how to write good course descriptions

by Toy Satterfield 7 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
should be no longer than 125 words. should begin most sentences with a verb. should be student-centered and explain how the reader would benefit from the course. should be written in the present tense and active voice.

How to write an irresistible course description?

Irresistible Fiction

  • Course description: Make your fiction impossible to put down. This course will show you a range of techniques to hook your readers and build curiosity, tension, suspense, and excitement.
  • Format: This course is conducted by e-mail. Students receive one lesson per week by e-mail for eight weeks.
  • Registration: Click here for more details.

How to choose your writing course?

Steps Download Article

  1. Decide what interests you. List the fields of study that interest you, and come up with a list of courses you would consider studying based on these interests.
  2. Do your research. The internet, newspapers, television and people around you are the best sources of information.
  3. Check out the course content. ...
  4. Examine the university quality. ...

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How to read course descriptions?

How to Read Course Descriptions. Courses are described using the following format: Number of semester hours (credits) Contact hours type (s) if non-lecture. Full description of the course. (if applicable) Prerequisites, co-requisites, recommended preparation or other requirements. (if applicable) Cross-listed courses (equivalent courses offered ...

How do you write a sentence with of course?

  • Master simple and compound sentences.
  • Master all the types of sentences.
  • related and unrelated sentences.
  • learn how to negate sentences.
  • Learn how to use prepositional phrases.
  • Learn how to write an entire paragraph.
  • Master complex sentences that are the most important in the English language.
  • Learn how to use subordinating and coordinating conjunctions.

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How do I write a course description for a syllabus?

In writing a course description, be sure to include the following information:What will students learn in the course (i.e., knowledge, skills, attitudes, as opposed to topics)?Why will learning this matter to students?How will the course help students develop as scholars, learners, future professionals?More items...

What is the course description?

A course description is. a short, pithy statement which informs a student about the subject matter, approach, breadth, and applicability of the course.

How can I write about my course?

The following are tips for writing a course description: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.More items...

How do you describe an online course?

An online class is a course conducted over the Internet. They are generally conducted through a learning management system, in which students can view their course syllabus and academic progress, as well as communicate with fellow students and their course instructor.

What is course content example?

Any informational material that is required for participation or understanding content such as assigned readings, video recordings, exams, and any other material needed for learning. Copyright © 2022 UC Regents; all rights reserved.

Why is course description important?

A course description serves to state the rationale for the course and give an overview of key content covered, skills and knowledge to be learned, and how it will benefit the student.

How do you feel about online classes?

My experience with online learning is very stressful and hard. I felt this way because of how hard it is for me to understand the assignments and having to not be able to check with your teacher face to face if you are doing it correctly or not.

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.

Why is it important to give an accurate outline of the contents of a course?

When offering a course for sale, it’s important to give an accurate outline of its contents so that learners know what the course will cover and what’s required of students. However, a dry description of topics and units won’t really stimulate a student’s eagerness to learn. In order to attract students, create excitement, and increase purchases of your course, you need compelling course descriptions. This post teaches you how to create them!

What is a good opening sentence for a course?

Another good opening sentence is one that offers an intriguing fact or statistic, e.g. ‘72% of face- to-face communication is body language.’ Spark interest by starting your course description with an intriguing statistic, statement, question or other opener in order that easily increases the chance of engagement. Note: Keep “salesy” language in mind and use as much or as little as suits your target audience. The main point is to clearly and concisely emphasize what your course offers.

What is a course merchant?

Course Merchant provides a fully featured eCommerce shopping cart, which seamlessly integrates with eLearning systems to provide automated student enrollment upon successful online payment and/or registration.

What does it mean to emphasize a more personal gain from a course?

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

How to attract a prospect?

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.

Is it important to include specifics in a course?

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.

What is a course description?

Your course description explains what your course is about to potential students. It is largely responsible for convincing them that your course -- and your course only -- will change their lives! In your course description, we recommend providing information about 1) the content of the course and 2) how students will benefit from that content.

How many sentences should a paragraph be?

This should be 4-6 sentences long (or two small paragraphs).

What should bullets start with?

Your bullets should be structured as short phrases that start with an action verb (e.g. Learn, Recognize, Build, Find).

Is a short teaser better than a detailed history?

In general, short teasers are better than detailed histories.

Should sentence length vary?

Just as sentence length should vary, so should formatting (if too much is bolded, nothing will stand out).

Can you include links to other courses in Udemy?

Don’t include images, external links, or links to other Udemy courses in your course description.

Make it short and relevant

The first thing to consider is its length. Since it is just a description it should not be as extensive as a blog post for example. Basically, you have to say a lot by using just a few words – not an easy task but not an impossible one either.

What will the subscribers learn?

Answering this question in the course description is paramount in increasing the number of enrollments. Strive to be as specific as you can.

Who is the instructor and how will the material be rendered?

The course creator is as important as the content itself. Say something about yourself in the course description – who you are, where your passion for a particular topic comes from, what your expertise on the subject is.

What language should you use?

Your aim is to get people engaged and interested. You won’t achieve that by writing something that reads like a dishwasher instruction manual. What you need is a story – the story of taking your course and the ‘happily-ever-after’ that is subsequent to it.

Additional tips for making your description stand out

Raluca Cristescu has over ten years of experience in corporate training, focused mainly on soft skills for customer service and direct sales.

How to address learners in eLearning?

Rather than writing your description in the third person (“students of this eLearning course”), address them directly by using “you” or the implied you all throughout.

Do eLearning courses have to be dull?

There's no rule that says eLearning course descriptions have to be dull. In fact, why not open your eLearning course description with an attention grabbing statement or a question that encourages your potential learners to think about how the particular eLearning course might benefit them in the real world.

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