Preparing a PWR Course Description and Video

Students have two primary ways of finding out about PWR courses: a brief written course description and an accompanying course video (about 1-2 minutes in length). For PWR 1 and PWR 2, the two forms of course description appear together on course pages linked from our PWR Course catalog; our advanced elective PWRs are linked from our PWR Additional Electives page.  Students also can access more generic descriptions of each on Explorecourses.

Students use these materials to help make informed choices about how to rank their PWR section preferences.  Most students view the video to better understand the instructor's take on the topic and persona, and they then follow up by reading the course description for additional detail.  In both cases, students are looking to see what distinguishes that particular section from all the other sections of PWR.  Keep in mind that the title is key: students only get to the video and description by clicking on the course title. Titles that are unclear or jargony might not prompt students to click.

In other words, strong titles, videos, and section descriptions help students find the PWR courses that best match their own intellectual and academic interests.  Consequently, the course description and the video should be designed to serve to capture student attention. It is both a marketing and an advising tool, helping them make informed decisions about their course ranking process.  

• Preparing your Written Course Description 
• Filming your PWR Course Video 
• Preparing marketing materials