Use a Course Overview Template

Providing a course overview can help your students orient themselves to your course and connect with you as an instructor. A course overview provides details about the objective and purpose of the course, explains the course structure, and provides guidelines and tips for succeeding in the course.

Make a copy of the template

Follow these steps to make an editable copy of the template for your own use.

  1. Make sure you log into Google with your NC State account.
  2. Access the Course Overview Template Google Doc.
  3. Click File from the top menu.
  4. Select Make a Copy.
  5. Name your file.
  6. Select a Folder in “My Drive” to save the copy to.
  7. Click the Make a Copy button.

You may now edit your copy of the Course Overview template to reflect your own course.

Best practices

  1. Use welcoming language and conversational tone to help make this document personal and inviting for students.
  2. Describe the purpose of the course.
  3. Explain how the course is structured (modules, units, weeks).
  4. Describe the types of learning materials, activities, and assignments given.
  5. Give guidelines to help students understand what is expected of them.

Examples

View an example course overview from ENG 331 (Communication for Engineering and Technology)

Watch a video walkthrough of an example course overview. (2:41)

Resources

WolfSNAPS: Setting Up for Success – Register for this short self-paced training

Related pages

Helping Students Get Started in an Online Class

Humanizing Your Online Course

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