how to write a course overview

by Pascale Schulist DVM 5 min read

  • The course description should be no longer than 100 words.
  • Write from a student-centered perspective.
  • Use present tense and active voice.
  • Use clear and simple sentence structure and language.
  • Use gender neutral language.
  • Use common terms that prospective students understand.
  • Use industry-approved technical terms and acronyms when appropriate.
  • Use generic terms when referencing software. Only use specific software names if they are the central focus of the course or if they are required for course delivery.
  • Course titles, numbers and levels in which the course is offered are not included in the course description as they are indicated elsewhere.
  • The intended course delivery mode (hybrid, online, in-class) are not included in a course description.
  • Prerequisites and corequisites are not included in the text of the course description (GeneSIS has functionality for establishing prerequisites, corequisites and equivalencies). ...

Course Description Guidelines
  1. should be no longer than 125 words.
  2. should begin most sentences with a verb.
  3. should be student-centered and explain how the reader would benefit from the course.
  4. should be written in the present tense and active voice.

How do you write a description of a course?

Remember your audience. Your course description is primarily for the benefit of people who have not taken the course, so do not use abbreviations or technical language. In a description intended for students, you may use the first or second person (“we” or “you”).

What should be included in an overview?

An overview provides a summary of the general trends and main features of the data. There should be no specific data in the overview. The overview should be short. How important is an overview?

What makes a great course description?

A great course description can be the decisive factor of whether a student signs up, or clicks away from your online course and never returns. A well-written description is one of the most important aspects of any e-commerce offering. Research has shown that people will simply not buy products online unless they know exactly what they are getting.

How do I list courses on my course cards?

The course cards should all be designed in the same style, so a user can see that they all belong to the same brand. List relevant courses that complement the current course or make up a larger learning pathway. Don’t list every unrelated course that you sell – this is shooting yourself in the foot.

What is the course overview?

It introduces the main idea of the course and describes the topics or concepts that the course covers. The overview can also describe the skills and knowledge your students need to be able to succeed in your course, as well as provide information about course requirements and staff.

What should a course outline include?

THE COURSE OUTLINE:BASIC COURSE INFORMATION:COURSE DESIGNATION:COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES. List one to three student learning outcomes for the course. ... SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: ... COURSE CONTENT:REPRESENTATIVE METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: ... REPRESENTATIVE ASSIGNMENTS:

How do you write a course report?

Help writing course reportsProgrammes of study in which the course is included. ... Description of learning outcomes for the course. ... Data on which the course report is based. ... Reference group report. ... Course coordinator's assessment of the quality of the course. ... Action plan.

What is a structure of a course?

The course structure refers to the choice of topics and the organization and sequencing of course content. Remember that the choice of topics and their organization should always support the learning objectives for the course.

What is a course format?

A course format refers to the layout of a course. The course format can be selected in Administration > Course administration > Edit settings. An administrator can enable, disable or delete course formats for courses in Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Course formats > Manage course formats.

What do you write at the end of a course?

Summarize the students' primary observations about the course. Emphasize their positive and negative observations, particularly those that suggest ways in which you were doing a good job or things you may need to improve.

How do I write an online course report?

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:Describe what report writing actually entails.Describe perfecting your writing style.Summarize using correct and consistent spelling and abbreviations.Demonstrate writing the report.Describe informal reports.Describe semi-formal reports.More items...

How do you start a report introduction?

The introduction should:discuss the importance or significance of the research or problem to be reported.define the purpose of the report.outline the issues to be discussed (scope)inform the reader of any limitations to the report, or any assumptions made.

1. Know Your Audience

A course description is the cornerstone of your marketing efforts. A poor course description prevents students from deciding if they want to enroll in your class and advisors from referring students to you.

2. Create a Description That Encourages Action from the Reader

A concise, informative course description is a very important part of your marketing and sales materials. It is the first part of your communication with potential students. If it doesn’t grab their attention and encourage them to come to an information session or apply, it’s time to revise.

3. Use Appropriate Keywords

As stated in tip 1, when writing a course description, it’s important to understand who your target audience is. Is it employers? If so, you want to think about how the skills and knowledge in the course will help them.

4. Use Short Catchy Phrases or Words to Draw Attention

Well, if you’re teaching a course, then you should know that it’s incredibly hard to separate yourself from the crowd. Therefore, you need to make sure that your course description stands out. Here’s an example: “The 4-Hour Workweek.” The title itself is catchy.

6. Good Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling Counts

The course description has to be written in a way that conveys the importance of the course to the students and appeals to them. Although most students look for answers to their problems, a course description has to be different from an article.

8. Use Common Terms That Prospective Students will Understand

Teachers use course descriptions to help prospective students understand what they’re going to experience. Course descriptions typically include a variety of common terms. Terms should be understandable by the prospective student.

9. Keep Your Language Simple and Avoid Jargon

If you are writing a course description, you are doing it because you want the students to enroll in your course. Good course descriptions illustrate the essence of the course. This is important because most of them are unaware of what the course is about. A good course description is a critical factor in course success.

Provide Catchy and Concise Course Details

First and foremost, offer a single, clear vision of what life will be like once the student enrolls in the course. Competing amongst dozens, if not hundreds of similar online courses, you want something that effectively catches their interest, but still manages to clearly and concisely explain what the course is about.

Include a personal benefit for the learner

Not only do you want to briefly explain what the course will offer, but emphasizing a more personal gain from the course always adds another incentive for students to purchase a course.

Clarify the benefit

Don’t just mention a simple skill the course promises to equip the learner with. How will this skill make them a better individual? Emphasize the personal gain for the learner in more ways than one.

Get a bit more specific on what will be taught

As mentioned earlier, getting too detailed on course topics or assignments can make your course less than intriguing. However, it’s important to include specifics on what the student is going to learn within the course. Be sure to highlight what skill (or skills) the student will gain once they’ve completed the course.

Add a sentence that speaks to a desire, fear, need or curiosity. Put it at the beginning

Address a need, offer a solution. This is the simplest way to attract a prospect. Hook the reader in immediately by placing this part right at the beginning and prompting THEM on the needs and desires they’re looking to fulfill.

Include a clear call to action

Last but not least, don’t forget to include a call to action! Always add an encouraging close so the potential student feels compelled to purchase and start reaping the benefits of your course.

Begin the interactive presentation below (you may need to wait for it to load)

Previously we studied ​ how to write an introduction sentence. In this class we answer some common questions we get from students about the next part of the introduction paragraph: Overviews.

Below is the text from the old lesson

Previously we studied ​ how to write an introduction sentence. In this class we answer some common questions we get from students about the next part of the introduction paragraph: Overviews.

What is course outline?

According to the University of Lethbridge’s Teaching Center, a course outline is a document that benefits students and instructors as it is essential when designing any course. Also known as a syllabus, a course outline serves as a planning tool. As the syllabus is written, it also guides the instructor’s development of ...

What is assessment overview?

The assessment overview is a grading guide that allows students to see what weightings can apply to the different assessment elements of a course. An example of an assessment overview is below.

Why do we refer to the syllabus?

In some cases, some may refer to the syllabus to give the students an idea of what particular skills they would have obtained after completing the course.

What information should be provided about required readings?

Provide specific information about required readings, including title, author (s), edition number and availability (from where they can be purchased or borrowed). It is helpful to the students to indicate how each reading relates to a particular topic in the course. You may also like outline an essay.

What are the activities that help students meet their learning objectives?

If students need to provide evidence of learning by completing a multiple choice exam, then the activities in the schedule should prepare them for this assessment. Lectures, readings, small group and whole group discussions can all be activities that help the student meet their learning objectives.

Why is it important to define course professional goals?

It is imperative to define these course professional goals, as they will help you determine what you expect from your students, and what your students can expect from the course. In some cases, it helps if you indicate what careers can they be pursuing to provide motivation for them to do better in their academics. 3.

What is a syllabus?

Finally, a syllabus also works as a reference for colleagues, administrators, and accreditation agencies.

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