What is a Course Description?
Writing Course Descriptions. The course description orients students by outlining the rationale for the course subject or theme, framing a brief overview of the key content, knowledge and skills to be learned and stating the major learning strategies and activities that students will experience.
Course descriptions should: Be student-centered, rather than teacher-centered or course-centered. Use brief, outcomes-based, descriptive phrases that begin with an imperative or active verb (e.g., design, create, plan, analyze) Be clear, concise, and easy to understand (< 80 words) Detail significant learning experiences and benefits students ...
If you are 25 years of age or older:
Course Description Guidelinesshould 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.
A course description is usually written in paragraph form with complete sentences. A syllabus often contains timelines, calendars, outlines, bullet points and tables or infographics that quickly and concisely relay important information.
A course syllabus is an academic document that communicates information about a specific course and explains the rules, responsibilities and expectations associated with it.
A course syllabus is written contract between you and your students that provides an outline or a summary of the main points of a text, lecture or course of study. • The purpose of a syllabus is to provide information on the course and define the scope of the content.
Course description: A VERY brief description of the course content, typically as short as 1-2 sentences Course objectives: A more detailed description of what will happen in the course, including topics to be covered.
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How to create an online courseChoose the right subject matter.Test your idea.Research the topic extensively.Write a course outline.Create the course content.Bring your course online.Sell your online course.Market your content.More items...•
The description should run from 30 words to 120 words in length. Fewer than 30 is too sketchy. Too few words make the course look insubstantial and may not allow for enough information to be included. If a description is, more than 120 words, it is too long.
A course description can be defined succinctly as ‘all the relevant details of your course.’. This is a simplistic description and rather open-ended, but there is a reason for that. There are many types of online courses that target a variety of levels of competence and types of customers/employees.
Every online course should have a great one to two-sentence tagline. If you can’t describe your course in two sentences, it might be time to rethink your content and what your course focuses on.
Learners want to know you are qualified, but they also want someone they can relate to. Use a bio to highlight your background, experience, and credibility in your field. State your qualifications in terms of experience. Use credentials or degrees only if you have to.
The learning objectives should describe in detail the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and competencies that the learner is expected to possess upon completion of the course. They are typically presented from the learner’s perspective, so they show both what the learner is required to learn and the level at which that learning should occur. Clearly written learning objectives ensure that students know what to expect and feel more prepared for the workload.
The instructor’s bio should be around 15 to 50 words in a separate section underneath the main course description fields, or in a sidebar – many hosted course platforms have a dedicated spot for you to include this information.
The purpose of assessments is to measure how well students have achieved the learning outcomes. Outline any evaluation methods used in your online course, and the weighting that each method counts for in the final assessment.
If you have more than one online course in a subject area, you may wish to include relevant, related courses that complement the current course. The course cards should all be designed in the same style, so a user can see that they all belong to the same brand. Dos.
A course description provides a basic overview of what a class offers. A course description includes a course prefix, course number, course title, lecture and lab contact hours, semester credit hours, description of the class and prerequisites, according to Texas A&M University. It usually denotes what department is offering ...
However, a course description is generally written to help students decide if the course is one they want or need to take.
You'll continually refer to it to remember important test or quiz dates, project deadlines and course requirements. You might need to double-check the instructor's policies or look up the teacher's office hours so you can schedule an appointment or tutoring session. A syllabus might also help you budget how much you need for textbooks ...
A syllabus is much more detailed and lists textbooks and reference materials necessary for the class, important test dates, projects and points or grades necessary to pass the class.
Once you read a teacher's or administrator's course description and determine whether you want to take the course, you don't usually need to refer to the description again. There's not enough specific information to help you complete assignments or accomplish academic tasks.