I create a lot of e-learning material for clients using screencasting tools, video, and Articulate. When beginning a project, especially with small businesses and solopreneurs, they are often surprised how long it takes to create their course.

There are lots of things I do to compress the time. For example, having the subject matter expert (typically the client) narrate the delivery means we don’t have to worry about knowledge transfer to me. Incorporating video or recorded Skype presentations adds a multimedia element without too much work too. These types of solutions aren’t necessarily the highest end productions, but they are unique and effective nonetheless. For small businesses, they’re often good enough.

Clive on Learning summarizes the Chapman Alliance presentation outlining the development times for various types of projects. Clive’s chart breaks it down like this:

View Clive’s post for the definitions of the different levels.

So remember, a 1-hour online course does take some time to development. However, it can also save countless hours in delivery costs. And if you have a unique service or body of knowledge, selling courses around your expertise can be highly profitable.