students to access all class-related resources and submit homework, allows teachers to host online classes, provides parents with real-time grade updates and progress reports, and allows administrators to efficiently manage school-wide data, eliminating tedious and repetitive work.
Our goal is to improve all aspects of school life for everyone - students, parents, teachers, administrators. For a better understanding of how Ulearn can benefit your school, read the feature descriptions below.
ULearn's architecture, powered by Microsoft's Identity framework, ensures data privacy and prevents unauthorized access, even by Ulearn's developers.
ULearn is an ASP.NET Core Identity web application. Data for a single school is isolated and consolidated so that no school data exists in any other databases or locations other than their own. This includes all user names, log-in, and user data stored on the school's private database. The Microsoft framework that ensures privacy of all database data is called Identity framework. With this framework, no one, not even the developer, can access the user data of an Identity web built application of a school, unless the school gives the developer those access privileges by setting them up as an administrator. This means that nobody has access to a school unless their registration was approved by an administrator of that school. Neither the developer nor any external parties will have access to any of your school's data, ensuring the privacy of your valued students and teachers.
Users see and can do only what they need, simplifying things and protecting sensitive data.
While administrators have a range of privileges, such as being able to create accounts, manage user profiles, create and delete courses, access all homework assignments, and view comprehensive student data, teachers are more restricted, and can only manage their assigned classes and create homework assignments for those classes, but can't alter courses time and duration or access other teachers' classes. They can view student profiles but with limited information. Guardians can only see data associated with their linked student accounts and not the data from any other student. This layered approach maintains security and privacy while preventing information overload.
Teachers and admins can control Zoom meetings outside of the Zoom meeting interface through Ulearn.
By default, Zoom sessions start and end according to the class schedule set through Ulearn. When a class is scheduled to end, the Zoom meeting will shut down for all attendees, and the Zoom license it was using is instantly released back into the Zoom license library for another class to use. If a class needs more time beyond the scheduled release of the license, Administrators or teachers can click on the "extend class 15 minutes" button in Ulearn's interface. Every click will give that class an extra 15 minutes before releasing the license for another class to use, providing flexible control over Zoom meeting durations. If a teacher or administrator wishes to end a class earlier than the scheduled ending time to free up a license for another class, then clicking the end class button in Ulearn will prompt that Zoom session to end.
Students are prompted to upload profile pictures, which gives admins and teachers a reference for remembering faces and names
When students log in, they're prompted to upload a profile picture and fill out personal info. This prompt keeps popping up until they complete the tasks. Why the fuss about a photo? It's a big help for teachers and staff to match names with faces, avoiding those awkward moments when they forget who's who – pretty common in big schools. We're planning to add auto-compression for these pics later on. This way, we can show tiny versions of the photos next to student names wherever they appear in the program without slowing down page loading times. With this feature, teachers and admins alike will never get students mixed up.
Ulearn emerged from the challenges faced by Bethany Learning Center, our family-run buxiban in the Daan District of Taipei. Leading its development was Todd Sherrill, a former Apple software engineer with over 30 years of experience, who saw the need for a smarter, more efficient way for schools to manage learning and communication.
The earliest step toward Ulearn came when Andrew Sherrill, an English teacher at the school, created a Google Sheets tool that tracked homework, quiz grades, and attendance, then automatically compiled the data into detailed reports for parents. This simple tool improved transparency and accountability, but it also revealed the need for a more comprehensive solution.
Recognizing this, Todd committed himself full-time to building Ulearn. With Director Bethany Sherrill’s (李秀梅) full support, and years of feedback from teachers, students, and parents, Ulearn was refined into a robust and reliable platform, carefully tailored to the needs of a modern school.
When COVID-19 disrupted education across Taiwan, Bethany Learning Center was already prepared. Ulearn’s features for schedules, homework, and communication made the shift to online learning seamless, requiring only the addition of virtual class functionality. Even after returning to in-person teaching, the school continued using hybrid features such as virtual attendance and recorded lessons, improving both efficiency and student engagement.
Today, Ulearn is a versatile, in-house-developed platform shaped by real classroom experience. Unlike outsourced systems, it was built from firsthand needs, combining Todd’s engineering expertise with the day-to-day realities of teaching. Now available as a multi-tenant web application, Ulearn offers schools the same level of transparency, accountability, and resilience that has transformed Bethany Learning Center.
Now available as a multi-tenant web application, Ulearn can offer the same level of support and success to your school as it has offered us.