How to write the perfect online course description

There is a reason many teachers favor online courses. Not only do they cost less money, time, and energy, they are learner-focused and accessible to any number of students, anywhere and anytime.

So you have created a valuable online course for your students. However, in order to entice them to sign up, you must create a description that carefully highlights the value your course offers. The challenge, however, is that you have very limited words to do so, or you just do not know the first thing about writing one.

If this describes you, do not worry. We have unpacked the entire process of crafting a compelling description that will entice prospects to enroll in your course. Let's get started on a course description, how to write one, and templates to simplify the process for you.

What is a course description?

A course description is a concise summary of the contents and features of an online course. It includes the title, outline, learning objectives, assessment methods, and any other information that may be required.

The hard part about writing a good course description is attracting your target audience with few words. Many hosting platforms provide designated fields to assist you in creating your course description, each with a limited number of characters. However, if you're using your own website, you have complete control over the length and format of your description.

Don't have a website? We've got you. With Workee, you can set up your own personal website in very few minutes for free. From your website, you can design and sell your tutoring packages to clients anywhere.

Whichever way, a good course description should invite the attention of the intended participants, carefully showing who the course is for, what it covers, and how it will be taught. 

Why is it important to write a course description? 

A well-written course description may be why a student enrolls in your course, whereas a poorly written one may have the opposite effect. One of the most important aspects of any e-commerce offering, including e-learning, is the description. According to researchers, 20% of people do not complete an online purchase due to insufficient or inaccurate information about the product or service. 

A good description reflects the quality of your course. Always remember that your course description is similar to a sales pitch, and it largely decides whether or not anyone signs up. In this sense, it is almost as important as the course itself because a poor description can effectively keep students away, thereby putting all your hard work to waste.

Thus, it is necessary to learn how to write an effective description for your online course.

How to write a course description

There are no hard and fast rules for writing course descriptions, but there are a few best practices. An excellent description highlights the attractive features of a course. It should be well written, concise, effective, easy to scan and provide an accurate idea of your course.

The best course description templates are designed to answer the following questions:

• What is this course about?

The first elements of a course description should clearly state what the course covers. Avoid being vague or covering too many areas. In this case, short is always sweet.

• Who is this course for? 

When you’re creating your online course description, it has to be clear who your ideal student is. Your description must clarify if your course is for beginners, intermediate, or advanced learners.

• How can it help?

What knowledge or skill problem does your course solve? Tell your prospects exactly how the value contained in your course helps them in real situations.

Share with your prospects as much information as needed to attract purchases, but be careful not to reveal too much, just enough to entice them to enroll.

Features of a good course description

Course title:

This is the first contact your prospects have with your course. Make it as direct and attractive as possible. 

Subtitle or tagline: 

This is an optional feature but highly recommended. A two-sentence tagline should briefly describe your title and add other aspects to it that are not captured in your topic.

Introduction: 

Your introduction is an executive summary of your course. Compressing two hours' worth of lectures into a few sentences can be hard, so you must be efficient in your use of words. Here you can state basic course information like duration, study level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), ratings, reviews, credits, and certifications.

Curriculum outline: 

This section lists the topics according to how they have been treated. These topics must be carefully tailored to suit the intended learning objectives. You may choose to include subtopics, if you prefer, anything that convinces your prospects that your course covers all the necessary details.

Teaching format: 

It is important to show how your course content is presented. Are you using videos, text, voiceovers, graphics, presentations to teach, or a combination of these? Are the exercises self-paced or guided by an instructor? You can mention the devices or platforms from which it is accessible. If your course features simulations, practice exercises, interactive images, pop quizzes, or dialogues that engage the student, state them here. Mention your assessment style for tracking students' progress as well. This might include end-of-module quizzes, practice tests, exams, and a certificate of completion. This could include quizzes at the end of modules, practice tests, exams, and a certificate of completion. Your teaching and assessment strategies must be tailored to your stated learning objectives.

Key objectives: 

These are typically outlined in bulletlists that show your customers the knowledge and skills they will gain by completing your course. Outlining your key objectives helps set expectations on both ends, showing students what to expect and providing you with a standard to follow while preparing your course materials.

Instructor bio: 

A bio helps your prospects connect with you on a personal basis. It highlights your qualifications and experience in the relevant field, giving them a reason to trust you. It should be the right amount of words, preferably included after all other description fields. Many platforms provide a dedicated area for this information, such as a link sidebar.

You may include an additional paragraph highlighting the context of your course, your unique value proposition, history, relevance, reviews from previous participants, and expert recommendations. If necessary, you can also mention corporate standards that your course meets, special software or materials required for the course, and related or complementary courses, especially if the course is part of a larger learning pathway.

The aim of your course description is to equip them with information that convinces them to sign up.

Some course description examples

Let's say yours is a course on soft skills. Here's what a typical description will look like:

Workplace Management: Building Healthy Interpersonal Relations at Work

What this course is about:

Depending on the quality of your relationships with your coworkers, your job can feel dreadful, boring, or great. Building positive work relationships add excitement to your job and improves your productivity. Learn how to build work relationships that last in this course and how to resolve real life conflicts in the workplace. This course prepares you for the IIBA® Certifications and provides you with PDUs and CDUs. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Level: Beginner 

Last Updated: May 17, 2021 

Duration: 2h 35m 

Why you should take this course:

Every workplace is composed of different personalities who often have to work together to achieve a general outcome. It is common for coworkers to become divided along their differences, but this will negatively impact the individual and the organization. By learning the right techniques for interpersonal relationships, you can maximize diversity and create an inclusive work environment for ideas to flourish. You will be provided with skills to develop lasting and beneficial relationships with your colleagues.

What you'll learn:

As we journey through you will:

• Appreciate the importance of interpersonal relationships.

• Learn skills and techniques for developing good relationships at work.

• Understand the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace despite cultural, race, age, gender, religious, socioeconomic, and disability lines.

• Rehearse how to resolve conflicts in the workplace.

At the end of this course, you will possess the knowledge and attitude to create and maintain a healthy social environment at work and to effectively solve workplace conflicts.

Course outline:

This course contains the following sections;

• Course Overview 

3 mins

• Understanding The Need For Good Relationships in the Workplace

25 mins

• Developing Good Relationships at Work

30mins

• Creating an Enabling Atmosphere for Diversity and Inclusion

35mins

• Maintaining Good Relationships at Work

32 mins

• Managing Conflicts in the Workplace 37 mins

• Summary

13 mins

How you'll learn:

This course contains videos with transcripts in case you need help with making notes. There are brief quizzes after each topic and an overall assessment at the end of the course. Successful participants will be awarded certificates of completion and access to a direct mentorship program created by the author.

Once you sign up with your email address, you can access this course on any Internet enabled device.

About the author:

Laura Peters

Laura Peters is an HR expert, who has consulted for several top firms, including  has in a career span of nearly two decades 

She enjoys building efficient work teams that function on both individual strengths and fluid teamwork. She holds a BA in Business Management and an MA in Communications and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Human Relations and Personnel Management. Connect with her at: laura.rock.peters@gmail.com. 

The above is a mere guide, not a cookie cutter frame. Feel free to add, remove, and iterate elements until you arrive at what works best. Just do not lose focus on the major reasons why a course description exists in the first place: to provide prospects a quick overview of the course contents, the value, and expectations for the course work, assessment parameters, and, if you like, an opportunity to get to know you.

We recommend including keywords in your course description so that people who are searching can find it. With Google Keyword Planner, you can discover related search terms and keywords and include them in your description to increase your chances of being found.

By creating a free website on Workee, your perfect course description can sit side by side with an equally perfect bio and profile. Workee was made for tutors like you to have the best freelance experience. Apart from the no-code, customizable website we provide for free, here are some more features on Workee that you'll absolutely love:

• Flexible work schedule for any day or work engagement.

• Multiple time slots, both free and paid available for all types of lessons that are linked to video calls.

• Built-in payment processes, including automated invoicing and accounting. 

• Client management that keeps you engaged with your customer and on top of all your appointments.

In conclusion

Here you have best practices for an excellent course description. Use them to distinguish your course from others and convert your prospects into eager and excited students. Online teachers use Workee to connect with and maintain relationships with clients from anywhere in the world. With the instant no-code website we provide, they market their tutoring services online without domain or hosting fees. Workee helps teachers and freelancers manage all aspects of their job — client communication, tax payments, invoicing, payments, booking and scheduling, conferencing, and contracts — in one place rather than subscribing to multiple services.