Pre-work eLearning is a short, self-paced module that learners finish before an instructor-led session. Its job is to move the basics out of the room, so live time goes to practice, discussion and feedback. Done well, it also tells the instructor who is ready and who is not.
Most pre-work fails because it duplicates the session or runs so long that learners skip it. This guide shows what goes in the module, how long it should run, and what the instructor does with the results.
Key takeaways
- Pre-work should do five jobs: build prerequisite knowledge, teach shared vocabulary, run a diagnostic check, set motivation and context, and handle logistics.
- Our recommendation is 15 to 20 minutes for a half-day session and no more than 45 minutes for a full day, split into short parts.
- Anything that needs feedback, judgment or discussion stays in the room.
- Set a completion rule before launch, and let the instructor change the session plan based on the data.
What is pre-work eLearning, and when does it pay off?
Pre-work eLearning is any online activity assigned before a live session: a short lesson, a reading with questions, a quiz or a survey. It pays off when learners arrive with uneven backgrounds, when the live session is expensive, or when the topic has a lot of vocabulary to cover before practice can start.
The idea matches the flipped classroom. Cynthia Brame’s teaching guide for Vanderbilt University, listed by the U.S. LINCS adult education resource collection, describes exposing students to content before class so class time can go to deeper engagement. The same logic works for corporate and public classes run by training providers.
It does not pay off when the session is short, the audience is uniform, or the content is mostly hands-on. If you are still deciding how much of a course should move online, our guide to ILT to eLearning conversion covers turning slides into self-paced content.
What belongs in pre-work eLearning and what stays in the room?
Put content in pre-work if a learner can absorb it alone, without feedback, and the session will build on it. Keep it in the room if it needs a facilitator, a peer or a live demonstration.
The Medical College of Wisconsin guide, Designing and Implementing Pre-Work, says to use learning objectives to pick only the key foundational information learners need. The five jobs below are our own way to apply that advice.
The five jobs of a pre-work module
This table is our recommended framework. It is a judgment tool, not a research finding. For each job it shows what the module does, what the room does instead, and a sample check.
| Job | In pre-work | Stays in the room | Quick check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite knowledge | Concepts the session assumes, such as definitions, a process overview or a policy summary | Applying the concepts to real cases | 3 to 5 knowledge questions |
| Vocabulary | Key terms with plain definitions and one example each | Debating how terms apply to the learners’ own work | Term-matching or short recall |
| Diagnostic check | A short, ungraded self-assessment or scenario | Remediation and coaching for gaps | Score band plus one open question |
| Motivation and context | Why the session matters, what learners will do, a short note from the sponsor or instructor | Discussion of goals and concerns | One question: “What do you want to solve?” |
| Logistics | Time, place or link, tools to install, materials to bring | Troubleshooting on the day | A required confirmation click |
Pro tip: Cut The Duplicate Slide. For every screen in the module, ask whether the instructor will repeat it live. If yes, remove it from one place. Duplication teaches learners that skipping pre-work costs nothing.
How long should pre-work eLearning take?
Keep it short. Our recommendation is 15 to 20 minutes for a half-day session, up to 45 minutes for a full day, and never more than about 60 minutes in total. For multi-day programs, assign a small module before each day instead of one large block at the start.
The evidence for a hard limit is thin, so treat these numbers as practitioner guidance. An article in LTEN Focus (September 2025) recommends keeping pre-work under 15 to 20 minutes and using formats such as a short video, a quick quiz or one interactive page.
For video, there is better data. A 2014 study of edX course videos by Philip Guo, Juho Kim and Rob Rubin found median engagement time was at most six minutes, regardless of video length. The authors recommended segmenting videos into chunks, ideally under six minutes. That research covered online courses, not corporate pre-work, so apply it as a design habit, not a rule.
| Session length | Suggested pre-work total | Suggested structure |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 hours | 0 to 10 minutes | A diagnostic and a logistics note only |
| Half day | 15 to 20 minutes | One lesson under 6 minutes, a vocabulary check, a diagnostic |
| Full day | 30 to 45 minutes | Two or three short lessons, a diagnostic, a context note |
| Multi-day | 15 to 20 minutes before each day | One module per day, each linked to the next session |
What does a pre-work eLearning module outline look like?
A strong module follows a fixed order: welcome and purpose, one to three short content parts, a quick knowledge check, a diagnostic, and a logistics screen. Use the same outline for every session so authors build faster and learners know what to expect.
Here is a template you can copy into your authoring tool. Times assume a half-day session.
- Welcome and purpose (1 minute). State what the session is, what learners will do in it, and how this module helps. Add a short note from the instructor.
- Core concept (5 minutes). One short lesson on the single idea the session builds on. Use a video, an interactive page or a short reading.
- Vocabulary (3 minutes). Five to eight terms with one-line definitions and an example from learners’ work.
- Knowledge check (3 minutes). Three to five questions on the core concept, with feedback after each answer.
- Diagnostic (3 minutes). A scenario or self-rating that is not graded. Add one open question the instructor will read.
- Logistics and confirmation (1 minute). Date, location or link, what to bring, and a required “I am ready” button that triggers completion.
That adds up to about 16 minutes. If content outgrows this, add a second core concept instead of lengthening the first.
Build the module as standard SCORM or xAPI content so your LMS can report completion and scores to the instructor. If you work from PowerPoint, our guide to editable SCORM from PowerPoint explains how to keep the output editable.
How do you get learners to finish pre-work eLearning?
Explain why it matters, set a deadline, make it short, and tell learners the instructor will use the results. One university instructor shifted prework from content delivery to discussion prompts and kept it short.
In a 2022 Teaching@Sydney post, Robyn Martin describes shifting the purpose of her prework from “downloading content” to “driving discussion.” She locked submissions one hour before each class and opened each session with the learners’ own reflection questions. Her cohort of 692 students completed an average of 11.5 of 13 reflections. That is one university case, not a training benchmark, but the mechanics carry over.
The Medical College of Wisconsin guide gives the same advice in plain terms. Announce the rationale and the deadline, score the work or add a quiz, and plan to ask about the pre-work at the start of the session. The LTEN article names three common reasons learners skip: time pressure, unclear value and no accountability.
Here are the levers we would pull first:
- Send the link one week ahead, with a reminder at 72 hours and 24 hours.
- State the time needed in the invitation, such as “18 minutes.”
- Open the live session with a question that only pre-work completers can answer.
Pro tip: Make The First Live Activity Depend On Pre-Work. Start with a ten-minute exercise that uses the vocabulary or a diagnostic result. Learners who skipped it feel the gap at once.
How should instructors use pre-work eLearning completion data?
Check completion 48 hours before the session and again 4 hours before. Use the numbers to decide whether to run the plan as written, add a recap, or contact learners. The Medical College of Wisconsin guide notes that submissions help facilitators focus on key concepts and points of confusion.
The rule below is our recommendation. The thresholds are starting points, not research results, so adjust them to your audience and risk.
| Completion at 4 hours before | Instructor action |
|---|---|
| 80% or more | Run the plan as written. Contact non-completers individually and give them the module’s key points on arrival. |
| 50% to 79% | Add a 10-minute recap of the core concept and vocabulary at the start. Pair completers with non-completers for the first activity. |
| Under 50% | Flag the session to the training coordinator. Consider moving the start time, extending the opening, or rescheduling if the content is truly a prerequisite. |
Then read the diagnostic. Group the most common wrong answers into two or three themes and add them to the session plan. Address the open question in the first ten minutes.
After the session, record how many learners skipped pre-work and which parts helped. The Medical College of Wisconsin guide recommends collecting feedback about the pre-work and refining it.
If you also run virtual classes, this process fits there too. Our guide to redesigning a course for virtual instructor-led training shows how to shift activities between live and self-paced parts.
What should you do next?
Pick one upcoming session and audit it against the five jobs. List what you currently send learners, mark which job each item serves, and cut anything the instructor repeats live. Then build the outline template as one module and pilot it with a single cohort.
Track three numbers in the pilot: completion at 48 hours, completion at 4 hours, and the share of diagnostic questions answered correctly.
If you run your own classes, you will need a place to assign modules, send reminders and see completion data. SimpliTrain, SimpliAuthor’s sister product, is one option. Its page for training providers describes a platform that handles instructor-led training delivery, course creation and sales, learner management and compliance tracking.
Frequently asked questions
What is pre-work in training?
Pre-work is any activity learners complete before a live session. It can be a short online lesson, a reading, a quiz or a survey. Its purpose is to build shared basics, surface gaps and give the instructor information, so live time goes to practice and discussion instead of explanation.
How long should pre-work be?
Our recommendation is 15 to 20 minutes for a half-day session and up to 45 minutes for a full day. One LTEN Focus article also suggests staying under 15 to 20 minutes. Break content into short parts, with videos under about six minutes, and show the total time in the invitation.
Should pre-work be mandatory?
For true prerequisites, yes: tell learners the session builds on it and the instructor will check. For nice-to-have material, make it optional and keep it out of the core path. Mandatory pre-work needs a rationale, a deadline and a plan for learners who arrive without it.
What should you put in a pre-work module?
Include only what learners can absorb alone and the session needs: prerequisite concepts, key terms, a diagnostic check, a short note on why the session matters, and logistics. Leave practice, feedback and discussion for the room. Tie each item to a session objective, as the Medical College of Wisconsin guide advises.
How do you know if learners completed pre-work?
Publish the module as SCORM or xAPI content in your LMS and read its completion and score reports. Add a required confirmation screen so completion is clear. Check at 48 hours and again a few hours before the session, so the instructor has time to act.
What if learners do not do the pre-work?
Plan for it. Open the session with a short recap, pair non-completers with those who finished, and start with an activity that uses the pre-work. Follow up afterward to learn why it was skipped. Time pressure, unclear value and no accountability are the common causes.
