Design of the Discord application as an E-learning

tool at the University of Sciences and Humanities

Ysla Espinoza Dayana1, Ocas Medina Andre1, Laberiano Andrade-Arenas1
1
University of Science and Humanities, Peru, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract—Due to the covid-19, this 2020 the education gave

a drastic change, we passed from the presence modality to the
virtual one at the beginning of this year, arriving to use diverse
tools of E-learning like Zoom, Meet, among others. Therefore
our goal is the alternative use of another communication tool
of the gaming community that is Discord. Using the Design
Thinking methodology, we conclude that Discord meets all
the requirements to be an E-learning tool. When it came to
prototyping and running the virtual classroom in the application,
they gave very good results within our university through a
virtual classroom simulation. At the end of the simulation, a
satisfaction survey was given to the participants that provided
us with the data to conclude that the Discordia platform has
enough services to conduct an online class.
Keywords—Discord; E-learning; Communication tool ; Meet ;
Zoom ; Design Thinking.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

http://dx.doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2021.1.1.9
ISBN: 978-958-52071-8-9 ISSN: 2414-6390

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, and Alliances for a Sustainable
Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
 Design of the Discord application as an E-learning
tool at the University of Sciences and Humanities
Ysla Espinoza Dayana1, Ocas Medina Andre1, Laberiano Andrade-Arenas1
1
University of Science and Humanities, Peru, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract—Due to the covid-19, this 2020 the education gave became known recently because of the current pandemic in
a drastic change, we passed from the presence modality to the which the world finds itself. And it is not confirmed that it
virtual one at the beginning of this year, arriving to use diverse is the best way to learn.But we are getting used to this new
tools of E-learning like Zoom, Meet, among others. Therefore
our goal is the alternative use of another communication tool online learning format.
of the gaming community that is Discord. Using the Design Due to the situation we are living as students we have tried to
Thinking methodology, we conclude that Discord meets all adapt to this new learning modality and we have a proposal to
the requirements to be an E-learning tool. When it came to improve the communication between students and teachers of
prototyping and running the virtual classroom in the application, the University of Sciences and Humanities. After having had
they gave very good results within our university through a
virtual classroom simulation. At the end of the simulation, a the experience in the last cycle with this new modality, we
satisfaction survey was given to the participants that provided were varying between the Zoom and Meet application.And
us with the data to conclude that the Discordia platform has our experience was not entirely favorable. Thanks to this
enough services to conduct an online class. experience, we were able to find a platform that would suit
Keywords—Discord; E-learning; Communication tool ; Meet ; our communication needs and with a friendly interface.
Zoom ; Design Thinking.
Something that is linked to the theme of e-learning would
I. I NTRODUCTION be real-time communication (RTC)[4] . It is an essential
part of modern convergence networks. Interactive voice
E-learning has become an increasingly important way communication, conferencing, video, chat, broadcast and
of learning and teaching in recent decades and has been presence. They are very used and popular today. These
recognized as an effective learning method. The growing services work extensively with IP networking services and
number of Internet users with smartphones and tablets applications. Some of these web services already use RTC,
worldwide has supported the spread of e-learning, not only in but need downloads, native applications or external plug-ins.
higher education and vocational training, but also in primary Some of these include Skype, Facebook (which works with
and secondary schools. E-learning and traditional distance Skype) and Google Hangouts (which uses the Google Talk
education approaches share the emphasis on ”anytime, plug-in)[5]. Downloading, installing and updating add-ons
anywhere” learning and the assumption that students are at a can be complex and at some point annoying.
distance from the instructor[1]. The proposal we present is the following. Discord is a voice
We will provide an overview of the current state of education chat application known among the gaming and streaming
through internet tools in times of pandemic.We will start community, which allows messaging between users and voice
before going deeper into the subject and our proposal with over internet protocol (VOIP) [6].
a concept of this teaching modality and its origins[2]. E-
Learning is all those strategies, methodologies or systems that Using the Discord platform optimizes the management
help distance learning through computers or other electronic of communications in the process of teaching and interaction
devices that are connected to the Internet and allow the between students and teachers. This has been observed in
person to learn virtually.Through the distribution, organization the learning conditions when using the Discord application,
and transmission of information among different types of which is able to create a climate of social debate between
educational or organizational communities. two different classes that is interactive, fun and relaxed.
The contribution that E-Learning has had throughout this Educators and students also feel practical benefits from
time of pandemic that we are living, has been favorable due sharing knowledge, so Discord can be an alternative solution
to the reduction of costs of the pensions of the educational to online conferencing[7].
institutions at world-wide level.Due to social distancing, When using Discord, teachers or instructors have the option
students will no longer be able to gather in specific locations to create a server within Discord, which functions as a virtual
for educational activities. All this will be replaced by online classroom, then store student accounts within the server,
learning through more friendly interfaces[3]. This modality enable group voice and chat rooms, and finally classify

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, and Alliances for a Sustainable
Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 1
 students into groups for classroom activities[8]. Within the the satisfaction of needs; therefore, it is necessary to put
chat rooms, the teacher can supervise the vocabulary of the ourselves in the position of the person to whom we are trying
students, how concentrated the teams are and how essential to solve the problem in order to find an answer.
the participation of the students would be.
2) Define: With all the information acquired from that
To this end, our goal is to demonstrate that the Discord initial observation, we must be able to specify and clarify the
platform can be used as an effective and efficient means of challenge presented to us, so that it has value for our clients
online learning and communication. and that we can provide a viable solution to it. Knowing in
depth the team of people where we are going to solve the
This paper is structured as follows ,section number II will problem. Clearly defining which problem or problems we
describe in detail the methodology used for the use of the will try to solve is paramount in this phase[10].
Discord application.Section III will show the results and
discussion obtained and finally in section IV the conclusions. 3) Ideate: Once the problem of our clients is defined,
during this stage we must think of ideas that will cause them
satisfaction. We will strive to generate as many ideas as
II. M ETODOLOGHY possible, each one independent from the others and making
In this part we will detail the steps that we will follow sure that they do not resemble in any way our initial idea or
for the development of Discordia’s application as a means of that they are connected[11].
learning and online communication, through which we will use
the Design Thinking methodology, since it offers us a more 4) Prototype: We will now move from theory to practice.
practical way to work on our project, besides being a design Therefore, we will give shape to the solution we have thought
tool that allows us to formulate ideas to find the solution to of, we will create a product that will allow us to check the
our problems, we will also detail the steps and tools that will reaction of our target audience[9]. Once you have the idea to
be used. solve the problem, it is time to make the test design. It could
be the prototype of a product, a strategy, a service among
A. Methodology Design Thinking others. The fundamental thing is that your idea is functional.
The Design Thinking methodology is oriented to the gen-
eration of solutions within a proposed framework. Which is 5) Evaluate: It is time to interact with the designed pro-
divided into a series of stages, of which are interactive. This totype. An analysis will be made to verify if this solution is
methodology serves as a tool for the world of design and really the most suitable to solve the users’ needs.
creativity to create innovative ideas that are the solution to This is a step that can be executed numerous times, if the
a real problem of some user. It is of a great help in the first idea does not solve the problems raised, we must start
initial phase to the creation of some project[9]. To achieve a again until the desired result is achieved. Although sometimes
successful result it is important to follow the order of each of it is not necessary to return to the beginning, in other cases it
the processes that make up the Design Thinking methodology is sufficient to make only a few improvements before the final
as shown in Fig1. Below, we briefly explain each of the phases project is completed.
and how to carry them out. In the final stage of this iterative process, we will test the
user against the service or product developed, we will analyze
how the user behaves with it and we will work to draw out a
lesson that will allow us to perfect the proposal.
III. C ASE STUDY
Due to the pandemic that we are living in this 2020, we
changed the face to face classes by virtual and we had to live
this new experience for us . So that the virtual classes work, it
was necessary to resort to software tools such as zoom, Meet.
The students of the university of sciences and humanities along
the classes, identified difficulties to communicate. This affects
the level of communication and learning between students and
Fig. 1. Design Thinking Process
teachers. It was also detected that students interacted less in
virtual classes than in face-to-face ones. But to do this, we
1) Empathize: As a first instance, we touch upon a stage
had to visualize what the students’ needs were in order to find
of active observation aimed at identifying the needs of the
the tool that would meet the needs of a virtual classroom.
people we are addressing and what is really significant for
them. Empathy has a fundamental role during this stage, A. Shadowing to empathise
so at all times we must put ourselves in the shoes of the We began with the first process of Design Thinking, which
end user[9]. The methodology has as its main objective is to be empathetic, so we use Shadowing, which is to put
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Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 2
 TABLE I 1) Research instrument: To validate our preceptive, a
C OMPARISON OF THE DIFFERENT PLATFORMS satisfaction form had to be created to see the difficulties
Comparison of the different meeting platforms that these platforms have. There were 20 students from the
Characteristics zoom Meet WhatsApp university of sciences and humanities who participated in this
/types research anonymously. After a meeting with the students they
Maximum Up to 500 par- 100-250 partic- Limit up to 4
number of ticipants ipants people were asked to fill in the questionnaire through a link. There
participants were 10 questions in the questionnaire fig2. The questionnaire
Recording Allows you to Allows you to No recording was anonymous and closed with unique yes or no options.
record your record your allowed
meetings meetings
Share screen Allows screen Allows any par- No screen shar-
sharing per per- ticipant to share ing
son, as long as
screen sharing
is enabled by
the host
Share sound Allows you to No audio shar- No sharing of
share the audio ing sound
on the screen
URL The unique Generates Does not gener-
URL generated a random ate any URL
in each host URL for each
is used for meeting created
the different
meetings
Access Allows you to In the same In the same ap-
download the Google plication
application
Calls Allows access Does not allow Allows access
through calls access through by call
calls
Video Calling 600 kbps 10 Mbps 73,5 MB
Bandwidth (download) 1,2
Mbps (upload)

yourself as a spectator to observe and document the different

points of view of each person, to find the problem[12]. By
using Shadowing we realized the different opinions of the
peers when interacting with the most common communication
and learning tools that would be: Zoom, Meet and Whatsapp.
This last application was used to keep in touch with the
teacher and send files on certain occasions.These applications
mentioned, we can observe them in the table I. Where it is
shown the difference between the diverse platforms that we
have been using until the present time.
Fig. 2. Satisfaction Questionnaire
B. Definition of the problem
After empathizing with the students of the University of
C. Devising the solution
Science and Humanities, after a collection of the character-
istics of each online learning tool that not all tools meet the The next thing we will do is devise a solution with a pro-
needs of students, so we will now collect information on the posal after noticing the deficiencies of the platforms identified
needs required by each student through a form shown in Fig2. with the form in Fig2.
Over the course of the year, universities and other educational As a member of an online community, we have sometimes
institutions opted for the zoom and meet platforms for online had the need to communicate all at once in one call as
classes[13]. The first thing we notice as a common problem was done a few years ago with Skype. Currently there are
is that most college students are used to attending face-to- platforms such as Discord that have most of the features
face classes.This not only affected the students, it also needed for people from the same community to interact with
affected the teachers, since they had to train and attack these each other in a virtual and private space.Where they can chat,
new ways of teaching. But we realized that make group or individual calls, make live broadcasts, share
not all the tools met the needs of the student and teacher. files, create groups within the same channel, etc. Therefore,
we want to implement this platform at our university, since
18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, and Alliances for a Sustainable
Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 3
 we notice that the platform has most of the functions that tool we propose is Discord, as shown in the comparison in
those used so far lack. table2. Where you can see the comparison of Discord and
the other applications we have used until the current cycle.
It was concluded that Discord would be a complete platform
D. Prototype of new Discord learning tool where it offers the services of Zoom, Meet and Whatsapp.
Discord is a voice and text communication platform for All in one platform that would be Discord, to offer a better
the online gaming community. It is a mobile and computer experience to the users.
application usually used by a team of players to communicate
by voice and text chat. At the time of starting the new project, it is necessary to
1) The use of the Discord application : Before conducting translate the ideas into some physical or digital document of
the virtual class using Discord, the researcher must first create the necessary requirements that a virtual classroom needs.
a channel with the name of his course.The researcher should Therefore we will develop our virtual classroom prototypes
create voice channels and messages, so that students can in the Balsamiq desktop app. It is a tool that allowed us to
respond using voice or by sending messages to the channel’s make a prototype of the view of each of the platforms we
chat. saw in table II [14]. In the first developed prototype shown in
The researcher conducted virtual meetings. Before starting Fig. 4, of what a virtual classroom would look like in Zoom
the virtual class, students were asked to download Discord Meeting. The platform fulfills the functions of audio, voice,
to their cell phone or laptop. Then, they joined the channel chat, camera, screen sharing, requesting remote control of a
I had created earlier. During the virtual classes, the students computer and recording the sessions performed. It also has
had several listening activities to involve their participation the list and search of the users connected in the meeting[15].
in the listening class. They were top-down and bottom-up The second prototype in Fig. 6 is about the virtual classroom
listening activities. Most of them were dedicated to many at Meet. The platform fulfills the functions of audio, voice,
tasks that forced them to always give their answer in an active chat, camera, screen presentation, open a whiteboard Jam,
way.Students could also be asked to turn on their microphone change the background and send invitations. It also has the
and respond one by one. Fig. 3 of the listening channel using list of participants in the virtual classroom[16]. Finally, in
Discord as follows: the last prototype developed in Fig.5, we have the Discord
platform as the alternative to the previous ones mentioned.
It has the common functions with Meet and Zoom. Apart
from other functions such as; a general chat where you can
communicate at any time, personalized meetings, keyboard
shortcuts, appearance, language, among others [17].

Fig. 3. The listening channel created using Discord

IV. RESULTS AND D ISCUSSION

A. About the case study
After conducting a satisfaction questionnaire, about Fig. 4. Virtual classroom prototype in zoom created in Balsamiq
research on an alternative tool that meets the requirements
of a virtual classroom. Within the gamer community, there 1) Creating a virtual classroom on the Discord platform
is a platform called Discord that makes communication : After mentioning a prototype of the Discord class, a
possible in real time, by messaging and voice. What would be small simulation was carried out with 20 students from the
necessary for a better understanding and coordination when University of Sciences and Humanities from different careers,
communicating. Apart from the communication tools that half male, half female. To then make them participate in
Discord has, you also have the option to send documents, a questionnaire as shown in Fig7, to know their degree of
images, videos and individual or group calls. Therefore, we satisfaction when using the Discord as a means of E-learning.
developed a comparison based on the table1 with the tools we
have used in the beginning of the pandemic. The alternative
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Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4
 TABLE II
C OMPARISON OF THE DIFFERENT PLATFORMS VS DISCORD

Comparison of the different meeting platforms

Characteristics zoom Meet Discord
/types
Maximum Up to 500 par- 100 to 250 par- 50 participants
number of ticipants ticipants
participants
Recording Allows you to Allows you to Allows you to
record your record your record your
meetings meetings meetings
Share screen Allows screen Allows any par- Allows any par-
sharing per per- ticipant to share ticipant to share
son, as long as
screen sharing
is enabled by
Fig. 5. Prototype of virtual classroom in Discord created in Balsamiq the host
Share sound Allows you to No audio shar- Allows you to
share the audio ing share the audio
on the screen on the screen
URL The unique Generates a Does not
URL generated random URL generate URL.
in each host each meeting But it allows to
is used for created send invitations
the different to enter the
meetings server.
Access Allows you to In the same In the same ap-
download the Google plication
application
Calling Allows access Does not allow Allows access
through calls access through by call
calls
Video Calling 600 kbps 10 Mbps 64 kbps
Bandwidth (download) 1,2
Fig. 6. Prototype of virtual classroom at Meet created in Balsamiq Mbps (upload)

TABLE III
2) Discord’s Satisfaction Survey Answers: Shortly after R ESULTS OF DISCORD ’S SATISFACTION FORM
the virtual classroom simulation, UCH students answered
Discord’s satisfaction survey. In Table III we can see the Results of the questions
Number of questions Yes No
result as a percentage of each question asked in the survey. Question 1 15% 85%
In addition it gives us to understand that the question 1 the Question 2 15,8% 84,2%
80% of the people did not present difficulty at the moment Question 3 25% 75%
Question 4 26,3 % 73,7 %
of installing the program. In the second question 84.2% of Question 5 38,9% 61,1 %
people had no problems connecting to the server. In the third Question 6 75% 25 %
question 75% of the people had no problems with the audio Question 7 10% 90 %
of the program. In the fourth question 73.7% had no problems Question 8 60% 40%
Question 9 Most responded that
with the screen presentation. In the fifth question 61.1% of the it was for friends and
people had no difficulty in creating a server on the platform. family
In the sixth question 75% of the people found the Discord Question 10 100% 0%
interface pleasant. In the seventh question 90% of the people
found it easy to join a server. In the eighth question 60% of the
people were aware of the existence of the platform. In the ninth and somewhat rigid path. Design Thinking allows the ideas
question most people found out about the platform through a proposed during the development stages not only to remain
family member or friend. In the tenth and last question 100% in documents or paper, but to be materialized and tested.
of the people recommended to implement it in the university.
1) Advantages : Although there are several advantages of
B. About the methodology using Design Thinking, we can summarize some of them[18].
Design Thinking is the methodology that determines the • Safe process for confronting problems. A series of tools
reasoning processes aimed at innovation and the development and techniques are designed to be used to provide solutions
of revolutionary ideas. Some of the best known features of to a problem, both in companies and in other contexts.
Design Thinking are to make visible and tangible the ideas • Emphasis on people. It is a customer centric type of
defined to establish their impact and make corrections or methodology and its main potential is that it provides a
improvements. While other methodologies follow a sequential solution to real problems.
18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, and Alliances for a Sustainable
Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 5
 product is based [20].

V. C ONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK

In conclusion the Discord platform that is originally for

video game players turned out to be a more capable e-learning
tool than the current ones. The survey conducted after the
virtual classroom simulation provided us with the data to
conclude that the Discord platform has sufficient services to
conduct an online class. Apart from the virtual social space
it generates, where all participants can interact at any time of
day. The friendly platform interface provides better comfort
and relaxation at the time of the class. And thus be able to
generate a better study environment.

For future work it is recommended to expand the article

by complementing it with other video conferencing tools and
educational platforms.

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Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 6
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Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 7