In the world of chess, effective training can make all the difference in a player’s development. Chess Gaja, a high-performance online chess training academy, has embraced innovative solutions to enhance its chess lessons. By integrating the Wise, an LMS for Chess School, Chess Gaja has streamlined its operations and significantly improved the learning experience for its students.
To gain deeper insights into this transformation, we reached out to GrandMaster and FIDE Trainer Priyadharshan Kannappan, founder of Chess Gaja, and posed several questions about their experiences with Wise. Below are his responses that highlight the impact of Wise on their chess academy.
Chess Gaja’s Mission and Audience
Chess Gaja is dedicated to providing exceptional chess training for players of all ages and skill levels. With over 5000 students across 20+ countries, their mission is to offer proper guidance amidst the information overload prevalent in today’s chess resources.
Audience: They cater to a wide age range, with students from 5 to 60 years old.
Challenges Before Wise as an LMS for Chess Academy
Prior to adopting Wise, Chess Gaja faced several challenges in managing their training sessions. The primary challenge was reliance on Skype for classes led to inconsistencies and difficulties in quality control, as over 30 coaches used their own accounts. This resulted in time-consuming processes for recording sessions, tracking hours, automating attendance and verifying scheduled classes. The lack of a centralized system made it hard to ensure that classes occurred as planned.
Why Chess Gaja chose Wise LMS for Chess courses?
Wise LMS emerged as the ideal solution for Chess Gaja due to its alignment with their operational needs. Key features that stood out include:
- Credit System: This feature allows for precise tracking of classes based on student payments and attendance, enhancing transparency with parents. These are must have features for one-on-one tutoring.
- Integrated Scheduling: Coaches can easily manage lesson schedules and share resources directly with students, streamlining lesson preparation.
- Content Sharing: The platform facilitates easy access to learning materials, ensuring students have what they need for effective learning.
Onboarding Experience with Wise
The onboarding process for both instructors and students was smooth but required careful planning. Chess Gaja utilized instructional videos from Wise and created academy-specific documents to ease the transition.
I recommend that other institutions set clear guidelines during onboarding and leverage support from the Wise team for a smoother setup.
Enhancing Engagement and Progress Tracking
Wise has provided several features that keep students engaged and help track their learning progress. Here are some of the key automations and features of Wise that are important for our Chess school:
- Records all sessions: The platform records all our sessions automatically and stores them in a secure way. This allows for quality checks and constructive feedback.
- Gamifies through Leaderboards: This competitive feature gamifies learning experience and motivates students during group classes.
- Automates Feedback collection: Collecting feedback from both, instructors and students, after each class ensures continuous improvement in lesson quality.
- Interactive Tools: Polls, interactive online quizzes and discussion tabs foster active participation.
Increasing efficiency for Instructors
Instructors at Chess Gaja benefit from Wise’s scheduling capabilities and notification systems. With automated reminders before classes and 2-way Google Calendar integration, both instructors and students are well-prepared, reducing no-shows, administrative hassles and allowing more time for teaching.
Other academies have also reported a similar increase in instructor efficiency after using Wise as an LMS. You may be interested to read how Image classes, a coaching centre in Aligarh, scaled their growth after using Wise LMS.
Measurable Improvements: 35% increase in enrolment since using Wise
Since implementing Wise, Chess Gaja has observed significant improvements in student engagement and retention rates. The structured scheduling has contributed to a 35% increase in student enrollment, reflecting higher satisfaction levels among learners.
Advice for other Chess academies or young entrepreneurs before considering an LMS for their Academy
For others considering an LMS for chess schools or sports academies, several key points emerge:
- Operational Efficiency: Payment gateway integration, Zoom integration and other integrations and automations streamline management tasks.
- Professionalism: Using an LMS for chess enhances the overall experience for students, parents, coaches, and administrators.
- Engagement Tools: Features that promote interaction and track progress are vital for maintaining student interest.
Chess Gaja’s experience with Wise LMS showcases how innovative technology can transform educational practices in chess training. By embracing such tools, schools can not only improve operational efficiency but also provide a richer learning experience that fosters growth and engagement among students.
For more information about Chess Gaja’s programs or how they can help you unlock your chess potential, you can contact them using this link.