Ключевое слово: «simple class»

This article sheds light on the functional characteristics and didactic potential of two Russian online whiteboard platforms, Holst and Simple Class, used in the digital educational environment of higher education. The relevance of integrating such tools is elucidated within the broader digital transformation, where online platforms increasingly constitute essential instructional infrastructure. The study delineates the comparative strengths and limitations of both platforms and conceptualizes them as instruments that facilitate multimodal, interactive, and collaborative English language learning scenarios. The analysis substantiates their applicability to project-based, research-oriented, and language-focused instruction, while also interrogating constraints related to usability, analytics, and licensing. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of a nuanced, evidence-informed approach to platform selection. The results hold theoretical and practical value, as they corroborate the role of online whiteboards in digital pedagogy and support informed decision-making by instructors and educational designers.