Ship a purpose-built virtual classroom — LTI-native, AI-captioned, with attendance and engagement that lands in your gradebook from minute one — in 4-6 weeks. Built on the same stack powering BrainCert (500M+ live minutes/month) and Scholarly (2,000 students per session). Start at $6K and scale from 50 learners to 500,000 on the same architecture.
Most virtual classroom “solutions” are a generic LMS (Moodle, Canvas, Brightspace, Blackboard) with a Zoom or Teams session embedded as an iframe. It works for hour one. It breaks the moment you need attendance tracking that actually posts to the gradebook, AI captions students can search, in-context replay, or a proctored exam. Below: where a custom EdTech video platform earns the rebuild.
Numbers reflect Fora Soft production deployments on BrainCert (500M+ live minutes/month across virtual classrooms with proctoring + breakouts + LMS integration), Scholarly (2,000 students per live session), and InstaClass. Your numbers will move with your learner concurrency, recording retention, and AI feature mix.
A virtual classroom isn't a video call — it's a learning event with attendance, engagement, AI assistance, and a recording that has to land in the right student's history. Skip any of those and the LMS goes blind, instructors lose minutes to admin, and the replay nobody can find is the replay that doesn't help anyone.
Class scheduling lives in your LMS (Moodle, Canvas, Brightspace, custom). LTI 1.3 launch hands off authenticated students and roster context to the classroom runtime. Calendar sync to Google / Outlook / Apple via CalDAV + iCal. Roster + role mapping happens before the first frame is captured.
mediasoup 3.16 or LiveKit 1.x SFU handles host + student WebRTC streams with sub-200ms latency. Breakout rooms spawn as child SFU sessions. Raise-hand queue, whiteboard, polls, screen-share with annotation — all rendered in your branded UI, not a vendor's chrome.
Whisper Large-v3 or Deepgram Nova-3 for live captions. SeamlessM4T or DeepL Voice for real-time translation tracks (multilingual classes). Custom attention / engagement models flagging disengagement to the instructor in real time. AI runs as a parallel pipeline so the live stream isn't blocked.
CMAF / LL-HLS packaging produces searchable replay with chapter markers (topic shifts, slide changes, Q&A start). Transcript indexed in pgvector or Elasticsearch — students search the lecture by phrase and jump to the timestamp. Recordings stored encrypted at rest, retention policy per course.
xAPI / cmi5 statements fire to the LMS for every learning event: join time, leave time, raise-hand count, poll responses, quiz scores, total engaged minutes. Auto-generated post-class summary (key concepts, action items, suggested follow-up reading) is delivered to instructor and students. Replay link is bound to the LMS course page — no scavenger hunt.
Total class loop, end-to-end: instructors press “end class” and the gradebook, the replay archive, and the post-class summary are all live for the next learner within a minute. This is the loop generic LMS + Zoom iframe never closes.
Every layer is a deliberate choice for a learning workload, not a generic video call workload. The list below is what we deploy in production today — across higher ed, K-12, corporate training, and professional certification platforms.
Compliance overlays — FERPA, GDPR, COPPA (K-12), HIPAA-adjacent (medical training) — are enforced inside each layer: encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access by LMS role, audit logs on every gradebook write, data residency pinned per region, recording retention configurable per course.
A higher-ed lecture is not the same product as a corporate compliance recertification, even if both run on WebRTC + an LMS. The taxonomy, the proctoring, the recording retention, the parent / employer dashboards — that's where custom EdTech development earns the rebuild. Six shapes Fora Soft has shipped to production.
BrainCert — the flagship deployment — runs 500M+ live minutes/month for universities and continuing-ed programs. LTI 1.3 launches from Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard. Breakout rooms for seminar work, in-class polls + quizzes, attendance tracked back to the gradebook, recordings with searchable transcripts.
Synchronous classes with COPPA / FERPA-compliant defaults, parent / guardian visibility for elementary grades, AI-flagged disengagement (the teacher sees who's drifting), recording controls per district policy, optional lockdown browser for assessments.
Compliance recertifications with audit-grade event logs, engagement dashboards for L&D managers (was the learner actually present?), xAPI back-channel to the corporate LMS / HRIS, AI-generated post-class summaries delivered to manager + learner.
Proctored exams with webcam attention, gaze tracking, ambient audio anomalies, lockdown browser. Chain-of-custody event log per session, recording stored encrypted with retention pinned to certification body policy. Integration with Pearson VUE, ProctorU patterns, or your in-house workflow.
1:1 or 1:few sessions with whiteboard + screen share, shared documents, replay-with-notes for the student to revisit. Tutor availability + booking integrated with the platform. Scholarly runs 2,000 students per live session on this pattern.
Hands-on lab simulations, instructor-led demonstrations with multiple camera angles, recording for self-paced replay with chapter markers. SCORM 2004 / cmi5 back-channel for skill mastery tracking. Vocational schools, trades, healthcare CME.
Adding Zoom or Teams to your LMS is fine for hour one. The moment attendance has to land in your gradebook, AI captions need to live in your archive, or proctoring has to meet your institution's policy — custom development pays back from learner one. The decision isn't “when do I scale up to custom?” — it's “when do I stop renting my classroom?”
Familiar to instructors, ships in days. Vendor-owned cloud, vendor-owned SDK, per-host pricing.
mediasoup / LiveKit, your LMS depth, your AI, your data, your compliance posture. Built around your product, not vendor's.
Hybrid is a real option — keep your existing LMS (Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, Brightspace), layer a custom WebRTC + AI classroom on top via LTI 1.3. Roughly 30% of EdTech engagements ship this way.
Engagement model is matched to where you are, not where we'd prefer you to be. The three shapes below cover roughly 90% of how Fora Soft enters an EdTech project.
Discovery → architecture → MVP → production. We own the stack and ship in 10–16 weeks on a defined scope. Best fit when there's no existing system or when the bolt-on Zoom integration is being decommissioned. BrainCert was built this way.
Discuss scopeExisting LMS + Zoom iframe replaced with a custom WebRTC classroom (LTI 1.3 launcher, no instructor retraining), AI captions and translation added to running classes, proctoring layer added to assessments, recording archive made searchable. We integrate without ripping out the LMS instructors love.
Discuss scopeInherited an EdTech platform nobody fully understands? A previous vendor walked away mid-build? Classes dropping under enrollment spikes? We've done the takeover dance enough times to make it boring: audit, stabilize, document, ship the next version. NDA before access; honest verdict on what's salvageable.
Discuss scopeThe number you see is the bracket the build typically lands in. Final scope depends on learner concurrency, LMS integration depth, AI feature mix, proctoring requirements, and compliance overlays — we name the moving parts in the discovery call before you commit.
Add-ons priced separately: per-region infrastructure, custom AI model training, third-party SDK licenses (Respondus, Pearson VUE), regulatory certification audits, premium CDN contracts. We itemize before contract.
An independent assessment of your EdTech build, written by engineers who would actually ship it. Pick the one that fits where you are now: planning the MVP, mid-build, or stabilizing what's already in production. NDA before any code, recordings, or LMS access changes hands.
Competitor analysis, core feature definition, monetization modeling, and a full launch blueprint — delivered within a week. Written by engineers who'll build what they plan.
An independent review of your system's technology choices, structural components, and workload fit — with a plain verdict on what's working, what's a liability, and exactly what to change to reach your goal. Delivered within a week.
A full audit of your code with every issue documented, evidenced, and located — exact file, exact line. Plus a system architecture review and a prioritized fix roadmap. Not a consultant's opinion. A case file. Delivered within a week.
No commitment. NDA before any code, recordings, or LMS access is shared.
Not a generalist studio with an EdTech practice. Not a Zoom reseller in a custom-dev jacket. Fora Soft has been building real-time video and WebRTC infrastructure since 2005 — and the virtual classroom, proctoring, tutoring, and corporate training work below is the same team, the same stack, the same engineering bar.
625+ products shipped. EdTech video has been a Fora Soft specialty since before SCORM 2004 was a published standard. We've watched the virtual classroom transition from Flash to HTML5, from MCU to SFU, from RTMP to WebRTC. Every generation has shipped through us.
Higher education and continuing-ed programs running 500M+ live minutes/month on a virtual classroom built end-to-end by Fora Soft. LTI 1.3 launchers from Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard. Breakout rooms, proctoring, recording with searchable transcripts, AI captions, attendance tracked back to the gradebook. Read the case study before the call.
Scholarly runs 2,000 students per live session for higher-ed tutoring with whiteboard + screen share + replay-with-notes. InstaClass handles 1:1 and 1:few coaching with calendar-integrated booking. The pattern that proves interactive EdTech video works beyond the classroom.
No outsourcing chain. The WebRTC engineer who tunes your SFU sits next to the iOS engineer who builds the student app, the LMS integration developer wiring up xAPI back-channels, and the SRE who runs your recording archive. 100% Upwork Top-Rated Plus, 100% job success on enterprise engagements. NDA before any code access; honest verdict before any contract.
Via LTI 1.3 + LTI Advantage. Students launch the classroom from inside the LMS with their authenticated session, the roster + role mapping happens automatically, and every learning event (join, leave, raise-hand, poll answer, quiz score, engaged minutes) posts back to the LMS via xAPI / cmi5 / SCORM 2004. Custom plugins also available for Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard, and BrainCert when LTI isn't enough.
Zoom and Teams are general conferencing tools wrapped in an iframe — they don't know they're inside an LMS. Attendance doesn't post back, the recording lives in Zoom's cloud (not your archive), AI captions are vendor-locked, breakout-room state never reaches the gradebook. A custom EdTech video platform treats the LMS as the source of truth and the classroom as a learning event, not a meeting. The compare table above lays out the full delta.
Yes. Live transcripts (Whisper Large-v3 or Deepgram Nova-3) are indexed in pgvector or Elasticsearch. Students search the lecture by phrase or concept and jump to the exact timestamp. Chapter markers are auto-generated from topic-shift detection (slide changes, Q&A start, breakout-room transitions). Deep links work from anywhere — mobile, web, embedded in the LMS course page.
Proctoring is a separate classroom mode for assessments: webcam attention tracking, gaze direction, ambient audio anomaly detection, lockdown browser (custom or Respondus integration). Every event is logged to an audit-grade chain-of-custody record. FERPA / GDPR posture is enforced at every layer: encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access by LMS role, audit logs on every gradebook write, data residency pinned per region, retention windows configurable per course. We sign DPAs before any engagement.
Yes. SeamlessM4T or DeepL Voice runs as a parallel pipeline producing live translated audio tracks delivered over WebRTC. Captions are translated separately so students can read in language A while listening in language B. End-to-end translation latency is sub-second under typical conditions. Multilingual classes (international universities, language-immersion programs, global L&D) are a common pattern.
Yes — we run roughly 30% of EdTech engagements as parallel-build migrations. New mediasoup / LiveKit classroom runtime comes up next to the existing Zoom integration, traffic is split by course or feature flag, the existing Zoom stays as fallback while QoE and gradebook posting are validated. Once metrics match or beat baseline, traffic shifts over. Typical migration window is 6–10 weeks per major LMS.
Yes. K-12 mode includes COPPA-compliant defaults (no PII collection beyond what the district approves), parent / guardian visibility dashboards for elementary grades, AI-flagged disengagement so the teacher sees who's drifting in real time, optional lockdown browser for assessments. Districts configure retention, recording policy, and parent-facing reports per their own policy.
4–6 weeks for Startup tier (single classroom component, up to ~100 concurrent, existing LMS via LTI). 8–10 weeks for Growth (multi-classroom, AI captions + translation, multi-region SFU, up to ~5K concurrent, gradebook back-channel). 10–12 weeks+ for Enterprise (multi-region clusters, full AI pipeline, proctoring stack, FERPA / COPPA / GDPR / SOC 2).
You do. Models, training data, infrastructure code, classroom UI, recording archive, and AI overlays are all delivered to your repositories and your storage under your name. Fora Soft retains no claim on the IP or the data. The benefit of custom development over SaaS is exactly this: the recordings, the gradebook data, and the unit economics live on your balance sheet rather than the vendor's.
Three shapes: handover to your in-house team (most common at Enterprise tier when there's existing EdTech engineering capacity); ongoing SRE / AI-tuning retainer (typical at Growth tier when EdTech-specific engineering isn't on the roadmap); or fixed-scope quarterly improvement cycles (new classroom types, new LMS integrations, AI feature upgrades). All three are scoped after the initial build, not bundled.
Within 48 hours you'll get a realistic estimate, a technical recommendation, and an outline of next steps. No obligation. NDA before any access to your code, recordings, or LMS data.
Specialist software house for video, real-time and AI products. Founded 2005. 50 in-house engineers.
