Smart Class: What It Is, What You Need and How to Set One Up in a Coaching Institute

What is a smart class?

In simple words, a smart class is a normal classroom with a digital screen at the front that the teacher controls. The teacher can show slides, diagrams and videos, write and draw on the screen, save what was written, and sometimes record the class. The screen is a tool, not the teacher.

You will hear several names for the same idea. Here is what each one usually means when sellers and schools use it.

A useful test for any institute is simple: is there a working digital screen that teachers actually use to teach every day? If the screen sits switched off most of the week, it is not a smart class, whatever it cost.

What the evidence says before you spend money

The most useful research summary for this decision comes from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) in England. Its 2019 guidance report, Using Digital Technology to Improve Learning, looked at the best available studies and gave one clear message: technology by itself is unlikely to improve learning, but the teaching behind it can. Buying a device does not raise marks. Using it on purpose, to explain better, to give more practice or to give sharper feedback, gives it a much better chance.

The report has a box on interactive whiteboards worth reading before you buy a digital board. In the early 2000s, primary schools in England got them in a large government pilot. Teaching changed, with faster lessons and more open questions, but the evaluation found no clear evidence that results improved compared with similar schools. The board alone did not do the work.

The EEF report gives four recommendations that fit a coaching institute well:

1. Decide how the technology will improve teaching and learning before you bring it in. Start from a real problem, such as students who cannot see diagrams clearly, or teachers losing time redrawing the same figure.
2. Use technology to make explanations and models clearer. A visualiser that shows a worked example step by step is a simple, strong use.
3. Use technology to improve practice, for example quick quizzes that give students more questions with instant feedback.
4. Use technology to improve assessment and feedback, so teachers can see who has not understood and fix it quickly.

The report also says: count the full cost, upfront and ongoing, and expect teachers to use new tools well only with training, ongoing support and the owner's attention.

The five kinds of smart class setup

There is no single right setup. It depends on room size, budget, how much your teachers write by hand, and whether you want to record classes. Here are five common options.

Many coaching classes do well with option 1 or 2 plus a visualiser, and move to a digital board only once teachers use the screen daily and want to write on it. Teachers who solve problems by hand often find a visualiser or pen tablet more natural than a giant touch screen.

Smart class equipment: the full list

Sellers often quote only for the screen. Use this list to compare quotes and make sure nothing is missing.

Ask every seller: what exactly is included, who installs it, how long the warranty is and whether it covers the panel and touch layer, where the nearest service centre is, and how fast a faulty unit is replaced. Get the answers in writing.

How to choose the right screen size for your room

The most common smart class mistake is a screen too small for the room. If the back row cannot read the text, they stop looking and copy from a friend. Size is about whether the farthest student can read your smallest text.

Audio-visual designers use a standard from AVIXA, the industry body, called Display Image Size for 2D Content in Audiovisual Systems (DISCAS). Its key idea: size the screen for the farthest viewer, not the nearest, and keep side seats within a sensible viewing angle.

You do not need the formula to apply this idea. Do a back-row test before you buy:

1. Measure the distance from the front wall to the last row and to the seats at the far left and right.
2. Ask the seller for a demo unit, or borrow a TV or projector of the size you are thinking about.
3. Open a real lesson slide with your normal font size, a maths equation with powers and fractions, and a labelled diagram.
4. Sit in the last row and the corner seats. Can you read the smallest label without squinting? Can you read the powers in the equation?
5. If not, choose a larger screen, add a projector, move the last row forward, or teach your teachers to use bigger fonts and fewer words per slide.

Other screen choices that matter

• Height: the bottom edge should be high enough that students in the back can see over the heads in front, and low enough that the teacher can reach the top of a touch screen.
• Glare: a window behind the students can reflect on a glossy panel. Test at the time of day you teach most.
• Brightness: a projector in a bright room looks faded. If you cannot darken the room, choose a panel or TV instead.
• Writing area: on a touch panel, the teacher writes only where they can reach. A very wide panel does not help if the top half is out of reach.

Room, power and safety rules for a smart class

A smart class adds heavy equipment and electrical load to a room. The Ministry of Education's Guidelines for Regulation of Coaching Center (January 2024), which states use to make their own rules, set basic standards for every classroom:

• Space: at least one square metre of area for each student during a class or batch.
• Electricity, air and light: the building should be fully electrified, well ventilated and have enough lighting in each classroom.
• Fire and building safety: the building should follow fire and building safety codes and have a Fire and Building Safety Certificate from the appropriate authority.
• CCTV: centres may be fitted with CCTV cameras where needed, and security should be maintained.
• First aid: a first aid kit and emergency contact numbers should be available and displayed.

Your state may have its own coaching law or rules, so check them. Our guide to coaching centre guidelines explains the national guidelines in detail.

For the smart class itself, ask a licensed electrician to check that the circuit can carry the screen, computer, speakers and any air conditioning. Use an earthed socket, not a loose extension board, keep cables in wall channels, and fix a heavy panel only to a strong wall with its proper mount.

Plan for power cuts and weak internet. India's school data shows the gap well: the UDISE+ 2025-26 report found electricity in 95% of schools but internet in 67.4% and computers in 69.9%. If schools across the country still face these gaps, your branch may too. Keep a UPS or inverter, and download videos and slides before class rather than streaming them live.

How to set up a smart class, step by step

1. Write down the problem you want to solve, such as "back rows cannot see diagrams" or "teachers redraw the same graph every class". If you cannot name one, wait.
2. Start with one room and one keen teacher, ideally in the room with the most students.
3. Measure the room, the farthest seat, windows and power points. Check there is at least one square metre per student.
4. Choose the setup from the five options above, using the back-row test, not the brochure.
5. Get at least three written quotes for the same full list, including installation, mount, cables, UPS, warranty and training.
6. Prepare the room: electrical check, earthed socket, blinds, cable channels and a strong wall.
7. Install and test with real lessons from every corner, including video sound at the back.
8. Train teachers before the first class, including what to do if something fails.
9. Keep a normal whiteboard and markers in the room, so no class stops because the screen will not start.
10. Review after four weeks before you equip the next room.

Keep a simple register next to the screen: date, teacher, lesson and any problem. After a month you will know whether the room is really used.

Worked example: turning one 40-seat room into a smart class

Here is how a small coaching institute teaching Classes 9 to 12 science and maths might plan its first smart class. The names and room are an example to show the decisions, not a real case.

The room: about 8 metres long and 6 metres wide, so about 48 square metres. The guidelines ask for at least one square metre per student, so 40 students fit with space for the teacher, the aisle and the screen area. The last row is about 7 metres from the front wall. There are windows on the left wall. Power cuts happen most evenings.

Their four-week review asks: did every batch use the screen, can the back row read it, are board notes saved and shared, and did revision videos help absent students? Only then do they plan the second room.

Where to get content for your smart class

A smart class is only as good as what you show on it. You do not need to buy an expensive content package before you start. There are three good sources.

1. Free government content

DIKSHA, the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing, is the national platform for school content. It has textbooks, videos, interactive content, courses and a virtual lab section, arranged by stage from Foundational to Secondary, and it covers NCERT, CBSE, NIOS and content from 36 States and Union Territories. PM e-VIDYA brings together the government's digital, online and on-air education. It includes DIKSHA and the SWAYAM Prabha DTH channels, which can be watched through DD, Dish TV and the Jio TV app, with dedicated channels planned for each class from 1 to 12.

Before you use any content in a paid class, read the terms on that platform and give credit. When in doubt, link students to the source instead of copying it.

2. Your own lessons

Your teachers' own slides, solved examples and saved board notes match your batches better than any package. Build them chapter by chapter, keep one idea per slide with large text, and share the board notes after every class.

3. Videos and simulations from trusted sources

Short videos and simulations help with things that are hard to draw, such as waves or 3D shapes. Use a few minutes to make a point, then stop and ask questions. Watch it fully first and download it in advance. Our guide to teaching aids has more ideas.

How to teach well with a smart board

The best smart class lessons use the screen for a few things it does better than chalk, and leave the rest to good teaching. A simple pattern that fits a 60-minute coaching class:

• Turn the screen off or blank it when you want students to think, talk or write. A bright screen pulls eyes away from the task.
• Write, do not only show. Students learn more from watching you solve a problem step by step than from a finished slide.
• Save and share. Export the board notes after every class so students can revise, and absent students can catch up.

If your institute also runs online batches, our guide to blended learning shows how to mix classroom teaching with online lessons and practice.

Recording classes, CCTV and student data

Many smart class setups can record the screen, the teacher's voice and sometimes the room. Recordings are useful for revision and for absent students, but a recording that shows students' faces or voices, and a CCTV camera, both collect personal data.

India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 treats anyone under 18 as a child. Before processing a child's personal data, the organisation must get verifiable consent from a parent or lawful guardian. It must not process children's data in a way likely to harm their well-being, and it must not track or behaviourally monitor children or target advertising at them. Rules under the Act set out how consent and its exceptions work, so check the current position with a qualified adviser before you start recording students.

• Point the recording camera at the board and teacher, not at students, where you can.
• Tell parents in writing what is recorded, why, who sees it and how long you keep it, and take consent.
• Share recordings only with the batch, never in public groups or advertisements without fresh written consent.
• Delete old recordings on a fixed schedule.

Turn your smart class lessons into an online course

Once a smart class is running, you have recorded lessons and saved board notes, chapter by chapter. Put together, they become an online course for revision, absent students and students in other towns.

Sikhami is a social network for every kind of learning in India. Coaching institutes and tuition centres get a free LMS on it: video courses with tests and certificates, classroom batches, attendance, fees and receipts. You can upload your recorded smart class lessons as a video course, add a test after each chapter, and give students a certificate when they finish. If your teachers already post lessons on YouTube, a YouTube playlist can be turned into a course.

To start, read our page on the free LMS and the help article on how to create a video course. If your lessons are already on YouTube, see YouTube playlist to course. The Sikhami for institutes page explains the rest.

Common mistakes, and when a smart class is not for you

Common mistakes

• Buying the screen before deciding what problem it solves.
• A screen too small for the room, chosen by price instead of a back-row test.
• No training, so unsure teachers go back to the marker within a week.
• Paying for a content package nobody uses while teachers' own notes are never saved.
• No power backup, or streaming video live on weak internet.
• Slides full of text, so students copy and stop thinking.
• No plan for repairs to the touch layer or panel.

When a smart class is not for you yet

Wait if your rooms are too small or bright to fix, power is very unreliable with no backup, teachers are not ready to change how they teach, or you have bigger gaps such as too few teachers or too little space. A good whiteboard, one shared visualiser and well-planned printed notes may help more for now. Add a smart class when you can use it every day.

Smart class checklist you can copy

Print this checklist and tick it off as you go.

Before you buy

• The problem we want to solve is written down.
• First room and first teacher chosen.
• Room measured, with at least one square metre per student.
• Back-row and corner-seat test done with a real lesson.
• Three written quotes for the same full list, including installation, UPS, warranty and training.
• Service centre and replacement time confirmed in writing.

At installation

• Electrician checked the circuit and earthing.
• Screen fixed to a strong wall at the right height.
• Cables in channels, nothing to trip on.
• Blinds or curtains fitted where light causes glare.
• Sound tested from the last row.
• Normal whiteboard and markers still in the room as a backup.

In the first month

• Every teacher trained in switching on, writing, saving, video and recovery.
• Usage register kept next to the screen.
• Board notes saved and shared after every class.
• Parents told in writing about any recording, with consent taken.
• Four-week review done before equipping the next room.