our AI approach for sectors with strict requirements.

How much does it cost to develop an educational app?

A learner portal for a single course is a smaller project than an institution-wide platform with SIS integration, an examination module and a parent app. We work with a fixed sprint budget and, after the planning phase, give a concrete price for the complete build, including integrations and compliance work. What we often do: start with one clearly defined flow for one target group and broaden once that works.

Can you build a multi-tenant app for an education group?

Yes. For education foundations, VET college groups and publishers with multiple client institutions, we build multi-tenant from the outset. Each institution gets its own branding, its own role setup, its own integrations and its own data isolation within a single codebase. This saves considerably on maintenance and still lets institutions operate independently. We often combine this with a serious gaming component as part of the learning offer.

Talk to us about your educational app.

A half-hour introductory conversation with an education manager, an instructional designer or a product lead. We listen, ask questions and offer an initial direction. No obligation.

Schedule an introductory call Email fabian.vandijk@appfront.nl