​Planning to develop an eLearning course? Then you’ll want to know how much time it will take. The answer: It depends. eLearning courses range in duration (how long it takes a typical learner to complete) as well as development hours. 

Do you know how much time and effort your organization spends on a typical, 30-minute eLearning course build? Depending on the level of interactivity and custom engagement, your project infrastructure and more, developing a new course can take anywhere (truthfully), from 20 to 200 hours.

This is why I recommend starting with a small scoping project to test if your budget, project plan, or contractor-client relationship are aligned. 

The term custom course development is widely used, but what does custom actually mean? Essentially, custom eLearning or instructor-led materials can mean anything that has had instructional design applied to create a unique course object. Instead of acquiring an out-of-the-box training product from a third party, you create your own (or outsource this to an eLearning consultant like me). 

Here are a few examples of custom strategies I’ve helped clients work through:

• Cost-benefit analysis of developing our own fleet vehicle training versus buying defensive driver eLearning and coaching from another provider. (They chose the latter, which turned out to be more efficient use of internal resources.)
• Whether to use a provincial government developed Data and Privacy compliance module, or develop their own. (They decided to develop their own, for greater impact, and outsourced this to me, their trusted eLearning contractor.)

​Extras – Not included unless identified within scope requirements

• Development of content or materials in languages other than English
• Audio (especially professional voice work or including multiple actors)
• Additional edits that diverge from previously approved deliverables
• Custom photography, illustration, graphic design, animation, video production or redesign of any of your existing media assets (for some projects, depending on the scope)
• Custom development in Storyline
• Special design considerations for web accessibility (e.g., WCAG 2.0)
• Multiple versions of the course for different audiences (e.g., repurposing client-facing content for employees)
• Creating content specifically on/for tablets or mobile
• Uploading the course into your LMS, hosting the course, any admin around the course

​I love designing custom course content for my clients; it’s one of the many stimulating challenges of my work that help me continually evolve as a professional. It’s the perfect opportunity to try innovative instructional design techniques, incorporate findings from new studies on how adults learn, and clients and learners get a course that meets their needs. 

Do you have a custom course project in mind? 

​Warning: This article contains adult content. Sexual innuendos and racy puns ahead!

A few months ago, Lambda Solutions invited me to present a master class on one of my favourite topics: Tips for effective Learning Management Systems administration. The analogy of how LMS administration can be “sexy” was not only a bit cheeky, it allowed me to explain my top tips on how to keep the fire burning for your LMS (and your LMS admins), and why this is important for your organization.

The result: a thirty-minute opportunity to synthesize what I’ve gleaned working with many LMS platforms and teams over the years, and a great way to share my tips with you.

Some highlights you won’t want to miss:

• 5:15 Why employers should be “GGG” to their LMS admins (meaning Good, Giving, and Game, as coined by sex columnist and political activist, Dan Savage) 
• 12:14 What I mean by the term Administrator Experience/ Administrator Interface (AX/AI)
• 15:31 Why I talk about a threesome when talking about the configuration of the ideal LMS admin team
• 18:12 How to avoid a bad LMS admin breakup and get over the heartache 
• 20:21 Why “Drop it like it’s hot” should be your LMS team mantra

​If you’re looking for an LMS implementation consultant to support your team or a guest speaker at your next conference or workshop, give me a ring!