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 UoS eLearning cost calculator v2.xlsx |
UoS elearning cost calculator
This evidence-based Excel calculator provides comprehensive time and cost estimates for eLearning development projects within higher education and healthcare contexts. The tool generates detailed project costings by incorporating multiple variables including content duration, platform selection, authoring tool requirements, scenario complexity, assessment specifications, compliance levels, and media production needs. The calculator draws on peer-reviewed research and industry benchmarks (Chapman Alliance, 2010; ATD Research, 2023; Tucker, 2025) to produce realistic development time multipliers for different authoring tools and complexity levels. It automatically calculates platform-specific development hours (ranging from basic platform creation to advanced tools such as Articulate Storyline 360), applies appropriate compliance multipliers for WCAG 2.1 AA, PSBAR, and European Accessibility Act requirements, and generates risk assessments based on project specifications. Key features include automatic platform selection based on target audience (Blackboard Ultra for students, Totara for staff, Course Catalog for external professionals), dynamic cost breakdowns showing development hours and associated costs, scenario-based learning calculations with complexity ratings, and integrated risk assessment with mitigation strategies. The calculator is particularly suited for learning designers, project managers, and academic staff planning eLearning projects who require accurate budget estimates and timeline projections. It includes comprehensive maintenance documentation and lookup tables that can be updated to reflect changing institutional rates and industry standards.
Advice for reuse
Update institutional rates and costs The calculator uses specific hourly rates and cost structures that reflect University of Southampton's internal pricing model. Before using this tool in another institution, update all financial figures in the 'Lookup_Tables' sheet to reflect your own staffing costs, overheads, and media production rates. Annual licence costs for authoring tools should also be verified against current vendor pricing. Verify platform compatibility The calculator includes platform-specific configurations (Blackboard Ultra, Totara, Course Catalog) that auto-select based on target audience. Adapt these platform options and their associated development time multipliers to match your institution's learning management systems and hosting arrangements. Remove or add platforms as appropriate for your context. Review evidence sources and benchmarks Whilst the calculator is based on Chapman Alliance (2010), ATD Research (2023), and Tucker (2025) benchmarks, development times vary significantly across institutions depending on team experience, available resources, and quality expectations. Validate the time multipliers against your own institutional data and adjust accordingly. Consider conducting pilot projects to calibrate estimates to your specific context. Adapt compliance requirements The compliance levels reflect UK higher education regulatory requirements (PSBAR, WCAG 2.1 AA) and European Accessibility Act standards. Modify these to reflect your jurisdiction's accessibility legislation and institutional policies. Remove EAA compliance options if not relevant to your geographic context, or add additional regulatory frameworks as needed. Customise authoring tool options The dropdown menu of authoring tools reflects tools available at University of Southampton. Update this list to include only tools available within your institution, and adjust the associated development time multipliers based on your team's proficiency with each tool. Remove tools your institution does not licence to avoid confusion. Test all formula dependencies The calculator uses named ranges and complex formula dependencies across multiple sheets. After making any modifications to the 'Lookup_Tables' or 'Calculations' sheets, thoroughly test all formula outputs to ensure calculations remain accurate. The 'Maintenance_Guide' sheet provides detailed documentation of the calculator's architecture to support this process. Adjust scenario complexity definitions The scenario complexity levels (simple, moderate, complex) are defined by decision point counts that may not align with your institutional definitions. Review these thresholds and adjust both the categorical definitions and their associated development time multipliers to reflect your team's typical scenario development workflows. Align with existing project management processes This calculator focuses specifically on development time and cost estimation. Integrate its outputs with your institution's broader project management frameworks, quality assurance processes, and approval workflows. The tool should complement, not replace, existing governance structures for eLearning development projects.Claude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
| Added By: |
Mrs Tamsyn Smith
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| Date Added: | 28 Nov 2025 08:57 |
| Creators Name: | |
| Tags: | eLearning, cost estimation, project planning, budget planning, time estimation, project management, Resource Management, risk assessment |
| Viewing permissions: | World |
| Link: | http://edshare.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/22402 |
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