I always see these posts online about how you can create a course in one day. ONE DAY?! If this was true, I wouldn’t have a job.
So let’s set the record straight. While you can create an online course in a day, you absolutely should not. Here’s why:
Here’s the truth. A lot goes into creating an online course if you want quality results. I created this guide to show you that creating an online course, and all it’s component parts, takes time and a broad skillset.
In corporate training, we use ratios to predict workload and project plan. These ratios are based on past work and fluctuate depending on the available resources, timeline, budget, and scope of work.
Here are some general ratios by deliverable. This is not a complete list but these deliverable types can be generalized to many other types of instructional materials.
Deliverable Types | Ratios (# hours per length) |
|---|---|
Self-led eLearning (passive, no engagement) | 2:1 (2 hours per 1 minute) |
Self-led eLearning (high engagement) | 3:1 (3 hours per 1 minute) |
Resource and reference materials (PDFs, images, infographics) | 1:1 (1 hour per 1 page) |
Videos (interview, talking head, animated template) | 2:1 (2 hours per 1 minute) |
Live, instructor-led (in-person or virtual) | 1:1 (1 hour per 1 minute) |
Videos (complex, broll, animated custom) | 3:1 (3 hours per 1 minute) |
These ratios might seem high to you, but in corporate training, there are often teams of experts doing the work–subject matter experts (SMEs), project managers, instructional designers, graphic designers, eLearning developers, video producers and editors, and copywriters. This team can split the workload and, as a result, work faster and more effectively. Though they’re often slowed down by the bureaucracy of feedback, approvals, pivots, and other projects.
The process of designing online courses looks a bit different for course creators. It’s likely a one-person show, learning and balancing each of these tasks and responsibilities solo and, in some cases, through trial and error. But the course creator is the sole decision-maker and this one course may be their only focus or priority, allowing them to make decisions quicker and be more agile.
That said, these ratios can be as helpful to estimate work for your online course as they are for corporate training, though you may choose to adjust the ratios slightly based on how quickly you can work through the required tasks.
Let’s apply this to an example.
We want to create a 5-week program. Learners get one hour per week of self-led materials and another two hours per week of live sessions where they can apply what they’ve learned and get immediate feedback. This is a 15-hour training in total and requires a mix of deliverables to create an effective and engaging experience.
Each week includes:
Now that we know the structure of the experience, let’s identify the deliverables.
Next, let’s estimate the time required to build all the deliverables.
Deliverable Type | Quantity | Length | Ratio | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Video (simple, talking head) | 5 | 5 min | 2:1 | 50 hours |
eLearning (passive) | 5 | 5 min | 2:1 | 50 hours |
Screen Recording | 2 | 3 min | 1:1 | 6 hours |
PDF Practice Guide | 5 | 4 pages | 1:1 | 20 hours |
PDF Checklist | 5 | 1 page | 1:1 | 5 hours |
Live, instructor-led (virtual) | 5 | 10 min | 1:1 | 50 hours |
Based on this course design and the types of deliverables identified, this online course would take approximately 181 hours to build. For someone who could devote all their time to this work, it would take 8 hours a day for 22.5 days to build.
I know some people will think 50 hours to create 5 videos is nonsense because, well, TikTok. But they’d be missing the bigger picture and the most important part. The quality of the video production (like lighting and audio) doesn’t matter if the script, talent, and video style miss the mark in landing the message and engaging learners. And the same applies for every other deliverable on the list.
In most poorly designed online courses, the common theme is not spending time upfront planning and writing content that ties back to objectives in a clear, concise, and comprehensible way.
Each deliverable takes time to plan and execute if you want quality results. Here’s a brief task list as a reminder of all that’s involved:
Tasks to create a talking head video with animations and onscreen graphics include:
Tasks to create a passive eLearning with templated content design and minimal graphics include:
Tasks to create a screen recording with voiceover include:
Tasks to create a PDF practice guide include:
Tasks to create a PDF checklist include:
Tasks to create a live virtual instructor-led training include:
I know there’s a desire for quick returns. But taking the appropriate time to design and develop an online course will help make sure it’s instructionally sound and supports the intended objectives. When you work too fast, you often end up rambling and losing focus, straying from or convoluting the core message. Which ultimately risks learners not getting results.
Stop trying to shortcut course creation. Creating effective online courses takes time.
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