Course Creation Timeline, Beginning to Final Product

Aug 20, 2015

This question may be too big to answer but here it goes....

I am curious to see if there is an average length of time of how long it takes to create an elearning course.  And, since there are many variables to consider, I will provide an example course that your boss wants you to complete sooner than later.  Here is the example:

The course is on the subject of customer service for employees in a call center.  The course should be no longer than 15 minutes with images, text, and audio, and a maximum of 3 interactions (of your choice).  The boss also provides you with a PowerPoint that is used in class and access to a SME.  However, the SME has other work to do and has limited time to meet with you.  

A bonus question:  If the boss wanted you to break down how long it would take for each component within the course creation, how would you answer? And/or what is the breakdown?

 

My estimate is 2 weeks.  And the breakdown would be 1-2 days for each component and a day or two for editing and testing.  

Thanks for sharing,

Dana

 

 

6 Replies
Dana Kocalis

Elizabeth, this would be a project from scratch, no images, my own voice, and testing to all be included in the timeline.  

Les, thanks for the link, it has the info I was looking for.  I was trying to get some standard timelines together to share (in my own way) related to reasonable timelines for course creation (beginning to end).  She tends to want courses in 2 or 3 days and high quality.  I keep telling her that I can produce something in a short time but it may not be the quality that she is wanting or hoping for.   So, I thought some actual data would help my argument.  

 

Thanks all,

Dana

Brandon Dameshek

Hey, Dana:

I operate along the same sort of thinking as Phil, in that I typically estimate 100 hours of work for a 1-hour course (thus 25 hours for a 15-minute course). Obviously this is subject to change based on factors such as:

  • Who's writing the script?
  • How difficult is the content?
  • How many reviews are required?
  • What level of development are you doing?

Again, 100 hours is a basic estimate, but probably close one way or the other.

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