The story
Overview
Lumen Learn trains working professionals through in-person and hybrid cohorts. Instructors needed a mobile product that matched the pace of a classroom, not a desktop LMS.
The challenge
Attendance was entered after class. Materials were emailed as PDFs. If the venue Wi-Fi failed, instructors had no reliable fallback.
Goals
- Let instructors run a full session from a phone
- Capture attendance during class, not after
- Work offline in low-connectivity venues
- Keep student records in sync with the existing LMS
Approach
We shadowed three live cohorts, then designed the app around the session timeline: setup, attendance, activities, and wrap-up. Offline sync was a requirement from day one, not a later enhancement.
The solution
The instructor app is built in React Native, with a Node API and PostgreSQL behind it. Course packs download before class. Attendance and notes queue locally, then sync when the network returns.
UX / Architecture
The home screen is today's session. Large tap targets, a persistent attendance tray, and a simple offline banner keep the product usable with one hand while standing in front of a room.
Key features
Session timeline
A class flow that moves from setup to wrap-up without hunting through menus.
Live attendance
Mark present, late, or absent during the session, including guest learners.
Offline course packs
Materials and attendance stay available when venue Wi-Fi drops.
Results
Dummy sample: Instructors now treat the phone as the class toolkit. Attendance lands in the LMS the same day, and printed packs are no longer the backup plan.
“Dummy sample: It feels like it was built for people who actually teach, not for people who sit at a desk. That difference is everything.”