Educational product

Learning load calculator

Fill in what your experience has — videos, texts, activities, practice — and see the estimated total effort, not just "watch" time.

Content 0min
Activities + practice 0min
Total load 0min

Load isn't "video time"

A common mistake is announcing a course's length by summing its videos. But learning takes more than watching: reading, doing activities, practicing, reflecting and redoing. Learning load tries to capture that total effort — the real time a person invests from start to finish.

This matters for two reasons. First, expectation: saying "1-hour course" when it's really 3 hours of effort drives dropout. Second, design: when practice adds up to little, it signals the course is too passive.

The values here are planning estimates — adjust for your audience. The goal is an honest ballpark, not an exact number.

Frequently asked questions

What is learning load?

It's the total effort an experience requires — not just “watch” time. It includes videos, reading, activities, practice and reflection. Estimating it avoids underestimating the real time a learner will need.

Why separate content from activities?

Because watching and reading take different time than practicing and applying. Separating gives a more honest view of the effort and helps balance the experience.

Is the tool free?

Yes. It's part of the EduBuilders Toolbox, a collection of free tools for instructional designers, L&D professionals and educators. No sign-up, no login.

What is EduBuilders?

EduBuilders is an educational-product studio working at the intersection of education, technology and AI. Besides building digital learning products, it maintains the EduBuilders Toolbox: free tools made by someone who actually works in Instructional Design.

Who is Ivan Chagas?

Ivan Chagas is an instructional designer, educational-product builder and founder of EduBuilders. He has worked in education since 2012, at the intersection of instructional design, artificial intelligence and learning technology, and built these tools to solve real problems for course builders.