Getting e-learning made: complete guide for businesses

Do you want to have a e-learning made for employees, customers or partners? Then you will quickly face many choices. How long should an online training be? Do you opt for custom content or existing content? Do you need an LMS? What are SCORM and xAPI? And perhaps most importantly: how much does professional e-learning actually cost?

A good e-learning course is much more than a PowerPoint presentation with a few quiz questions.

Professional e-learning combines pedagogy, content, design, interaction and technology to ensure that participants not only view information but actually learn something from it.

In this guide, we explain step by step what to look out for when you want to have e-learning developed.

What does getting e-learning made mean?

When you have e-learning made, digital learning content is developed specifically for your organisation.

This can be a relatively simple online training with text, images, video and knowledge questions. But it can also involve an extensive programme with interactive scenarios, animations, software simulations, games, tests and multiple learning paths.

Common applications include:

• onboarding of new employees;

• compliance and legislation;

• safety training;

• software training;

• product training;

• sales training;

• technical instructions;

• customer training;

• leadership development;

• process and system training;

• certification;

• behaviour change.

The great advantage is scalability. Once developed, training can be followed by large numbers of participants, regardless of location and often also regardless of time.

When is custom e-learning interesting?

You do not need to develop your own training for every subject.

For general topics such as time management, Excel, communication or personal effectiveness, existing training content can be excellent.

Customisation becomes particularly interesting when the knowledge is specific to your organisation.

Think, for example, of a manufacturing company with its own safety procedures, a software provider that wants to teach customers how to use an application, or an organisation that wants new employees to get to know its own processes, culture, and systems.

With customisation, you can among other things:

• use your own house style;

• process real practical situations;

• use your own employees or characters;

• simulate internal software;

• address organisation-specific procedures;

• give different target groups separate learning paths;

• add assessments and certification.

Dutch providers such as Maxcademy, TinQwise and Bigfish explicitly position customisation around the combination of learning objectives, target audience, didactics, and organisation-specific content.

Do not start with the tool, but with the learning objective.

One of the most important choices is made before a single screen is designed.

Ask yourself:

What should someone know, be able to do, or do differently after the training?

That sounds simple, but it makes a big difference.

Suppose employees regularly make a mistake in a business process. The goal is not that they have watched a presentation about the process. The goal is that they make the right decision in a practical situation.

That probably calls for scenarios and exercises.

On the other hand, do you want to introduce new employees to the history, culture, and structure of the organisation? Then video, photography, short texts, and interviews can be very suitable.

A good e-learning provider should therefore first look at the problem and the target audience, and only then at tools and technology.

Maxcademy describes its own approach, for example, from Learning Design, Learning Development, and Learning Experience. First, the target audience, learning objectives, didactics, interaction, and assessment are determined before the final learning solution is produced.

How does the process of creating e-learning work?

Although each agency has its own working method, a professional development process usually consists of a number of recognisable phases.

1. Intake and analysis

First, it is made clear what the problem is.

This includes questions such as:

• Who is the target audience?

• What do participants already know?

• What do they need to learn?

• What behaviour needs to change?

• How much time can participants spend?

• On which devices is the training followed?

• Is there already an LMS?

• In which languages should the training be available?

Try not to immediately include all available information in the training at this stage.

More content does not automatically mean better learning.

2. Defining learning objectives

Good learning objectives are concrete.

Compare:

“Employees understand our safety policy.”

with:

“Employees can determine which safety procedure to follow in five common work situations.”

The second version makes it much clearer what you ultimately need to practice and assess.

3. Concept and instructional design

Next, it is determined how someone will learn the material.

You can think of:

• scenario-based learning;

• microlearning;

• demonstrations;

• video;

• animation;

• interactive exercises;

• simulations;

• quizzes;

• practical assignments;

• blended learning.

The best form depends on the learning objective.

4. Script or storyboard

Before the technical production begins, a script or storyboard is usually created.

This includes, for example:

• which text appears on the screen;

• what a voice-over narrates;

• which images are needed;

• which interactions take place;

• what feedback participants receive;

• how assessments work.

It is wise to provide extensive feedback at this stage.

Adjusting text in a script is much easier than recreating a fully produced animation.

5. Design and production

Production begins after approval.

Depending on the project, the following may be built or produced:

• e-learning screens;

• illustrations;

• animations;

• videos;

• audio;

• voice-over;

• interactive scenarios;

• software simulations;

• quizzes;

• assessments.

Parties differ significantly in production style. For example, Maxcademy mentions interactive scenarios, mini-games, software simulations, animation, and video as possible components, while Studytube offers not only a learning platform but also an authoring tool and support from education, video, and design experts.

6. Review and testing

Afterwards, the training must be tested both content-wise and technically.

Check for example:

• is all content correct?

• are the answers and feedback correct?

• do all buttons work?

• does the training work on mobile?

• are results stored correctly?

• does resuming work at the right place?

• is a passing grade correctly communicated to the LMS?

• do video and audio work well?

• are texts and subtitles correct?

If possible, also have a small group of real end-users test.

Zij zien vaak problemen die inhoudsdeskundigen en ontwikkelaars over het hoofd zien.

7. Publicatie in het LMS

Na goedkeuring kan de e-learning worden gepubliceerd.

Dat gebeurt vaak via een Learning Management System, oftewel LMS.

Daar kunnen deelnemers bijvoorbeeld:

• trainingen starten;

• hun voortgang bekijken;

• resultaten opslaan;

• certificaten behalen;

• toegewezen trainingen zien.

Managers en L&D-teams kunnen vanuit het LMS meestal volgen wie een training heeft gestart of afgerond.

Heb je een LMS nodig?

Niet altijd.

Wanneer je één openbare cursus of klanttraining aanbiedt, kan een zelfstandige online oplossing voldoende zijn.

Wil je echter trainingen toewijzen aan medewerkers, voortgang volgen, certificaten uitdelen en rapportages maken? Dan is een LMS vaak logisch.

Je kunt een bestaand LMS gebruiken of een leverancier kiezen die er één aanbiedt.

Studytube combineert bijvoorbeeld LMS- en LXP-functionaliteit met skill mapping, leercontent en een AI-auteurstool. TinQwise biedt eveneens een platform waarin LMS-structuur wordt gecombineerd met LXP-functionaliteit, gamification, leerflows en rapportages.

Maxcademy biedt Maxcademy Learn, gebaseerd op Moodle, maar geeft daarnaast aan ook rechtstreeks in het bestaande LMS van een opdrachtgever te kunnen werken.

Heb je al een LMS? Controleer dan vóór de start van een project of de nieuwe e-learning technisch compatibel is.

Wat zijn SCORM en xAPI?

Wanneer je e-learning laat maken, kom je waarschijnlijk de term SCORM against.

SCORM makes it possible to use a digital learning package across various compatible learning platforms and to pass on information such as completion and results.

Additionally, there is xAPI.

xAPI is designed to capture learning experiences across a broader range of systems and activities than traditional SCORM implementations.

As a client, you do not need to know all the technical details of this.

Simply ask your supplier:

“In what format will the module be delivered and does this demonstrably work within our LMS?”

And have that tested in advance.

What tools are used to create e-learning?

A commonly used tool is Articulate Rise. This allows for the development of modern responsive training that is relatively efficient to produce and works well on various devices.

For more complex interactions, for example, Articulate Storyline is used.

Other solutions include Captivate and various LMS-based authoring tools.

Maxcademy, for example, indicates that they work a lot with Articulate Rise and deliver SCORM or xAPI. For specific applications such as more complex interactions and click demos, according to the company, Storyline or Captivate can also be used.

But the tool should never be your primary selection criterion.

A poor learning concept does not become good just because it is built in expensive software.

Can you also create e-learning yourself?

Absolutely.

For organisations that regularly need to publish simple internal training, self-building can even be more attractive.

Modern authoring tools make it increasingly easier to convert existing PowerPoints, documents, videos, and knowledge into digital training. For example, Studytube offers an AI authoring tool that allows existing PDF, PPT, and SCORM files to be used as input.

Self-creation is particularly interesting when:

• you need to regularly update content;
• you have internal didactic expertise;
• the training is relatively simple;
• you want to produce many modules;
• speed is more important than extensive customisation.

Outsourcing becomes more interesting when you need:

• instructional design;
• professional scripts;
• custom interaction;
• animation;
• video;
• software simulations;
• high-quality design;
• complex technology;
• an independent perspective on the learning solution.

There is also a middle ground.

You can have the didactic concept and the first module developed professionally and then produce variations internally.

How much does it cost to have e-learning made?

This is probably the most frequently asked question.

The tricky answer is: it depends greatly on what you mean by e-learning.

A short module in an existing template is not comparable to a fully customised programme with its own illustrations, interactive scenarios, video, and animation.

Published Dutch prices clearly show those differences.

Maxcademy currently mentions approximately €1,500 excluding VAT for a module of about 15 minutes. The company also mentions script work, three minutes of animation with human voice-over, and delivery in the LMS or as a SCORM package.

Bigfish states for its own services from €6,000 for a basic module and approximately €10,000 to €30,000 for interactive custom modules, depending on factors such as scenarios, gamification, animation, and video.

This large difference does not automatically mean that one supplier is expensive and the other is cheap. The scope and production level can be completely different.

Therefore, always ask what is included.

Think of:

• analysis;
• instructional design;
• script;
• project management;
• design;
• illustration;
• animation;
• video;
• voice-over;
• interaction;
• revision rounds;
• translation;
• SCORM/xAPI export;
• LMS testing;
• source files;
• maintenance.

So never compare quotes solely based on the amount at the bottom.

What factors determine the price?

Length

More learning minutes usually mean more script, screens, and production work.

But length alone does not say everything.

An interactive training of ten minutes can be more work than a linear course of thirty minutes.

Interactivity

A button and a multiple-choice question are relatively simple.

A scenario in which decisions lead to different follow-up steps requires significantly more design and development time.

Animation

Custom animations require scripting, storyboarding, illustration, animation, and possibly voice-over.

Video

Professional video can incur costs for location, camera, lighting, editing, actors, and direction.

Software simulation

Do you want to teach employees how their own ERP, CRM, or software system works? Then processes may need to be recorded or replicated.

Multilingualism

International organisations must take into account translation, localisation, new voice-overs, and additional quality control.

Number of feedback rounds

The more stakeholders involved, the greater the chance of changes.

Therefore, establish in advance how many feedback rounds are included.

How long does it take to create e-learning?

There is no universal answer here either.

For relatively compact productions, the turnaround time can be a few weeks. Complex projects with many stakeholders, video, animation, and custom interaction can take several months.

Maxcademy mentions on its Dutch website, for example, about two to four weeks for an e-learning module, where the speed of customer feedback affects the schedule.

Other agencies work on more extensive projects with longer turnaround times. Bigfish mentions for compact productions from about four to six weeks and for more extensive projects six to twelve weeks.

The client often has a lot of influence on the speed.

A project can quickly be delayed when feedback needs to be approved by five departments.

What information do you need to provide?

You usually do not need to have a complete script.

However, it helps if you can gather the most important source information.

For example:

• existing PowerPoints;
• manuals;
• process descriptions;
• policy documents;
• videos;
• screenshots;
• interviews with experts;
• style guidelines;
• existing training;
• test questions.

Maxcademy explicitly states that it can use existing materials such as PowerPoints, manuals, and video recordings as a basis for new e-learning.

Additionally, appoint one content expert and preferably one person responsible.

Ten people sending individual text changes almost always complicate a project.

How do you select a good e-learning company?

Do not simply ask multiple suppliers:

“What does a twenty-minute module cost?”

Give them the same content briefing and then assess their proposed solution.

Pay attention to, among other things:

Didactic expertise

Does the supplier start with learning objectives and target audience or immediately with design and software?

Portfolio

Has the company completed similar assignments?

Customisation

Is a truly unique solution being developed or is it mainly a standard template being filled in?

Technology

Can the supplier demonstrably work with your current LMS?

Ownership

Who owns the source files after delivery?

Maintenance

How will changes be implemented in one or two years?

Collaboration

Who will be your daily point of contact?

Transparency

Is it clear what is and isn't included in the quote?

A good supplier doesn't have to be the best at everything. The right party fits your specific project.

Where does Maxcademy fit into that landscape?

For organisations that want to have custom e-learning developed, Maxcademy is an interesting party to consider in a supplier comparison.

The company combines instructional design and technical development with, among other things:

• interactive scenarios;
• minigames;
• software training;
• simulations;
• onboarding;
• compliance;
• safety training;
• animation and video;
• SCORM and xAPI;
• LMS setup and testing.

In addition, Maxcademy supports the process from analysis and learning strategy to scripts, editing, production, voice-over, translation, and QA.

A practical advantage is that Maxcademy publishes fairly concrete pricing and planning information. This makes it easier to assess in advance whether their production model fits your project and budget.

That does not change the fact that for larger projects you should always compare multiple providers and proposals.

Do not forget accessibility

A professional digital training should be usable by as many participants as possible.

Therefore, think of the following:

• subtitles;
• sufficient contrast;
• keyboard control;
• clear navigation;
• understandable text;
• alternatives for visual information;
• support for assistive technology where needed.

The international WCAG 2.2 guidelines have been developed to make digital content more accessible for people with, among other things, visual, auditory, motor and cognitive impairments. W3C advises using the most current WCAG version for new or updated digital content.

Discuss accessibility preferably before production. Fixing it afterwards is often more complicated and expensive.

Measure what the e-learning delivers

“187 employees have completed the training” is useful information, but not yet proof that the training works.

Also try to determine whether the desired result has been achieved.

For example:

• are employees making fewer mistakes?
• are new colleagues becoming independent more quickly?
• are safety procedures being followed better?
• is the number of support queries decreasing?
• is product knowledge increasing?
• are test results improving?
• is behaviour actually changing?

This shifts you from completion to impact.

And that is ultimately what business e-learning should be about.

Checklist before you have e-learning created

Answer these questions before requesting quotes:

1. What is the problem we want to solve?
2. Who is the target audience?
3. What should someone know or be able to do afterwards?
4. Is customisation really necessary?
5. How many participants do we expect?
6. How long should the training last?
7. What existing content do we have?
8. Do we already have an LMS?
9. Do we need SCORM or xAPI?
10. What languages are needed?
11. Is accessibility a requirement?
12. Who provides substantive feedback?
13. Who ultimately gives approval?
14. How often do we expect to change the training?
15. What is the available budget?

If you can answer these questions, an e-learning company can advise and quote much more accurately.

Frequently asked questions about having e-learning created

How much does it cost to have e-learning created?

A compact professional module can be developed from a few thousand euros, while extensive custom productions with scenarios, animation, video, and complex interactions can cost tens of thousands of euros. Always ask what work is included in the quote.

How long does it take to create e-learning?

A relatively compact module can be produced in a few weeks. For extensive custom projects, you should think in terms of several weeks to a few months. Feedback and decision-making within your own organisation have a significant impact on the total lead time.

Can e-learning be integrated into our existing LMS?

Usually yes. Many suppliers can deliver content in SCORM or xAPI format. Check this in advance with both the supplier and the administrator of your LMS.

Can we use existing PowerPoints?

Yes. Presentations, manuals, videos, and other existing documentation can be used as source material. They usually need to be didactically edited; simply putting a PowerPoint online one-to-one does not make it good e-learning.

Is custom content better than standard content?

Not automatically. For general topics, existing content can be more efficient. Custom content is particularly valuable for organisation-specific knowledge, procedures, behaviour, products, and systems.

Can we make changes ourselves later?

That depends on the technology used and agreements with the supplier. Discuss in advance whether you will receive source files and whether internal staff can adjust the training themselves.

Do we always need an LMS?

No. For certain applications, a standalone web solution may be sufficient. If you want to assign training, measure progress, store results, and manage certificates, then an LMS is usually more practical.

Conclusion: good e-learning starts before production

Creating e-learning does not start with an authoring tool, animation, or LMS.

It starts with a clear question:

What should our target audience know, be able to do, or do better?

From there, you can determine what content, interaction, technology, and production quality are needed.

A simple module can sometimes be developed relatively quickly and affordably. A complete custom programme requires more investment, but can then be used for years and for large numbers of participants.

Therefore, do not compare suppliers solely on price. Focus especially on didactics, approach, relevant experience, technology, transparency, and the quality of collaboration.

Because the most beautiful e-learning is not automatically the best.

The best e-learning is the training that demonstrably helps to achieve the desired result.