How much does it cost to make eLearning? There’s an answer to this, short and plain, but it’s an answer nobody likes: “It depends”

This two part article lays out the costs involved to create eLearning on average, and what tips the scales in one direction or another, also the major factors the impact those costs.

To create an hour of eLearning output – this is the eLearning product that the student will see – featuring a moderate to basic production level with limited interaction and limited animation you should expect anywhere between 90 and 240 hours of development time.  Know the ins and outs of what time is needed for eLearning projects.  Aspects such as why the price varies so widely and what’s involved in the different levels of production value all contribute to the over all costs of eLeanring.

Read the article Levels of Production Value in eLearning; see the infographic Costs Involved in eLearning; and watch the animated video Costs of eLearning Production Value.

Factor 1: Resources and Rates

There are many roles that come into play in an eLearning project.  To read more about who is involved in the eLearning team click here.  Roles often overlap within the eLearning team, but if you, as the client or company, can provide in-house role-players to assist with the eLearning project then you can save on expenses.  Using your own internal subject matter experts (SMEs) can mean saving the eLearning company hours of time and resources educating themselves on your field, needs and requirements.  Often the SME is actually in a better position to do much of the higher costing front-end analysis of the work themselves.

Factor 2: State of the Source Content

Consider what content you already have.  What starting point can you give the eLearning company in developing digitised learning items?  Just an outline?  PowerPoints?  Detailed notes?  Do you have audio or video recordings?  Or does the eLearning company have to glean information from textbooks?  Are there existing tests and assessments with memorandums?

Detailed, well-organised, quality pre-existing source content, with visuals will save you financially.  There is a great deal of work that goes into morphing source content into effective story boards, so if you already have content to provide this will help with the process.

Find Part 2 of this article here.

Sound Idea Digital specialises in Learning Management Systems and eLearning development | soundidealearningmanagement.co.za
Sandra is an eLearning Specialist & Content Editor for Sound Idea Digital | sandra@soundidea.co.za

To cite this blog article:
Slabbert, S. 2016, April 27. Costs Involved in eLearning– Part 1. <ideas> the official Sound Idea Digital blog [Web log post]. Available: http://blog.soundidea.co.za/articles/Costs_Involved_in_eLearning_Part_1-472.html

Source:
Cobb, J. n.d. How much does it cost to create e-learning?. Available: http://www.tagoras.com/cost-to-create-e-learning/ [2016 , April 14].