7 Budget Saving Tips for Your Next eLearning ProjectEver wonder how much it costs to build an eLearning course? Here’s the short answer: It depends! But don’t worry, there are evidence-based industry standards you can use to budget your next eLearning project. These include:
Industry samples and statistics compiled by the Chapman Alliance estimates anywhere from $5,656 CAD per hour of blended course development. (Note: 2013 average price converted from USD to CAD, with 10.5 % rate of inflation over 6 years). Tips to save costs:
Pro Tip: Most Canadian eLearning companies won’t even take contracts for eLearning course development under $10k CAD. So be prepared to get quotes above that, especially if you only provide general project requirements. The more information you share, the more accurate the quote can be. Read more about how long it takes to build a one-hour eLearning course!
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Join the Canadian Delegation at ATD 2020Why I make time for conferences Conferences are a must in my profession: As a self-employed learning consultant, I need to stay up-to-date with the latest research, trends, and technology in my industry to better serve my clients. I try to attend at least one large, international conference every year to refuel and get my annual serving of what I call “professional juice”. I’ve attended the eLearning Guild’s DevLearn Conference for the last three years in a row, and the juice I gained from DevLearn has been one of the largest contributing success factor in my expanding business. Making time to engage with other professionals, explore a variety of sessions, meet multiple vendors, and network with others in the field is fun and inspiring. Why I’m going to ATD I’ve never been to ATD, and I love trying new things! As us Instructional Designers and educators know, neuroscience tells us that novelty is a key component of sticky learning! ATD’s International Conference & Exposition is one of the largest talent development events dedicated to supporting professionals in the field from all over the world. With three keynote speakers, more than 300 sessions and 400 exhibitors, and endless networking opportunities, there is so much I’ll take away from the conference. I also hope to connect with fellow Canadians in the industry to further my business here at home! Why I decided to become an ATD International Delegate Leader Back in early November when I looked at the ATD 2020 Delegations list, I was shocked to find there was NO Canadian delegation. My thought process was pretty simple: What!? There’s no Canadian Delegation? But I know SO MANY Canadians who go to ATD! I’m going to create a Delegation for Canada right now! Hmmm, I wonder if there are any perks... Wow! Delegations get the best discounted registration rate? Yes please! And a chance to represent Canada at the largest international learning conference? Sweet! Opportunities to network with other professionals? Can’t get enough of them! Chance to expand my business, meet new clients, colleagues, collaborators, learn what’s new… And more special perks? Holla! Join the Canadian Delegation and you can get these perks too!
How to register for the ATD 2020 Canadian Delegation:
Want to register for the Canadian Delegation as a group? No problem! Email atdglobal@td.org and mention our discount code.
Already registered to ATD? You can still be part of the Canadian delegation! Contact ATD to opt into delegation news. See you in Denver in May, 2020! – Leah Chang, your ATD 2020 Canadian Delegation Leader Hiring a Learning Consultant? Test the Waters with a Scoping ContractHiring a consultant you’ve never worked with before is a big commitment. You want to be confident you’re getting the right Instructional Designer or Learning Consultant for the job and the best fit for your organization. That’s why I recommend asking your contractor to complete a scoping or small prototyping project first—it’s a great way to test the waters for both parties. Some recent scoping examples I’ve had the chance to scope out small, medium and large-scale learning projects, ranging from a few hours of LMS administrator training for a non-profit group, to a company-wide data privacy training strategy for a national airline carrier. One all-employee eLearning program took 10 hours to scope and estimate, based on the amount of existing content available at the time. For a healthcare provider instructor-led coaching program, a few hours of scoping was adequate. In each situation, prototyping or conducting a trial project was helpful for both me and the client to make more accurate estimates and feel confident about working together on a larger project plan. What does a learning or training scoping project look like? Typically, the scoping quotations I offer include the following:
Benefits of scoping projects for organizations Not sure if your timeline and estimates are realistic or how much your complete project might cost? Engage a learning strategist or instructional design contractor for a few hours to scope it out with (or for) you. It’s easier to secure a small budget for a scoping project or a prototype or draft learning build than for the entire project at once. Consultants are well-versed at drafting proposals and estimating hours and effort. If you’re struggling with putting this together, or simply want to confirm your estimates with the person who may execute the project, ask the consultant to provide a quote This not only gives you a chance to see how you and the consultant work together, but it gives both parties a chance to confirm the project plan before diving in. Benefits of scoping projects for consultants A trial project allows me to get to know the client and their content. For example, the degree of flexibility and responsiveness about a group can say a lot, and increase the enjoyment of working together too. As much as possible I choose clients that commit to predetermined turnaround times to provide their feedback so that my work isn’t held up. After I’ve completed a scoping project, it’s often much faster to start on the actual work, because we’ve already confirmed the finer details of the contract language, payment, and communication channels and frequency, so we can just dive in. Pro tips:
Do you have a project that would benefit from a consultant’s perspective?
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POPULAR POSTS What Makes Learning or Training Sticky? 5 Tips for Hiring the Right Learning Consultant When to Use Articulate Rise Over Storyline for Your Project How Much Time Should I Estimate for eLearning Course Development? 7 Instructional Design Types: Who’s Best for Your Business? AuthorLeah Chang is a learning consultant with 17+ years of experience designing online and classroom learning. In her spare time she goes on self-propelled travel adventures and tries to grow vegetables. |