Zoho Classes 2.0 Launches: AI-Driven Tools Target India's Education Gaps

Zoho has launched Classes 2.0, an updated version of its learning management system originally introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new platform integrates artificial intelligence across multiple features, including lesson planning, grading, and a subject-restricted AI tutor for students.

Dev Anand Ramasamy, vice-president of product management at Zoho, said the product is the result of nearly five years of development and consultations with teachers. He noted that the platform evolved from a basic assignment-collection tool into a comprehensive learning system now used by state governments, universities, schools, and colleges.

Ramasamy highlighted three key groups that the platform aims to assist: students, teachers, and institutions. He stated that students, being digital natives, often lose interest in traditional classrooms. Teachers in India, he added, lack administrative support commonly available in other countries, such as graduate assistants for grading and lesson management. Institutions face increasing compliance and reporting requirements from regulatory bodies.

The AI tutor in Classes 2.0 is designed to be subject-specific, only addressing topics relevant to a student's enrolled courses. Other new features include a micro-learning feature with daily questions and streaks, an AI-based career counselling tool, and an AI course builder that can generate a complete course—including description, learning outcomes, and a thumbnail—in under 30 seconds. The course builder supports 22 Indian languages, though content generated requires teacher review before use.

For teachers, the platform automates lesson planning and offers AI-assisted grading for computer science assignments. Ramasamy estimated that automated grading could save approximately 150 hours per teacher per semester, which could be redirected to classroom engagement. He emphasised that AI-generated feedback is not sent directly to students; teachers can edit it before sharing.

For institutions, Classes 2.0 includes a course-outcome mapping tool to help colleges generate data needed for accreditation reports by bodies like the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Regarding language support, the interface translation was done separately, while AI features rely on the underlying language model's multilingual capabilities. Ramasamy said Zoho aims to reduce factual errors by using narrow, context-specific prompts, such as restricting the AI tutor to a student's specific course and semester.