The following guide covers:
Does the ideal course length exist?
How long should your online course be?
How to estimate your course length
What length to keep your course videos?
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The duration and length of the course largely depend on your course subject and goals. You obviously do not want to make a 100-hour course for a simple topic. Yet, you also will not make it too short, so your learners get that sense of accomplishment.
In this article, we will review the average length and best practices for different course types. To help you determine what length works for your specific case, we will also discuss the key factors that affect it.
Does the ideal course length exist?
Is there a rule of thumb for how long your online course should be? There are absolutely no limitations when it comes to your course length. Yet, we will still discuss the recommended length for your specific case.
However, if you have already nailed the following points, the duration of your course will not matter in the long run. And those points include:
- You keep the learning experience enjoyable,
- You get straight to the point without too much fluff
- You provide your students with quick wins throughout the modules and help them accomplish something
Your online course should be as long as you need to deliver the promised course outcome. Why is that so? Think of your favorite song of this time. The recommended length for songs is around the three-minute mark. Yet, this does not mean there are no five-minute songs that enjoy popularity and work the magic they do.
The same is true for your online course. For most of the formats and topics, the average course length is 4-9 hours. Yet, it does not mean you need to fit within this specific range.
Let’s say you need to teach a very specific tutorial, such as creating a template system in Notion. There is hardly any need to dedicate a whole 5 hours to this just for the sake of it.
You can find courses that are 3 hours long and successful. And there are 40-hour courses that are just as profitable. So, how do you estimate the optimal length? Let’s look at the factors and details. So, how do you estimate the optimal length? Let’s look at the factors and details.
How long should your online course be?
The first thing you need to think about to determine the profitable course length is the purpose behind it. Of course, the goal is to share your experience. Yet, where does that course stand in your marketing strategy? Is it just to raise awareness about you, establish yourself as an authority, and make it your signature course? The type of course you create will help you understand the recommended duration.
Mini-courses length
The first on our list are mini-courses. A mini course is a short, focused course that covers a specific topic in a concise manner. It's designed to give learners quick, actionable insights without requiring a long time commitment.
As you know, the topics for mini-courses are extremely specific. Consequently, you will need less time to cover your course material. On average, the mini-courses in the market are within 30-120 minutes.
We recommend including at least 3-5 short modules. So, if you have three modules and you cover each module in 25 minutes, your overall course will be 75 minutes.
For example, Kyleigh has a brand photography mini course. It is The ABCs of Brand Photography Mini-Course. She distributed the content among 5 main modules, where each of the modules covers 5-7 videos. This way she could present her A-Z course, yet kept the points short and simple.
Free courses
You can also create free courses and use them as a marketing tool. If this is your case, the length of it will be totally different from the average 4-10 hour courses.
Free courses help you to showcase your expertise and grow your audience. Yet, do not forget to encourage students to enroll in paid, more comprehensive courses later on. The reason why you do not want to offer a 3-hour course for free is that your students will not feel obliged to complete it, regardless of how valuable it might be.
Your students will see the free course as an introduction or a preview to something bigger. So, we recommend keeping the length around 40-90 minutes. However, there is no strict rule, and you can still make your free course longer depending on your business goals.
For example, Neil Patel, who is a well-known name in the digital-marketing industry, has a free SEO course. SEO Unlocked covers the basics and most foundational aspects of search engine optimization. It is a 7-week course, and each episode is 10-15 minute long. Besides the main video materials, he also prepared assignments that could be done in another 40 minutes each week.
So, it still is a free course, yet it needs 5 hours to be completed.
Comprehensive courses
The length of the online course gets intricate when it comes to comprehensive courses. If you are about to create a whole A-Z course, you can cover it in 20-100 hours, or even more.
However, the average length for comprehensive courses is between 10-25 hours. This is the golden middle. At the same time, courses that pass the 100 hour range are more rare and less profitable.
If you want to get into details on a specific topic, up to 30 hours is totally enough to share all the information there is and keep your course manageable. Yet, depending on your subject, you might have more to share. In this case, it’s always better to break that whole course into smaller courses.
Why? Every 30 hours your students progress, they jump to another knowledge level. If they joined as a beginner, they are more likely to become knowledgeable and confident in their skills, allowing them to get another course that aligns with their advanced knowledge level. Instead of making them progress through more advanced level of the same course, it will be better to have a separate course for the next level.
Even for university courses, students tend to choose shorter courses. According to the Pie Network, the number of students interested in shorter courses has increased by 500%.
“You as the expert, you can teach them A to Z. But as a learner, the way the market is behaving right now, comprehensive courses that used to perform very well back in 2020 when everybody was locked in their houses and learning. They don't perform well right now. Things have changed radically. People want to be outside and they want to get results fast”.
Instructional designer
Employee training courses
If you are creating your course as part of a training, there are a few options you can go with.
- For example, you can have short training sessions for specific skills, more for compliance training. In this case, you can make your course 1-2 hour long.
- Next, short workshop courses. For example, if you were to offer a course about interpersonal skills, you could cover it in 3 hour interactive course.
- You can also offer full courses for professional development. It can either be a mini-course, or a comprehensive course. So, in this case you can keep it between 10-25 hours.
- And, of course, extended training programs. Such courses usually last 1-3 months.
How to estimate your course length
The type of course you want to create already gives you an idea on how long you should make it. The length of the course also depends on such factors as your course subject,
Consider your course subject
There are two ways why the subject affects your course length.
- The scope of your course subject
- The complexity of your subject
Complex topics often require more time for your students to understand. That is why we need to evaluate the complexity of the topic from your student’s perspective. Think about how long it will take them to grasp the key information you share with them. On one hand, you do not want to rush into things. On the other hand, you also do not want to bit around the bush. So, what can we do in this case?
Tip: You do need to put all the content into the main lesson, or cover everything via video courses. Instead, use supplements like worksheets, exercises, and outside resource links. This approach makes your course suitable for a wider range of learners. Plus, it keeps the course from dragging on for hours. Instead, students can engage at their own pace.
Evaluate your students’ needs
Think about how much time your students can realistically dedicate to your course. This ties back to keeping your content specific and relevant. Not all learners need the same amount of information. So, understanding their background helps you keep the course length to the point.
For example, if your course is about building a website using a website builder, the time commitment will vary depending on the student's experience. Beginners need step-by-step guidance on everything from domain setup to design. However, experienced users just want the latest tips or updates on that specific platform. They don’t need a lengthy course.
By focusing on the specific needs of your audience, you’re not only saving them time but also increasing the value of your course. This way, your course becomes a quick win.
Think about the course format
Depending on the learning objectives, you will as well have different formats for your modules. For example, let’s say your course teaches a specific skill that requires more hands-on practice. In this case, you will add more interactive exercises or even live sessions. So, the methods you choose to deliver the course will extend your course length.
In some cases, the main content of the course is covered in PDF files, templates, and audio, and there is less of a need for video content. That is why learning goals become more important than the actual duration of your course.
As students complete the course, all they will ever talk about is the learning experience. As long as you keep it enjoyable with multiple formats, your learners are less likely to think about how much of their time “the lengthy course took.”
Your plans on creating new courses
Another key factor is your plans to create more courses. Do you regard course creation as a full-time commitment or a side hustle?
If you plan to build a series, it makes sense to break your content into multiple short courses that build on each other. In this case, the students can progress from one level to the next. However, if you're not planning to create more courses, then a single, comprehensive course might be a better choice. So if you cover everything in one go, then obviously your course will be longer. Your long-term course plans will help determine the best structure and length for your content.
What length to keep your course videos?
Another common question is how long you should actually keep each video.
When deciding how long your video lessons should be, it really comes down to two things. Think about your student’s ability to stay engaged and the type of content you’re teaching. If you're naturally engaging and enjoyable to listen to, your learners can handle longer videos without feeling fatigued. For example, you can listen to a 1-hour podcast and get inspired. Yet you can also watch a 30-second video and scroll through.
What most course creators and experts recommend when it comes to the video length is keeping it between 5-and 10 minutes.
“The longest episode I got is about 12 minutes long. And I think that's about as far as you want to go with people's attention span because that's what you have to look at in those things. How long can I listen to this? Is it enjoyable? And if so, let's keep it under, 9 to 12 is my ballpark. That's what I like to look for. If you make them too short to, then it makes it to where, hey, I don't feel like I'm really learning anything along the way either”.
Founder and trainer at Alliance Training and Testing
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