Christopher Ross

LearnDash builds where the learning actually sticks

An LMS built the way adult learners work, not one that launched, disappointed everyone, and has not been touched since.

Senior WordPress engineering since 2007 · MA candidate in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads University · curriculum developer and instructor at the M.L. Campbell Training Centre · $275/hr CAD · Fort Erie, Ontario

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The LMS problem nobody talks about

Most LMS platforms fail the same way: the technology is fine, the instructional architecture is not. Content is uploaded, modules are created, and enrollment numbers are reported, but completion rates are 30–40% and the learning is not sticking. The platform gets blamed. The platform is not the problem.

The work here is building both: the right platform, architected the right way, with the instructional design built alongside it, not added as an afterthought once the course shell is already live.

What I build

Two-axis matrix. Horizontal axis: technical implementation, low to high. Vertical axis: instructional design ownership, low to high. Bottom-left quadrant (neither axis staffed): project never lands. Top-left (instructional design without a platform): design can't deploy. Bottom-right (platform without instructional design): course nobody finishes. Top-right (both axes staffed): course people finish. The three engagement tiers all sit in the top-right success quadrant: Single-cohort launch from $5,000 (K-12, first program), Operating L&D from $15,000 (corporate L&D, certifying bodies), Institutional platform from $30,000 (SCORM, xAPI, SIS connectivity). All three tiers staff instructional design; they differ on technical scope.
All three engagement tiers ship in the same quadrant. The variable that decides which tier fits an organization is technical scope: integration depth, governance, reporting surface. The variable that decides whether the LMS lands at all is instructional design ownership.
  • LearnDash builds: Course architecture, quiz logic, prerequisites, certificates, group management, and learner portals, from scratch or on an existing WordPress install. Includes the instructional design to make the course architecture match how your learners work.
  • LMS + site integration: LMS as part of the marketing site, not isolated on a subdomain with a different login. Membership gating, WooCommerce enrollment purchase, SSO where it is needed.
  • Migrations: From TalentLMS, Canvas, Moodle, or a custom platform to LearnDash. Learner records, completion data, and content migrated with provenance maintained.
  • Reporting and administration layers: Group-leader dashboards, manager reporting, completion certificates, and the integration with HR or CRM that makes the LMS data useful outside the platform.

Who this is for

  • ✅ Organizations building a training platform for a defined learner group with a measurable performance goal, not “we need an LMS,” but “we need our sales team to hit X metric.”
  • ✅ Businesses where the training platform needs to integrate with WordPress, WooCommerce, or a membership system, not sit on a separate subdomain.
  • ✅ L&D leads who need both the technical build and the instructional design, not just the platform wired up to hold documents.
  • ❌ Organizations that want to upload slide decks and call it an LMS. The platform will not produce learning that way; the project would set a false expectation.
  • ❌ Projects without instructional design ownership. I can provide it; if the organization is not ready to engage with instructional architecture, the project scope is not ready.

What it costs

The senior-developer rate is $275 CAD/hr. LearnDash, LifterLMS, Sensei, and Moodle builds ladder by audience, integration surface, and instructional-design scope:

  • Single-cohort launch (from $5,000): K–12 programs and small training providers launching a first program with a defined learner group.
  • Operating L&D (from $15,000): LearnDash, LifterLMS, Sensei, or Moodle builds for corporate L&D, certifying bodies, and continuing-education programs, with the integration surface your reporting actually needs.
  • Institutional platform (from $30,000): Institutional builds, SCORM/xAPI integration, SIS/HRIS connectivity, multi-program governance, accreditation-ready data trail.

Every engagement starts with the free 20-minute discovery call. If the audit work matters first, reporting that does not answer the question your VP keeps asking, an HRIS sync held together with a Zapier zap, the audit ladder ($500 / $1,000 / $2,200) sits in front of the build and audit hours credit forward. See the canonical LMS service page for the full deliverables.