How Long Does It Take to Build an eLearning Course? A Realistic Look at Development Time

If you’re planning an elearning project and wondering how long it actually takes to create meaningful online training, you’re not alone. One of the most common questions our team at Pukunui hears is: “How long does it take to create an elearning course?” The answer isn’t as straightforward as we’d like—but we can give you a pretty accurate time estimate, based on course length, interactivity, and the instructional design process.

Understanding elearning development time helps you plan better, allocate the right resources, and avoid inevitable delays. It also lets your stakeholders know what’s realistic. Whether you’re using the Moodle™ software platform or another LMS, development time directly affects your budget and timeline.

Let’s unpack what really goes into elearning course development—and how to set up your project for success, not surprises.

Development Time Depends on Course Complexity

There’s no one-size-fits-all number when it comes to building digital learning content. Think of course development like building a house—you’ll need a very different blueprint (and timeline) for a log cabin versus a smart mansion.

Generally, the industry averages suggest:

• Basic elearning (slide-based, minimal interaction): ~20–40 hours per 1 hour of content
• Intermediate elearning (some branching, multimedia elements): ~50–80 hours per 1 hour of content
• Advanced elearning (scenario-based learning, animations, simulations): ~100–160 hours per 1 hour of content

Use these as starting points for your time estimate. And yes, that means a 2-hour intermediate course could take upwards of 160 hours to fully develop. It’s not magic, it’s instructional design math.

The eLearning Development Process, Step by Step

Here’s what goes into producing a complete elearning course. Each stage takes time—and skipping one usually creates more problems later.

1. Define learning objectives: Start by identifying specific outcomes. For example, “After completing this module, learners will be able to configure Moodle™ course settings.”
2. Create a project plan: Build out a realistic roadmap with responsibilities, checkpoints, and internal deadlines.
3. Storyboard the course: This visual scripting step helps you map the instructional flow before building anything.
4. Develop content: This is the heavy lifting phase—script writing, video production, building quizzes, graphics, voiceover. It all adds up.
5. Assemble in an eLearning tool: Use tools like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, or native Moodle™ software tools to bring things together.
6. Review and test: Catch bugs, check logic flows, and pilot with a small user group.
7. Refine and revise: This includes edits based on tester feedback and accessibility checks.
8. Publish to your LMS: Whether it’s a Moodle-based community hub or a corporate training platform, you’ll need to integrate and launch.

Each of these steps impacts development time—and skipping any of them usually causes a domino effect.

Development Ratios You Can Use

You might wonder, “Can’t I just plug this into an elearning development calculator?” Technically, yes—and many project managers do just that.

Pro tip: Never give estimates based only on “course length.” Consider development ratio, too.

How Interactivity Affects Time and Cost

Interactivity is expensive—but often worth it. A highly interactive experience (think simulated troubleshooting in your Moodle™ software setup process) helps learners retain more. But it also takes time to storyboard, prototype and test.

Here are a few time additions to consider:

• Adding scenario-based branching? Add 20–30% more time.
• Planning to include video with captions? That may double your scriptwriting and review stages.
• Quizzes with adaptive feedback? Allocate extra time for logic testing.

It’s like baking a fancy cake: the more layers and fillings, the longer the prep—and the better the experience (unless you mess up the fondant).

Creating an eLearning Template Speeds Things Up

If you’re developing multiple courses, create a branded elearning template (especially if you’re using the Moodle™ software platform). It might take a few extra hours upfront, but it dramatically reduces production time for all future courses.

An elearning course template might include:

• Slide formats
• Intro and outro screens
• Assessment blocks
• Navigation design
• Voiceover scripts sections

Short-term pain, long-term gain—just like flossing.

How to Estimate Time for Each Role

Different specialists contribute to elearning development. If you’re budgeting time by role, here’s a rough idea how long each piece takes per course hour.

Your actual team may wear multiple hats—but having time estimates per role helps avoid burnout (and angry Monday emails).

The Elephant in the Room: Reviews and Revisions

Instructional design may look done on paper, but reviews chew up time. Factor in:

• Internal SME reviews (a polite way of saying, “This takes three weeks and ten emails”)
• Compliance or legal approvals
• QA testing for Moodle™ SCORM packages
• Localization or translation, if needed

Honestly, most people skip this step—and then regret it when learners find that quiz that auto-fails everyone.

How Course Length Impacts Planning

You might assume a 3-hour course takes 3x the time of a 1-hour course—but that’s not always true. Longer courses can be chunked into reusable units or reapply elearning templates. What this actually means: it’s not just about how long your elearning is—it’s about how complicated each part is.

For example, a 5-hour compliance course made of drag-and-drop checklists is far easier to build than a 2-hour medical simulation with video explanations and branching logic.

Using Time Estimates to Set Expectations

Once you understand the development process and the real effort involved, you can speak confidently to stakeholders. Create a time estimate template that includes these tasks:

• Storyboarding
• Scripting
• Multimedia design
• Interactive development
• Accessibility testing
• LMS upload (especially if you use the Moodle™ software)

Structure these into realistic timelines—anything below three weeks, even for short elearning, is probably wishful thinking.

FAQs About eLearning Development Time

How long will it take to build eLearning?

On average, creating 1 hour of elearning takes between 50–160 hours, depending on the complexity. Factors like interactivity, multimedia, reviews, and platform integration all influence the final timeline.

How long does it take to create an e-course?

Creating an e-course can take anywhere from 2 weeks to several months. A basic compliance module might take 2–3 weeks, while a highly interactive, scenario-based course could span 2–4 months, including reviews and testing.

What is eLearning development?

eLearning development is the process of designing, creating, and delivering digital training content. It involves instructional design, media development, interactivity programming, and integration into a learning platform—such as using the Moodle™ software.

How long should eLearning be?

Most effective elearning courses are broken into 5–15 minute modules for better information retention. Longer courses should be divided into logical segments, usually totaling 1–3 hours depending on the topic and depth required.

Quick Takeaways

• Expect 50–160 hours of work per 1 hour of finished elearning content
• Interactivity is great—but adds development time and budget
• Creating a reusable template saves time over multiple courses
• Good project plans include space for reviews and revisions
• Development ratios (like 80:1) help with estimating effort

Building Online Learning? Talk to Us

Need help with your next elearning project timeline—or looking to develop training within the Moodle™ software platform? At Pukunui Sdn Bhd, we’ve worked with schools, corporates and government agencies to build engaging, effective courses—on time.

Reach out today to schedule a call with our instructional design team. Let’s build something your learners (and reviewers) will love.