what is included in content outline for a course description

by George Jacobi 10 min read

A course outline should include the following sections: Course Evaluation Process, Policies and Grading Scale Avoid using cute names that do not clearly indicate the course content. Choose a simple name that conveys the depth and breadth of the subject that will be taught.

A course outline gives the basic components of the course required to be taught by all instructors; whereas a syllabus describes how an individual instructor will teach that course in terms of specific assignments, dates, grading standards, and other rules of conduct required by that instructor.

Full Answer

What should be included in a course outline?

The course description is made up of these items: The title Logistics Course description Teacher biography The title. The title should be simple or catchy. Long or complex titles tend to confuse, and dull titles will not capture the reader’s eye. Generally, for skill classes such as home repair or the arts you will want a simple title.

What information should be included in a course description?

a short, pithy statement which informs a student about the subject matter, approach, breadth, and applicability of the course. about 80 words maximum. A course description is used for: enrollment, Axess, and the Bulletin: students need to know what a course is about in a short, content-filled way. mobile devices.

Where can I find a sample course outline?

Jul 23, 2021 · To put it quite simply, a course outline is a map of the knowledge you’ll include in your course. It shows where you will begin and where you will end. It also lists out all the major steps you will take in between. Most course outlines contain a few standard components.

Where do course descriptions appear in the program of studies?

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 can expect; Align with the …

How long should a course description be?

Your job in writing a course description is much easier, since Where and When are in the logistics section, and the Who is irrelevant or a useless gesture (don’t write, “Everyone should take this course.”) Here are a few guidelines for the description: The description should run from 30 words to 120 words in length.

How many paragraphs should a course description be?

The description should be divided into two paragraphs if it is over 60 words. More than 60 words in one paragraph is too hard to read. The teacher biography or qualifications should not be mixed in with the course description. This information can be brief, and should appear at the end of the course description.

What is logistics in a class?

Logistics. Logistics include the teacher’s name, class location, day, length, cost, material fees, course number and other adjunct information. The course sponsor normally provides this information, although you should be aware of all information pertinent to your class. The course description.

What should a description focus on?

Your description should focus upon the content of the course or the learner, not upon the course itself or you as the teacher. To attract learners, the description should emphasize the benefits to the learner coming from either the results of attending the course or from the value of the subject matter itself.

How many words should a teacher's biography be?

Don’t use useless or meaningless sentences, such as “Time allowing we will discuss other areas.”. The teacher biography. The teacher biography should be 15 to 50 words in a separate paragraph underneath the course description. Some organizations run all of their teacher biographies at the end of the catalog.

What is batik art?

Batik is an age old art of fabric coloring using wax and dye. This workshop is open to beginning and advanced students. It covers preparation of cloth and dyes, some design principles and sources, effects of different wax techniques and mixtures, color theories related to the craft, and the various finishing methods.

What is a good course outline?

A good course outline allows students to assess the course for fit with their learning needs, clearly understand what is expected of them and how they will benefit from the instruction.

What is course description?

A course description is an important part of the course outline. The course description needs to reflect exactly what will be covered in the course and how learning will be assessed by assignments and/or tests.

What is learning outcome?

Learning Outcomes. The learning outcomes are the goals of the course i.e. what the course is meant to teach students. Often it is the learning outcomes that help a student determine if the course will meet their needs. It is important to use language that does not make false promises.

Is a prerequisite a co-requisite?

Prerequisites/Co-requisites. If the course is at an advanced level, it may be wise to request a prerequisite (a course that must be completed prior) or a co-requisite (a course that is taken concurrently). This ensures that students have a foundation level knowledge of the topic before completing the more advanced course.

Why is it important to have an outline?

Having an outline allows you to organize these topics in a way that will make sense to your students. In addition, it prevents you from forgetting to add critical information that is relevant to the topic. Writing out what you plan to cover will also help you generate ideas.

What is assessment plan?

Assessment plans fall in line with learning objectives. While your learning objectives identify what the student will learn, the assessment allows you and the student to have a clear picture of how well they have mastered the objectives. Your outline will identify the types and frequency of assessments.

How long does it take to create an eLearning course?

The idea behind rapid eLearning is where you use every tool and strategy you can to potentially create a course in 2 to 3 weeks instead of taking several months. So within your lessons, outline the exact content you will cover.

Can you use a pen and paper for outline?

Like with everything, there are tools you can use to help you outline your course. You can definitely use a pen and paper for this exercise, but it's really nice if your outline is already on a device where you can work with it later. That way you can expand on it when you go from outline to your actual content.

How long should a microlearning lesson be?

Depending on how far down the path of microlearning you are going, lessons might only need to be a couple of minutes up to 10 to 15 minutes in length. There's not too much content in a 2-minute lesson so you really need to get at the heart of the topic and do so quickly if you're going that route.

What is an academic course?

Academic courses are courses with a traditional academic structure followed by universities. Each section usually consists of an introduction to the course, where objectives are discussed, a short test to assess pre-existing knowledge, and multiple lectures.

What is an orientation course?

An orientation course provides an overview of all the courses you offer. If you are offering many courses in your Academy, create an orientation course to build student engagement and interest with the course contents and let them get acquainted with the goals of your Academy.

What is instructional design?

Instructional design is a thoroughly researched subject I suggest you study to get lots of insights into your course design.

How often can you schedule a live interview?

You can schedule a series of (live) interviews every three months or two weeks, for example, and ask for payment from the beginning.

Who is Anthea from LearnWorlds?

Anthea is a Course designer and Content Creator for the LearnWorlds team. She holds years of experience in instructional design and teaching. With a Master of Education (M.Ed.) focused in Modern Teaching Methods & ICT (Information & Communications Technology), she supplements her knowledge with practical experience in E-Learning and Educational Technology.

What is a presell course?

Presell courses serve as a storefront of an upcoming course. They can rapidly validate a course idea and start building an email list of your potential students before officially releasing a course.

What is a mini course?

Mini-courses are short to consume summaries (teasers) of a full-sized course. Like presell and orientation courses, they serve as teasers that make students enroll in a course. However, in contrast to the other two categories, Mini-courses provide real educational value: A full summary of what will be taught in the full-sized course .

What is a course description?

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 ...

Why is it important to have a course description and a syllabus?

It's easy to confuse a course description with a syllabus because both offer details about specific academic classes. However, a course description is generally written to help students decide if the course is one they want or need to take. A syllabus lists the specific course requirements a student must complete, ...

What is a syllabus in college?

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.

Why do we need a syllabus?

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 ...

image

Course Goals

  • As you begin encoding the syllabus, it is important to ask these questions: What are the big ideas that you are going to cover in your course? What are the essential understandings that students will take away with them after the course has finished? It is imperative to define these course pr…
See more on examples.com

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

  • At the end of the day, it is pointless to have your students taken the course if they have not learned a single thing. Which means formulating a syllabus is easier said than done since you also have to start designing outcomes that the students might achieve during their time in the university, and it is a valuable element to have in your syllabus. The outcomes are usually state…
See more on examples.com

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 overviewis below. Quizzes: 50% Participation: 5% Journal Assignments: 20% Team Assignment: 10% Final Exam: 15% As well as including the overview of grading, a grading scale should be identified for …
See more on examples.com

Assessment Plan

  • These assessment plans are built in line with student learning objectives as these indicate what the students will learn. While your assessment plan states how you, as an instructor, will gather evidence for achievement of the objectives. This will detail the type of assessments that will occur within the course structure, how they will be marked, and how they provide evidence of stu…
See more on examples.com

Instructional Method

  • Though it is not always required, indicating on how the course is going be taught from here on is not really such a bad idea whether they would be lectures, seminars, video presentations, etc. But along the way, it is important to be evaluated by the very students you teach before the end of the semester as it also helps you grow as a teacher to see how your students feel on how you teach…
See more on examples.com

Required Course Materials

  • 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. It is never a bad idea to go to the library as it provides access to course materials, both pr…
See more on examples.com

Schedule of Activities

  • This portion of the outline should be built once the plan has been made. Once you understand how you want to assess your students, you can create activities that help facilitate the learning that needs to be done to help students achieve the objectives. Course activities should work in parallel with the assessment plan. If students need to provide evidence of learning by completin…
See more on examples.com

Plagiarism Announcement

  • Students have the tendency to be lazy and due to that, they might end up copy-pasting someone else’s work and making it their own. With that said, you have to inform your students that a plagiarism detection service such as Turnitin will be used to ensure original quality work from the students. But should they request an alternative method of plagiarism detection because of priv…
See more on examples.com

Reading List

  • This section will serve as a guide for the students on the textbooks and other educational materials during the entirety of the course. Listed below is an example of a course outline. Course Code: ENGL 105 Course Title: The Dynamic World of Neil Gaiman Course Description: Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books and graphic novels. His notable works i…
See more on examples.com

Basic Course Information

  • Course Name, Number, Credits and Description
    Avoid using cute names that do not clearly indicate the course content. Choose a simple name that conveys the depth and breadth of the subject that will be taught. Assigning course numbers (a 3-4 letter code and/or number) will clearly show potential students the level of the course. Fo…
  • Prerequisites/Co-requisites
    If the course is at an advanced level, it may be wise to request a prerequisite (a course that must be completed prior) or a co-requisite (a course that is taken concurrently). This ensures that students have a foundation level knowledge of the topic before completing the more advanced c…
See more on careerminded.ca

How and What Students Will Learn

  • Learning Outcomes
    The learning outcomes are the goals of the course i.e. what the course is meant to teach students. Often it is the learning outcomes that help a student determine if the course will meet their needs. It is important to use language that does not make false promises. For example, “St…
  • Content Breakdown by Session
    Typically this section of the course outline is a session by session breakdown of the topics or course content covered. List the dates of the sessions or refer to each session with phrases such as “week one” or “day one”.
See more on careerminded.ca

Course Participation and Evaluation Guidelines

  • Course Evaluation Process, Policies and Grading Scale
    Students will be very interested in how their learning will be evaluated through tests, assignments, projects, etc. List the different evaluation tools to be used with the percent of the final grade they represent. Also include exam writing policies such as whether exams can be taken at a later dat…
  • Classroom Rules/Code of Conduct Expectations
    An outline of consequences should student be caught plagiarizing, cheating or acting out in class is outlined in this section.
See more on careerminded.ca

Course Materials

  • Course materials include: 1. Required and Optional Texts 2. Readings both pre-readings and course readings 3. Supplies and equipment needed A well written course outline can be a great course marketing tool, can set clear expectations for student and help instructors to prepare lesson plans. A good course outline can also help record course structure for future offerings. C…
See more on careerminded.ca