How do I get my Course Description Page ready?

The course description page is primarily a marketing page where you convert visitors into enrolled learners.

You can edit the course description page via the 'edit course run' area of Course Creator.

 

Course image

The course image will represent your course across the platform and will be used to promote the course to new learners. The process for selecting an image is collaborative.

If you have an image you wish to use contact your Course Development Manager who will coordinate processing your image with our design team. 

If you are providing your own image, please supply FutureLearn with an image at a minimum dimension of 1600 x 1066 px (a ratio of 3:2) and be sure to keep your most important content in the centre. Images should not contain watermarking or include logos, including that of the partner.

If you do not have an image in mind, our design team will help to source one for you from stock image libraries or create something original.

We also encourage you to use the course image as part of your promotional activities.

 

 

Course duration and length

Number of weeks gives learners an indication of how much time they may need to set aside to complete the course. The duration shown is pulled directly from the number of weeks you have added to the course in Course Creator in the 'Content' tab.

Please ensure the correct number of weeks is in place before the course is opened for enrolment.

Hours per week indicates how much time is required to study per week.

Remember to allow time for discussion with other learners when estimating the number of hours of study required.

To set the study hours required, click ‘Edit course run’ in Course Creator then scroll down until you see ‘Hours per week’. Here you can select the appropriate number from the drop-down menu.

 

Pricing 

Prices are set by FutureLearn's pricing team, taking into account factors such as market research, historic data, endorsements and specifics about the course.

 

Course title and description

Once your course proposal has been reviewed by FutureLearn you can begin building your course description page. The information in your course proposal is reviewed by our copywriters to write a course title and description taking into account the keywords learners are searching for and search engine optimisation.

Your project lead will receive an email when these have been added.

Please note that the course title and description are locked from any edits at this stage.

 

Trailer

Trailers should be short - ideally two minutes or less - and should succinctly explain what the course is about, who it is for, and what makes it distinctive. 

Avoid unnecessary jargon/acronyms and be aware of the complexity of language you use as some learners may have English as second language.

All trailers require subtitles.

 

Syllabus

A short list of bullet points outlining the key themes of the course. This will appear on the course description page under 'What topics will you cover?' and on the Certificate of Achievement transcript.

Avoid using verbs and the past tense, and do not mention “learners”. If the list is long, break it up with sub-headings, based on each week’s theme – for example, “Week 1 – Introduction to Cellular Networks and their Planning”.

 

Automatic syllabus 

Course description pages can now feature a more detailed syllabus which is populated using course content. This new feature is referred to as 'Automatic Syllabus'.

When the automatic syllabus feature is switched on, learners will see a week by week breakdown, with a drop down that enables them to see the content activity by activity:

The new syllabus provides learners with more detail about what they can expect to be covered within each week of a course. We think this gives them more confidence that the course will meet their needs and encourage learners to join the course.

The automatic syllabus feature can be enabled on any open course or microcredential description page. It is reliant on the content being present in course creator, and being ready to publish - the Week titles and Activity images, titles and descriptions are pulled from the course content. It will be enabled by our team as standard practice for all new courses and reruns. 

 

Learning outcomes

A short list of bullet points outlining what a learner will be able to do by the end of the course. This will appear on the Certificate of Achievement transcript and the course description page under the heading “What will you achieve?”

Each bullet point must start with one of the verbs listed in the Learning Outcomes section. They should enable learners to reflect on their learning, and explain or demonstrate it to other people, such as employers or academic institutions.

 

Learning outcomes must be added at a Course Level under the 'Details' tab by Authors or Organisation Admins. For more details, see here. 

 

Educators

The course educator is the face of the course, the person or persons who will be leading the course online. Setting up a profile is easy and can be done by the individual.

Once registered you can add a profile photo and short bio here.

Educators are added to the page by Organisation Admins in the 'Course Educators' area of Course Creator found in the 'Overview' tab.

Once clicked this will take the user through to the educator’s profile.

 

External organisations

If your course involves any external organisations they can be listed on the course description page. 

First, decide the organisation's relationship to you. 

To add these organisations to your course page, please provide your Course Development Manager with:

• PNG and vector files of the organisation’s logo. The vector file must be in .eps, .ai, or .svg format.
• The URL of the organisation’s web site
• For co-creators only: a short description of the organisation, 200 characters or less including spaces
• For accreditors only: a short description of the accreditation specific to the accrediting body (required) and a general description of the accreditation on the course (optional). A course may have more than one accreditor.

Please note there is a maximum of two co-creator logos in addition to your own logo on the course description page and certificate.

 

 

Learner Reviews

FutureLearn have implemented learner reviews and ratings on short courses. Reviews and ratings are presented on course description pages and course cards. Please see our Ratings and Reviews FAQs for more information.

 

Testimonials

You can add up to 2 learner testimonials on any course. To see this option, go to the ‘Edit course information’ button. Scroll to the bottom of the ‘Edit course information’ view to see the ‘Testimonials’ section.

Clicking ‘Add testimonial’ will take you to a new view where you can add the detail of your testimonial. You will need to add the source (learner name) and their quote. You also have the option of adding a short descriptive phrase for the source (e.g. L&D Manager). The testimonials will then appear on the course description page for every run of the course.

Before adding testimonials, please remember to review our guidance on using learner comments.