Do You Need to Write Better Course Descriptions?

Writing course descriptions can be the most fun part of designing a new course, but it can also be quite challenging, especially if you have traditionally inherited (and only loosely revised) course descriptions from your department. In celebration of Open Access Week 2025, I’m back today to promote one of my OERs that will help you write stronger course descriptions that can drive enrollment and spark interest in your course and broader discipline. Students are preparing to enroll in their courses for spring, so now is a great time to write or refresh key parts of our syllabi!

Rhetorically savvy course descriptions, because they speak to multiple audiences, stand as a demonstration of your teaching excellence.

The well-crafted description acts as a snapshot that attests to your ability to attract students and teach your disciplinary ways of knowing beyond your disciplinary context.

Whether your context is the job market or promotion, the course description establishes the first impression of yourself as a course designer– a creator of learning experiences.

This toolkit empowers graduate students and new faculty who are proposing and teaching new lower-division undergraduate courses targeting non-majors. The toolkit positions instructors as strategic course designers who follow a sequence of steps to craft course descriptions that (1) speak to a unique student audience and (2) convince internal stakeholders that the course is both pedagogically sound and capable of driving enrollment.