InstructionalEngineer

Free eLearning Tools and Calculators

Quick, free tools for planning and checking eLearning work: a development-hours estimator, a SCORM vs xAPI picker, a training ROI calculator, a forgetting-curve model, a WCAG contrast checker and an ADDIE map showing where AI helps. No sign-up, nothing to install.

Interactive estimator

How many hours will your course take to build?

40 hrsTypical estimate
25 – 63 hrsCommon range
5 daysAt 8 focused hours a day

Based on the development-hours-per-finished-hour ratios Chapman Alliance published in 2010 (Level 1 about 49–125:1, average 79; Level 2 about 127–267:1, average 184; Level 3 about 217–716:1, average 490). The AI slider applies your own assumption, so set it to what your team has measured. Real projects vary with content readiness, reviews and media. Get a real estimate for your course.

Read: How Long Does It Take to Develop an Hour of eLearning? →

Interactive picker

Which eLearning standard fits your project?

SCORM 1.2

The widest LMS support and the simplest setup. It handles completion, pass/fail and a score without trouble.

Read: SCORM vs xAPI vs cmi5 – Which eLearning Standard Fits? →

Interactive calculator

Training ROI calculator

125%ROI (net benefit ÷ cost)
2.25 : 1Benefit-cost ratio
5.3 moPayback period

ROI % = (benefits − costs) ÷ costs × 100, the formula used in the Phillips ROI Methodology. Count only benefits you can isolate to the training, and convert them to money with figures your finance team accepts. The starting numbers are placeholders. More free tools.

Read: How Do You Measure eLearning ROI? – A Simple Formula →

Interactive model

See how spaced reviews flatten the forgetting curve

0%Modeled recall at day 30
0%Average recall, days 0–30

An illustrative model, not a measurement: retention falls off exponentially (the shape Hermann Ebbinghaus described in 1885), and each review here resets recall and makes the next decline slower. Real numbers depend on the learner, the material and how the review is done. More free tools.

Read: What Is the Forgetting Curve? – How to Make Training Stick →

Interactive checker

Check a color pair against WCAG contrast

Sample text for your course screen
4.6:1Contrast ratio

Uses the WCAG 2 relative luminance formula. AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (about 18pt, or 14pt bold) and for interface parts. AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1. More free tools.

Read: eLearning Color Contrast – Getting It Right for Every Learner →

Interactive

ADDIE with AI: what changes in each phase

Pick a phase to see the work, where AI tools save time, and the calls that stay with people.

What happens

  • Interview stakeholders and SMEs
  • Define the performance gap and the audience
  • Decide whether training is even the fix

Where AI speeds it up

  • Summarizes interview notes and source documents
  • Drafts audience profiles and task lists for review
  • Spots themes across survey comments

Where people decide

  • Which business problem matters
  • What the real gap is

You get

  • Needs analysis and project brief

Read: How AI Fits into ADDIE and SAM – Every Phase, Mapped →

Have an eLearning Project in Mind?

Tell me about your course, conversion or team challenge. I will reply within one business day with next steps and a free estimate.

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