Teaching Tip: Four ways to promote your course

August 26, 2014

Is your department counting on you to bring new students into the discipline? Are your class sizes smaller than you’d like? Often times being listed on the course schedule isn’t enough.

Here are some ideas to increase enrollment and visibility of your class:

1. Hook your students

Tell your current class about the other courses you teach or pitch a logical progression class for them, even if it’s not yours.

2. Use UAF resources

If you are doing something new or interesting in class, call your school or college's public information officer ahead of time. Most schools and colleges have dedicated PIOs, though job titles may vary across campus. These colleagues want to bring some attention to your work.

3. Show and tell

Consider putting your course (or part of your course) online and in the open, allowing students to peruse the syllabus, assignments and readings before enrolling. See your colleagues’ work: http://elearning.uaf.edu/go/opencourses.

4. Partner with eLearning

If you are instructing an eLearning-supported course (or thinking of creating one) take advantage of the department’s full services, which include marketing support for new and low-enrollment courses.

Go to iTeachU for the full Teaching Tip: http://elearning.uaf.edu/go/tt-coursepromotion

-- Teaching Tip by Janene McMahan, instructional designer, and Marissa Carl, eLearning communications specialist.