Cost of developing 1 hour of elearning

In the 3 years since I posted the original question, I still haven't read a satisfactory answer.

You see, the answer is still - "it depends".

If a client wants me to take completed storyboards and convert it to Storyline, I like to say I'm not interested. (I don't always have that luxury, but in a perfect world...) Like I said in an earlier post, I prefer the partnered approach to the order taker approach.

If they want a simple conversion, they can do it off shore more cheaply than I can do it.

What I like to bring to the table is instructional design and adult learning principles. The flashiest course in the world doesn't matter if the content won't support it.

But that being said, I've found you need to price according to your client. A small non-profit is not going to have the same appetite as a large multi-national.

I guess what I'm trying to say is what I've found in the last three years is pricing is as much an art as a science.

I've looked through the calculator and to be honest, I still don't find it especially helpful.

Liberal use of custom interactions - "liberal" is not a term I can use for pricing. Does liberal use mean 25% of pages contain a custom interaction? 50%?

Define custom interaction. Something not natively built into Storyline? Custom flash?

And I'm not on board with how they define Multi-media complexity.

There's also the whole geography issue. What a head office in Toronto will pay for 1 hour of elearning may not be the same as what a small firm in Red Deer will pay. It could vary wildly in the US or in Europe.

Arbitrary figures or calculators just don't cut it. Pricing is something each person needs to figure out for themselves. And for me, ID is what costs.