7 Responses

1. Time to develop a web based training course
   An interesting question but a bit like “how long is a piece of string?” My experience and observation suggest that the following factors will affect the development time:

   the technical content of the course
   the specific learning needs and previous experience of the learners
   the technical competence of the course designer both in terms of content and on-line methodologies e.g. web/web page design
   the degree of sophistication that is desired for the web course e.g. simple text, text and graphics, plus audio, plus video, plus interactvity

   I would set aside double the amount of time that you think it might take, particularly if this is your first course. After the first one or two you get the feel for the methodology and things will start to speed up.

   Start by setting aside at least one day and then monitor yourself in terms of how much progress you make.

2. Development costs of web-based training
   The UK Government recently tendered for a considerable quantity of Web-based further education material to be developed for the 420+ FE colleges in the UK. Typical tenders for ‘quality’ material (i.e. interactive stuff not just textbooks converted to HTML) were in the region of £30,000/hour. A contact of mine in the US considered this high for general content. They would expect it to be $7,000-$20,000/hour.

3. How much time to allow for development
   CBT’s not a good model to base your answer. WBT is (in spirit) not a web version of CBT. Good learning design requires a great deal of pre-planning and carefully thought out creative design of the learning process. The sofware coding should be a relatively swifter process if the design is good. We look at a figure of around 250 hours per hour. The DfEE figures are good. US figures tend to be very conservative but (if you’ll forgive me), the quality of most US e-learning does not match UK or European expectations. We allow a 3 month lead time for an e-learning product from design to implemetation.

4. The time depends on the planning already done
   If you are startig from scratch then good courseware takes a long time. If you have already the basic materials and an idea of house style then it can be much quicker. Storyboarding -16hrs: gathering content- 20-50 hrs(more if video etc. is to be included).Production -20 hrs. If you start from only an idea then add 50+ hrs for developing the concept
   We use an authoring system Illuminatus which allows design for CD-ROM or the web. Modern tools such as digital video camera and DV video can make the course very professional looking.
   As said before the key is in the design. It is a bit like Chinese Cooking, get all the components prepared in advance and then just fit them into the design.

5. 1 hour WBT = 19.6 hours @ 43.5%
   Statistics show that 86.5% of all quoted statistics are made up on the spot.

   Likewise with development ratios for WBT materials.

   Starting at the bottom, with minimal user interaction, a ‘page-turner’ WBT (Book online, with basic assessment & attention grabbing functionality) could be built from existing materials using a tool like Dreamweaver or DACG’s QuickWeb in around a ratio of 1:50.

   At the top end, and there is a *lot* of variety in between, a large oil co. just forked out $450k for one 40 min wbt on plant safety. You gets what you pays for.

   The things you want to look out for are
   a) good instructional systems designers – that is NOT letting your SME’s write course ware – participate yes, but not drive.
   b) appropriate use of technology – the right tools, structured content to allow various deployment models
   c) Your own objectives. Keep your goals firmly in mind – don’t get side-tracked by the sexy product: What do you want to communicate.

   Feel free to shout.

6. E-learning costs break the bank?
   This particular thread is proving fascinating, to me at least, in terms of the range of resource estimates so far expressed. In order to be more precise in terms of guidance it would seem to me that we have to be specific about the kind of material being developed.

   In my original contribution to this thread I had in mind a very simple, largely text based 1 hour session with perhaps a straightforward multiple choice self-assessment questionnaire at the end. I personally could devise a 1 hour learning episode on a subject with which I was already familiar quite quickly.

   I fully accept that to go for attractive mutlimedia or web based training offerings including pictures, video clips/streamed video, interactive databases of expert questions and answers will indeed take considerably longer. Especially if source materials e.g. the video episodes need to be scripted, filmed, edited etc.

   Having, until recently, worked as a training manager in the public sector for many years the costs quoted would seem to be unacceptable to many of the people I am dealing with.

   This will inevitably lead to differentiation within the market of both producers and consumers in terms of what is amde available and at what cost.

   I look forward to readin additional comments.

7. E-learning costs break the bank?
   This particular thread is proving fascinating, to me at least, in terms of the range of resource estimates so far expressed. In order to be more precise in terms of guidance it would seem to me that we have to be specific about the kind of material being developed.

   In my original contribution to this thread I had in mind a very simple, largely text based 1 hour session with perhaps a straightforward multiple choice self-assessment questionnaire at the end. I personally could devise a 1 hour learning episode on a subject with which I was already familiar quite quickly.

   I fully accept that to go for attractive mutlimedia or web based training offerings including pictures, video clips/streamed video, interactive databases of expert questions and answers will indeed take considerably longer. Especially if source materials e.g. the video episodes need to be scripted, filmed, edited etc.

   Having, until recently, worked as a training manager in the public sector for many years the costs quoted would seem to be unacceptable to many of the people I am dealing with.

   This will inevitably lead to differentiation within the market of both producers and consumers in terms of what is made available and at what cost.

   I look forward to reading additional comments.