ABSTRACT
Regardless of the motivation, the development of online learning materials has become an imperative for most education and training providers. Many providers who have experienced online development have found that their foremost challenge is meeting the cost of development. Despite what some may believe, online development is not cheap, nor is online always the most effective way to learn. It is also unlikely to be inexpensive compared to other modes (faceto-face or print) until there is a considerable increase in efficiencies of production or in consumer demand. One of the challenging aspects is that design and delivery models are formative and changing rapidly as we learn about developing quality learning programs that take best advantage of the technology. It is also very simple to consume a lot of resources quickly in developing multimedia components for online learning materials that have dubious benefits for learners. Consequently, many providers are asking how they might be able to afford to develop online learning materials.
