Forum Discussion
E-Learning Course Development Service Pricing
Is there a method used to calculate the cost relating to designing elearning courses? What should you take into consideration when you are preparing an estimate?
Hi John:
Great question! If you are an independent (freelance) consultant, and not in-house corporate or in academia, it's very important to consider your cost of living. You are a business; you have both business costs and personal costs to maintain.
Take a look at the SlideShare.net prezi that I created to demo a very helpful tool:
Consulting Rates for e-Learning: How Much to Bill Per Hour
http://www.slideshare.net/RidgeViewMedia.com/consulting-fees
And, here's my blog post about estimating training costs, based on article from ASTD:
How to Estimate Training Time and Costs
http://ridgeviewmedia.com/blog/2010/05/how-to-estimate-trainingtime-and-costs/
Yes, I have turned down some projects if the time involved + the compensation would have put me into the "red". Yes, other Articulate freelance consultants do bill less per hour than I do. However, I've also listened to colleagues who then found themselves re-working and re-working a client's project without additional compensation. So, it's important to begin with a Detail Design Document with your client's approval, and also to get their approval on a Change Management document.
Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions!
On Twitter: @jenisecook
