Enter the length of your course, how interactive it is and the time your team can give it. See the build effort in hours and weeks, based on published industry benchmarks.
Based on ATD (2017) and Chapman Alliance (2010) research. Effort only, no prices. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Two studies are quoted more than any others. They asked different people at different times, so treat them as a range rather than a single answer.
| Type of training | Average hours per finished hour |
|---|---|
| Classroom, instructor-led | 38 |
| Virtual, instructor-led | 28 |
| E-learning level 1: passive | 42 |
| E-learning level 2: limited interaction | 71 |
| E-learning level 3: complex interaction | 130 |
| E-learning level 4: real-time simulation | 143* |
*ATD says to use the level 4 average with caution, as it is based on 21 respondents. Read the ATD study.
| Type of training | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor-led | 22 | 43 | 82 |
| E-learning level 1: basic | 49 | 79 | 125 |
| E-learning level 2: interactive | 127 | 184 | 267 |
| E-learning level 3: advanced | 217 | 490 | 716 |
Hours of development per finished hour, from 249 organisations representing 3,947 learning professionals. See the Chapman study.
Writing from scratch takes far longer than converting a policy, manual or deck you already trust. Agree the source material before the build starts.
Every extra round of expert comments adds days. The University of Southampton's digital learning team puts expert review at around 35% of total time on healthcare projects. Source.
Scenarios are powerful but slow to write and test. Southampton estimates each branching scenario adds 40 to 75 hours. Source.
Building to WCAG 2.1 AA should be standard, and it takes planning. Southampton estimates it adds about 35% to development time. Source.
Voiceover, video, animation and custom graphics each bring their own scripting, production and review steps.
Each translated version needs translation, layout checks and a review by someone fluent in the language.
With Capytech FastTrack, you send us the material you already train from: manuals, policies, procedures, decks and PDFs. We turn it into interactive, SCORM-ready modules on your own branded LMS.
Need scenarios or simulations built around your organisation? See custom e-learning. Need general topics ready today? Search our course library.
Published benchmarks vary widely. ATD's 2017 survey found averages of 42 hours for passive e-learning, 71 hours for limited interactivity and 130 hours for complex interactivity per finished hour. The Chapman Alliance's 2010 study found typical figures of 79, 184 and 490 hours for its basic, interactive and advanced levels.
Halve the per-hour figures. On ATD's 2017 averages that is about 21 hours for passive e-learning and 36 hours for limited interactivity. On the Chapman Alliance's typical figures it is about 40 hours for basic and 92 hours for interactive e-learning. Divide by the hours your team can give each week to get a timescale.
The two studies asked different people at different times and define their levels differently. Within any project, the biggest swings come from whether the content already exists, how many review rounds there are, how much media is involved and how experienced the team is.
ATD asked how long it typically takes respondents or their teams to design and develop one hour of instruction, so the figures cover design as well as build. Review time from your own experts is easy to underestimate: the University of Southampton's digital learning team puts it at around 35% of total time on healthcare projects.
Start from documents you already have, agree the number of review rounds up front, reuse tested templates and keep interactions purposeful rather than decorative. Or hand the build to a team that does it every day.
Each FastTrack module is typically built in 4 to 5 working days once we have your material, and updates go live within 48 hours. FastTrack is one fixed monthly fee with no upfront build cost.
Checked in October 2026. The benchmarks are industry averages from surveys of learning professionals; your own projects may run faster or slower.
Send us one document and we will turn it into an interactive demo module, so you can judge the quality and the speed before you spend anything.
No charge, no obligation.