how much work does it take to run an online course

by Alena Gusikowski 4 min read

Thus, many online courses run the same length as their on-campus counterparts. This means that a semester-based schedule will include approximately 15 weeks of work for 9 hours per week or 135 hours total for the semester for each 3-credit course.Jun 9, 2021

Full Answer

How much can I earn from my online course?

Your course could literally earn anywhere from nothing to upwards of $50K a month. Potential revenue from your online course depends on a number of factors: How much are you selling your course for?

How long does an online course need to be?

There is no set length that online course needs to be. Some short courses may be just 20-30 minutes, whereas some in depth courses may be many hours of lessons. No one wants to watch hours of filler content, so make your course as short as possible whilst delivering all the relevant information.

Why are online courses so expensive?

Online courses fall into different levels depending on their interactivity and complexity. The higher the level of interactivity (in the learners’ use) and complexity (in content creation) is, the more expensive a course tends to be.

How do I determine the cost of creating an online course?

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 navigate the course.

How many hours a week should an online class take?

You should plan to devote a minimum of three hours per week per credit, plus an additional hour per class each week to review materials. For instance, for a three-credit online course, you will need nine hours of study time and one hour of review time each week.

How much work is an online class?

Just like in traditional classes, the workload varies – but don't expect your course to be easier just because it's online. Many online learners say they spend 15 to 20 hours a week on coursework. That workload, of course, may vary between full-time and part-time students. A lighter course load likely means less study.

How many hours does it take to create a course?

Depending on the duration and detail of the program, it can take anywhere between 25 – 500 hours to formulate an online course. A mini-course with just 4 or 5 videos you could develop it in a couple of days. An in-depth flagship course with numerous modules and assignments could take eight weeks or more to accomplish.

How many hours does it take to build an online course?

Depending on the length and detail of the course, it can take anywhere between 25 – 500 hours to create an online course. For a mini course with just 4 or 5 videos you could create it in a couple of days. An in-depth flagship course with multiple modules and lessons could take 8 weeks or more to complete.

Are online classes stressful?

The respondents were queried about the problems and benefits of online classes. In the study, 54-58% students reported issues like experiencing severe physical strain, eyesight troubles, backache and headache due to postural problems, lethargy, fatigue, irritability and obesity.

How does online education work on a day to day basis?

Web-based learning allows instructors to deliver the same content using different media, like videos or simulations, personalizing learning. Online classes providing round-the-clock access to materials and lectures also let students study when they feel most focused and engaged.

How long does it take to design an elearning course?

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.

How much does it cost to create a college course?

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 do you plan an online course content?

10 Steps To Creating A Wildly Successful Online CoursePick the perfect course topic.Ensure your course idea has high market demand.Create Magnetic and Compelling Learning Outcomes.Select and Gather your Course Content.Structure Your Modules and Course Plan.More items...•

How do I write an online course?

How to create an online courseChoose the right subject matter.Test your idea.Research the topic extensively.Write a course outline.Create the course content.Bring your course online.Sell your online course.Market your content.More items...•

How long should my e-learning course be?

The length of an e-learning course depends on what is being taught and how in-depth the training is. There is no set length that online course need...

How many hours are required to create one hour of e-learning

It can take between 2 – 100 hours to create each hour of online course content. It depends on how familiar you are with the content being taught, t...

How long does it take to create a curriculum?

The length of time it takes to create a curriculum will depend on the individual, and it can differ from person to person. It can take anywhere fro...

How much does it cost to create an online course?

On a small budget, you can develop a professional-looking online course for $350 to $1,000. Equipment, the software, hosting, and promotion can all...

How long does it take to create an online course?

Depending on the length and detail of the course, it can take anywhere between 25 – 500 hours to create an online course. For a mini course with just 4 or 5 videos you could create it in a couple of days. An in-depth flagship course with multiple modules and lessons could take 8 weeks or more to complete. These numbers just provide ...

How long is an e-learning course?

There is no set length that online course needs to be. Some short courses may be just 20-30 minutes, whereas some in depth courses may be many hours of lessons.

How much does a starter course cost?

A typical price to sell a starter course might be $50 – $200.

How long does it take to create a curriculum?

It can take anywhere from 5 – 150 hours to create each hour of online content.

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.

How many people watch online courses every day?

A lot of online courses are set up like the image below: According to research, 78% of people watch online videos every week and 55% view online videos every day. Watching videos online is a popular way to consume course content.

What is the most popular format for online courses?

Video with audio is the most popular format for an online course. Most courses consist of videos with a menu to navigate the course. Sometimes there’s supplemental text or links to supplemental materials beneath the online video. A lot of online courses are set up like the image below:

How long does it take to create supplemental material?

For instance, if it takes you 5 hours to create your supplemental material the first time it may take close to that the next time. If you’re creating the supplemental material then realize that your time is valuable so it’s smart to have an estimate of how long it’ll take.

What is a video intro?

Video intros will give your video training a more polished look. You can get an inexpensive video intro from Fiverr. If you already have a logo then you just give that to a designer and they'll make a cool intro out of it. You can also add music to your intro or special sound effects and it'll add to the professionalism of your course videos.

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.

How many words should I use for a 10 minute video?

It’s hard to gauge how much content you have per video. If you’ve got 10 minutes for the video, you need between 1,000 and 2,000 words. You can use that as a gauge for how much content you need.

What is online course development?

Online course development is a complex process, and the price of course creation can vary depending on learning platform, course content, eLearning industry, and other factors. If you want to get a detailed cost analysis research for your eLearning project, pleasefeel free to schedule a demo. Tweet#N# .

How long has Sergiy been in eLearning?

Sergiy has 18 years of experience in eLearning and management. Creating educational programs, career paths, online and offline courses he is making the educational world better as a co-founder of RG.

Is eLearning still relevant?

The eLearning market changes, new eLearning trends, and technologies rise and the course should remain relevant. As we all know, even the most popular distance learning courses might need to be adjusted over time, if new breakthroughs occur in the subject matter, new data should be added or some statistics should be updated.

How much money will online courses make in 2025?

According to recent data, global eLearning is on pace to hit $325 billion by 2025. If you want to get a piece of those billions (or are skeptical that it can be done), keep reading.

How to justify increasing the price of an online course?

If you want to justify increasing the price of your online course, you can do that by upgrading the course content. This means creating higher quality videos, visuals, text, and effects that better match your brand and are representative of the value you want to provide.

Can you make passive income from online courses?

Creating and selling online courses can be a powerful driver for passive income if you put in the time to build a high-quality course and market it properly. While it does take time to create all the pieces for your online course, once you have it completed, it can generate revenue for years.

Is online learning booming?

People across demographics are interested in education and lifelong learning more than ever before and online courses are a flexible and cost-effective way to expand knowledge without even leaving your home! If you’re not already selling an online course, you’re missing out on a tremendous opportunity to build a passive revenue stream, boost your brand’s reputation, and generate more leads.

Can you set a higher price for a course?

Narrow Your Focus. It may seem counter intuitive, but you can actually set a higher price for your course when you’re teaching on a highly specialized topic. For example, you might have a course that’s an introduction to influencer marketing that covers the most basic steps you need to take to become an influencer.

Can you create an online course that is evergreen?

You can also create online courses that are evergreen. This means that you create the course, record and edit your videos, and package it as a product instead of a live course. So, you’re basically putting the effort in to create the course once, but you can sell it over and over for years.

How much does it cost to create an online course?

Creating an online course can run between $200 at the very minimum to $5500 or more a year depending on the method you choose to create and market it. These cost account for the hosting platform, screen capture software, email service provider, domain names, to advertising cost. However, the cost all depends on the hosting you use, ...

Can I host a course on WordPress?

Your first option is to host your course on WordPress. A lot of people like this option because it gives you the most control over your content to the hosting you decide to use. With other platforms, you are stuck with the options they provide. On top of that with WordPress, it allows you to customize your design.

How Does An Online Course Work For A Student?

As a student, there are a few steps you need to take before you can get started with an online course.

How Does Making An Online Course Work For A Creator?

If you’re thinking more about creating an online course yourself, there’s a lot more work to do besides just signing up!

Related Questions

The best way to launch your course is to build an audience of people who are interested in what the course teaches and offer them a discount and collect feedback from the first batch of students.

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.

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.

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 easier to create puzzles than videos?

But since these are often easier to create compared to a video, there can be a slight reduction in the development time and costs.

Can you ask an instructional designer to review and edit your work?

For example, you can come up with good content and develop a course scenario while saving tons of money. Then, you can ask an instructional designer to review and edit your work. You can do the same with more complex online learning material – videos, quizzes, puzzles, and assignments:

Is online learning profitable?

The short answer is “YES it can be quite profitable!”. The long answer requires a more in-depth analysis. Creating and selling online courses is a highly profitable business with the potential to open up a passive stream of income.

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.

image

Decisions Related to Online Course Development

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 pay...
See more on coursemethod.com

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?
See more on coursemethod.com

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.
See more on coursemethod.com

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 …
See more on coursemethod.com

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…
See more on coursemethod.com

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 …
See more on coursemethod.com

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.
See more on coursemethod.com

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…
See more on coursemethod.com

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.
See more on coursemethod.com