Are you looking to design a new training course or refresh those old training materials gathering digital dust? Whether you’re starting fresh or giving your existing content a facelift, let’s walk through what you need to do, how long it will take, and—yes—how much it’s going to cost.
1. Start with Learning Goals (a.k.a. What Do You Want People to Actually Learn?)
Before diving into the fun stuff, ask yourself: what should the learners walk away knowing? Keep it simple, specific, and relevant. Nobody needs a training module on the history of post-it notes (unless you're training future office supply historians).
2. Plan the Course Structure (Not as Boring as It Sounds)
Picture this: You’re a learner. Your course jumps from topic to topic like a frog on caffeine. No one wants to have that course. Simplify and create a roadmap—something that flows from one section to the next, whether it’s a brand-new course or a revamp of the old one.
3. Craft Engaging Content (Because We’re Not Robots🤖 Yet)
No one wants to sit through hours of dry slideshows. For a new course, spend time crafting engaging narratives, writing scripts, or developing cool multimedia (videos, infographics, animations). If you’re refreshing old content, keep what’s working and ditch what’s not.
Let's Talk Time and Money...How Long Will It Take?
Time is money, right? Here’s how much time you’re looking at:
New Course Creation:
Simple courses: 40-120 hours per hour of content (because it takes time to build great things).
Complex courses (with shiny multimedia): 200-300 hours per hour of content.
Updating an Existing Course:
Minor tweaks? 10-30 hours per hour of content.
Major revamps? 50-150 hours per hour of content.
What’s It Going to Cost?
You knew this part was coming. Here’s a rough estimate/guide to what you might spend:
New Course Development:
Basic text-and-quiz setup: $5,000–$15,000 per hour of content.
Middle-ground with some cool videos: $15,000–$30,000.
Full-blown eLearning with animations, interactive exercises, and the works: $30,000–$50,000+.
Updating Courses:
Minor refreshes: $2,000–$5,000 per hour of content.
Major updates with new media: $5,000–$15,000.
**Costs depend on how fancy you want to get (think the level of expert consultants, multimedia producers, and learning platform fees).
Key Takeaways on Training Development Content Creation Planning, and Pricing
Creating or updating a course is a journey (one with fewer snacks, unfortunately). It takes careful planning, thoughtful design, and the right investment of time and money. But the result? Engaged learners who actually learn something.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, Writer Resource can help. Whether it’s building a course from the ground up or refreshing your existing material our Instructional Design and Training Developer experts got you covered. Let’s make learning fun again (or at least a little less painful). Contact us today and let's get started!
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