how much does it cost to develop a traditional course?

by Dr. Ashlynn Borer V 8 min read

At an estimated 80 to 280 hours required to develop a 1-hour course, you can expect to pay roughly $5,850 USD to over $15,000 USD to get a fully polished course, in addition to the cost of your Instructional Designer (ID) and SME.

Full Answer

How much does it cost to create an online course?

Jun 20, 2020 · In 2021, 1 hour of learning content can cost about $8,542 – $36,320 ($22,431 on average). In the table below, you can see how numbers evolve during the last couple of years. We observe a rapid increase in costs for 1-hour complete learning content during the 2017-2020 years. Year. 1 hour of eLearning content costs, $.

How much does it cost to develop one hour of eLearning?

Dec 11, 2020 · Just for comparison: the cost of producing 1 hour of the ready online course content was $7,830-$37,365 ($22,598 on average) in January 2019, which means that creating an online course is now ...

What do you need to create and sell online courses?

Book a free consultation call. As per a report, cost of online course development is around $4000 to $ 10000 and takes a span of 180 to 360 hours on average to produce one hour of eLearning material. We at Paradiso have the expert knowledge and vital experience needed to help you with this endeavor for knowing cost of online course development.

How much does 1 hour of learning cost in 2021?

At an estimated 80 to 280 hours required to develop a 1-hour course, you can expect to pay roughly $5,850 USD to over $15,000 USD to get a fully polished course, in addition to the cost of your Instructional Designer (ID) and SME.

How much should I charge to design a course?

According to Upwork, the hourly rate of an instructional designer starts at about $50. A simple scenario with the main character and a linear plot can be written in 20 hours, so the work will cost at least $1,000. The harder the task, the higher the price.Sep 2, 2019

How much does it cost to develop an eLearning course?

The cost of an eLearning program typically costs between $200 and $900 for every minute of completed eLearning, but depends on several factors, including: Which eLearning level you choose (Level 1, 2, or 3) Whether your eLearning has professional voiceover.

How long does it take to develop 1 hour of classroom training?

According to this data, for one hour of instructor-led training, it takes on average 43 hours of development time (approximately 5 days). Based on these figures, if you needed a day's training course for your employees, you could be looking at around 30 days of resource time.May 10, 2021

How much does it cost to develop a LMS?

This can all range from $5,000-$25,000. Even though the initial costs with SaaS solutions are much lower, in the long run, you may experience even greater expenses due to compounding fees and monthly support costs. So it's often better to develop a custom LMS.

How much does it cost to develop an online course in 2021?

In 2021, 1 hour of learning content can take around 100 – 160 hours to create. In 2021, 1 hour of learning content can cost about $8,542 – $36,320 ($22,431 on average)....Wrapping Up.Year1 hour of eLearning content costs, $20218,542 – 36,320 (22,431 on average)20208,150 – 36,205 (22,178 on average)2 more rows•Jun 20, 2020

How much can you make creating online courses?

$500 to $50,000Online courses can be created in any subject area. When it comes to topics, the sky is the limit—but how much money can you make from an online course? You can make anywhere from $500 to $50,000 and more by teaching online courses.Jun 9, 2021

How much time does it take to develop a training?

Time to Develop One Hour of TrainingType of Training per 1 hourLow Hours Per hour of Instruction (2009)Text-only; limited interactivity; no animations93Moderate interactivity; limited animations122High interactivity; multiple animations154E-learning Developed within a Template13 more rows•Dec 6, 2017

How many hours does it take to develop a curriculum?

In the study, 29% of respondents said it took them over 100 hours, while 87% take up to 16 weeks to develop their course. A good rule of thumb is to allow 2-3 months to account for research, designing the course, testing with students and finalizing.

How many hours does it take to develop curriculum?

A average 1-hour interactive elearning course will take 197 hours to develop. But development of a 1-hour elearning course can range between 49 hours for the low end of the range of a “basic” course to 716 hours for the high end of the range of an “advanced” course.

Is LMS profitable?

Summary: Learning Management Systems (LMS) are vastly used by companies and organizations to increase the knowledge base and qualifications of employees. They are a profitable business model, allowing trainers to connect with learners, evaluate the needs for training, provide courses, and track learners' progress.Apr 6, 2018

How much does an LMS cost per user?

It was created to be useful for both small businesses and enterprise organizations alike, and is priced accordingly. Accord LMS handles pricing on a per-active-user basis, billing as follows: $2.00 per user for organizations with 200 active users. $1.25 per user for organizations with 500 active users.

Is Upskill free?

Is Upskill free? Yes, you can easily upskill yourself for free.Sep 7, 2021

Why is online learning better than traditional learning?

Even better, the benefits offered by online courses include increased student engagement, the opportunity for peer review and collaboration, and the promise of individualized attention , even in large classrooms. There are many reasons to embrace e-learning, ...

How much will the e-learning market be in 2025?

eLearning is going to play an ever-larger role in the future of higher education. In fact, by 2025, the e-learning market will reach $325 billion. That’s more than four times the traditional higher-education market. Even better, the benefits offered by online courses include increased student engagement, ...

What is learning management system?

Before pricing out any other aspect of course creation, you’ll need to select a learning management system (LMS). This software manages the delivery of course materials and monitors student completion. Because it is the main framework that students and teachers will interact with, it’s important to thoughtfully select a system that meets your needs. Each system has different features and functions that will dictate the kind of content you can offer and the supplemental tools you may need to purchase.#N#While it might be tempting to build your own LMS in-house to perfectly suit your specifications, doing so would be very expensive and time-intensive. Considering the lower price points of many LMS systems, it’s much more cost-effective to shop around for a ready-made solution.#N#There are several different types of learning management systems geared to higher education.

Is LMS free?

An open-source LMS is Easy to obtain and typically free, or free at a base level, with paid add-ons. Some of the most established options are Moodle and Sakai. A benefit to open-source learning management systems is that users have access to the source code, so they may adapt the software any way they like.

What is online course development?

Online course development specifically includes the cost to create the course content. That's why in this article, I won't cover the costs to host and manage an online course or the costs for best online course platforms. Instead, I'll just cover the costs for developing the course itself.

How long is an online course?

Most complete online courses are at least an hour long. If you’re planning for your course to be 3 hours then you can take the 1 hour time estimate and multiple it out by 3 to give you your approximate costs. So I’ll stick with one hour of video course content for this case study.

What software can you use to make an animation?

Fortunately, in this day and age there are many options to help you shortcut this. One software you can use to get an animated effect is Powtoon.

How long does it take to make a video script?

No matter which type of video you’re creating, you’ll start with the outline and script creation first. I estimate it will take 3 to 10 hours to script out 1 hour of video depending on the level of detail you’re including and your expertise of the subject matter.

Can you read a script without a script?

It's smart to polish up your script. If you want , you can read the script like a voice over in your video. Otherwise, depending on your speaking ability, you may be able to speak without a script.

What is live action video?

Live-Action Videos. This is a video where you’re filming live-action. Live-action can include you in the video, your hands, or you can move objects around and film them as you go. The main point with live-action is that it’s not your screen and it’s not an animated video. Instead, it’s live objects or an instructor.

How much should I spend on software?

You will likely need to spend $400 on software especially if you're creating slide show presentations or even just screen recordings. It's possible to spend less with cheaper software or monthly software you cancel after you no longer need it.

What is a level one course?

A level-one course consists of slides with text, pictures, and “Next” buttons. Sometimes it contains simple quizzes with True or False or multiple-choice questions. If you take a PowerPoint presentation and convert it to eLearning format, it’ll also be a level-one course.

How much does an instructional designer cost?

According to Upwork, the hourly rate of an instructional designer starts at about $50. A simple scenario with the main character and a linear plot can be written in 20 hours, so the work will cost at least $1,000. The harder the task, the higher the price.

What is motivational course?

The main goal of motivational courses is to encourage the employees to change their approach or their attitude towards something, for example, following fire safety rules at the workplace. In such a course, theory is organically intertwined with practice, so games, quizzes, and dialogues are welcome.

What is QA in training?

QA, or a pilot launch of an online course, is the final rehearsal before the big launch. Instead of starting training right away, you test a course on a small group of employees who will provide feedback, find errors, and help to improve the course. For that purpose, the participants fill out a questionnaire which consists of five criteria:

What are the different types of employment in eLearning?

eLearning offers three employment types to choose from: a permanent in-house team, a temporary project team, or freelancers. It’s worthwhile to consider the pros and cons of each option to find out which one fits you best.

What is motion design?

Motion Design is creating animation and special effects for video. It’s great because it uses three channels of perception at once: image, text, and sound. Thanks to this method, the learner better absorbs the information.

What is a storyboard in eLearning?

A storyboard gives you a map to organize your content for better delivery of your content to your audience. Storyboarding helps to list the navigation elements, chapters, and introductory/conclusion ...

What is storyboarding in video production?

Listed below are three main formats to use for storyboarding: Visual storyboards: These storyboards are image-based and is helpful to sketch out scenes and production plans in a training video.

Understanding Your Objective

Before you can develop your course, you need to have a clear objective and an understanding of your audience.

4 Levels of eLearning Courses

The different eLearning levels are based on the amount of interactivity your learners will have with the course. The more interactivity in the material, the more engaging it is to your learners. You can also expect an enhanced learning outcome from a more in-depth curriculum.

Cost of Creating Your Online Course

Now that you’ve determined your course objective and the level of interactivity. You can start looking at what it’s going to cost to make your eLearning dream a reality. If you don’t have an in-house team, you’ll need to look at hiring professionals outside of your business.

Start Your Project: Determine Your Course or Training Program Cost

If this all seems a little overwhelming, it’s because it often can be. You have the best intentions by wanting to create an eLearning experience for your team, but there are a lot of moving parts required to get it done. The cost of your Learning Management Software, your Designer, SME, and freelancers, can really add up.

How Much Does It Cost To Develop An Online Course

Find out how much does it cost to develop an online course, what should you consider in the cost of online course development and other budgeting tips.

How Much Will Developing An Online Course Cost You?

There are different factors that will come into play when determining the cost of developing an online course.

What Should You Consider In Developing An Online Course?

Now that you have enlisted the freelancers that you want to work with, the next step is to plan your online course.

Conclusion

We really hope this article proved useful and gave you a clear image of the amount you need to reserve for your online course development.

What is a course that encourages learners to interact fully and give feedback?

It makes use of serious games, avatars, simulated job performance exercises, customized audio and video, stories, scenarios. It includes high-end interactive elements that are complex, more expensive and need more time to develop.

How much does it cost to register a domain name?

Domain Name. Costs on registering a domain name for your business range from $10 per year up to $100, a thousand or a million depending on the type of domain name you choose. An old domain name is fine like good old wine, but it’s usually expensive, and there is always the option of registering a new one.

Who is Kyriaki from LearnWorlds?

Kyriaki is a Content Creator for the LearnWorlds team writing about marketing and e-learning, helping course creators on their journey to create, market, and sell their online courses. Equipped with a degree in Career Guidance, she has a strong background in education management and career success. In her free time, she gets crafty and musical.

What is learning management system?

The learning management system (LMS) that you are choosing has a huge role to play in your course development, so make sure you pick one that meets your most essential needs in terms of features.

Is it easy to overlook business costs?

Business costs are easy to overlook but that doesn’t mean they should. Quite the opposite; you should be on the lookout for less-obvious or hidden costs – for example, those found in your website hosting and customer/student support services.

What plugins are available for WordPress?

Alternatively, there are many cheap plugins for a WordPress site like Sensei, Lifter LMS, WP Courseware, LearnDash or other WordPress plugins. When using those, you will also have to keep in mind other hosting, server and maintenance costs.

Can you ignore marketing?

Like it or not, you can’t ignore marketing. For online businesses, setting up a marketing strategy comes as a priority. Investing in SEO, ads, and promotion it’s huge in gaining public awareness and can bring huge revenue to your business.

How much is Teachable?

The best part about Teachable is that the basic plan is really cheap at only $29 per month ($90 less than Kajabi's basic plan).

What is the best tool to create graphics for a course?

You'll need to create some graphics for your course in order to make it look appealing and professional. For beginners, we recommend Canva , a free graphic-design tool website. This tool will help you design all the graphics you need for your course, website, and social media.

What is answer the public?

Answer the Public. Answer The Public is a tool that shows a user how often people ask questions related to the topic of interest. All you have to do is to enter your keyword and see the results. The number of questions asked will show you how popular your topic is.

Is SurveyMonkey free?

The ability to conduct such a survey is included in the basic plan of the service, which is totally free.

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Choosing A Learning Management System

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Before pricing out any other aspect of course creation, you’ll need to select a learning management system (LMS). This software manages the delivery of course materials and monitors student completion. Because it is the main framework that students and teachers will interact with, it’s important to thoughtfully select a syst…
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Do You Need An authoring Tool?

  • Once you have an LMS to display your content, you may need to buy a separate piece of software called an authoring tool, to create your course content. This software combines e-learning materials into a course package, which you can then upload directly to your LMS. Whether you need to buy an authoring tool or not depends on the LMS you choose. Some LMS options, like E…
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Creating Course Content

  • Now that you have the tools to set up your course, it’s time to think about the content. Just as you would need to create a curriculum and hire an instructor to teach an in-person course, you will need to create course materials and a lesson plan for an online one. You’ll either need to create the content yourself, have your staff do it, or hire someone else to do so. This most likely means …
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Video Production Costs

  • Some online courses use only written materials, while others rely heavily on video lectures or demonstrations. At Eduflow we tend to lean away from stand alone video-based online learning experiences. We believe that instead of simply watching a series of videos, students need to actively engage with content and each other, to be held accountable for their own learning. Vide…
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Technical Support For Students and Teachers

  • Any new technology rollout is bound to generate questions and require troubleshooting. If you’re using a proprietary LMS, the company behind it may take care of technical support for you. However, in most cases, you’ll need to provide ongoing technical support for both the students and the teachers who use your course. While30% of universities are able to offer 24/7 technical …
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So How Much Does It Cost to Develop An Online Course? It Depends on Your Goals

  • If you started this piece hoping to come away with a solid quote for creating an online course, you may be disappointed. In truth, an online course costs as much as you’re willing to spend. If, for example, you used a cloud-based LMS like Eduflow, don’t need an authoring tool, don’t produce videos and create your content in-house, you might be able to put together and entire course for …
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Decisions Related to Online Course Development

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The first decision you need to make to begin figuring out the costs is the type of content you’re creating. Will your online course consist of multimedia like video with audio, one or the other, or text-based? Video with audio is the most popular format for an online course. Most courses consist of videos with a menu to navig…
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One-Time Costs vs Time Related Costs

  • There are a few different types of costs involved in creating online courses. The first set of costs are your one-time costs for software or equipment. You can re-use equipment or sometimes rent equipment to save money. We’ll get into the one-time costs later. Costs that are more difficult to measure are time-related costs. Obviously, if you’re paying an instructional designer to create yo…
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How Long to Create An Hour of video?

  • Let’s start by going through an estimate of how long it takes to create that one hour of video. But before we can get to our video time estimate, we need to consider what kind of video we’re going to create. Will it be a live-action, screen recording, or animation-style video?
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Visual Video Decisions

  • There are decisions you need to make depending on what type of video you’re creating; live-action, screen recording, or animations. I’ve got a few pathways here depending on the type of video you’re creating. What you’re doing here is deciding on the visuals for your videos.
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Voice Over vs Live Action Audio

  • Depending on what type of video you’re doing, once your visuals are ready you need to record your audio …
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Estimate Considerations

  • As you can see, live-action takes less time to do. The time can vary based on the amount of practice you do and how many breaks you need between takes. Of course, if you’re recording yourself giving a slideshow presentation, you need to create that presentation and record it live. So that will take even longer! The thing is, these estimates are just for one hour. But if your cours…
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Supplemental Material

  • As explained above, I suggest creating an add-on to go along with the video. This takes extra time, but it will greatly enhance the value of your course. You can include a quiz (even 12 questions covering 1 hour of video will work). Quizzes or assessments make the most sense when you’re covering a difficult educational concept. For each module in my course, I created a short quiz. If …
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Time Estimates For 1 Hour of Video and Supplemental Material

  • Here’s the total time estimate for both the video training and the supplemental material production: Use this to help you figure out the time it will take you and estimate the costs involved.
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Costs For One-Time Physical Equipment

  • Now here’s where everyone will start incurring costs unless you already have all this equipment. First of all, you need a computer, but it doesn’t need to be anything super fancy. Hopefully, you already have access to a computer (a desktop or laptop will work). There’s so much variety in computer costs that it’s hard to estimate. Most people already have a computer (or access to on…
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One-Time Costs For Software

  • In addition to the physical equipment, you’ll need software. Once again, it’s different whether you’re doing presentation-style videos or live action videos which I’ll cover below.
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Understanding The Task

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The exact budget for the development of an e-course cannot be calculated on the fly. If you’re going to fill your course with interactive elements as well as practical tasks, plus videos, be ready for the price tag to be significant. In this post, we aren’t suggesting belt-tightening, but efficient use of any budget. For this purpose, the k…
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Three Levels of eLearning Courses

  • There are three types of e-courses, depending on the goal and the number of interactive elements. The higher the level, the more expensive the course will be.
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The Components of An Online Course — Development Costs

  • The next thing to consider is who will develop the course for you. You can create it entirely by yourself, gather an in-house team, or hire a third-party company or a freelancer to do it for you. You may need to calculate the cost for each option to compare the total costs and decide on the most suitable one. If you plan to develop the e-course in-house, the components will be the follo…
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In-House eLearning Team vs. Freelancers

  • eLearning offers three employment types to choose from: a permanent in-house team, a temporary project team, or freelancers. It’s worthwhile to consider the pros and cons of each option to find out which one fits you best. An outsourcing team will be a good choice if your company is small and you aren’t ready yet to create a full-fledged eLearning department. The ext…
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in A Nutshell

  1. Before you jump into creating your first online course, clarify your goals, targeted audience, and the value you want the course to bring.
  2. The scope of work and, therefore, its cost, depends on the type of course. Informational, motivational, and training courses require different amounts of resources.
  3. The key person in developing online courses is an instructional designer. Hire an experience…
  1. Before you jump into creating your first online course, clarify your goals, targeted audience, and the value you want the course to bring.
  2. The scope of work and, therefore, its cost, depends on the type of course. Informational, motivational, and training courses require different amounts of resources.
  3. The key person in developing online courses is an instructional designer. Hire an experienced one if you’re new to eLearning.
  4. Good content without good design can be a waste of time and money.