A well-written object description is an important way to get learners to care about the content that’s waiting for them. Many object descriptions are repetitive, dull, or grammatically sloppy. If people don’t read your description, they may not look at the object.
An object description:
- should be no longer than 75 words (if you can help it),
- should always explain what’s in it for the learner,
- should be enticing or interesting,
- should not repeat the title of the object,
- should not begin with “This course…” or “watch this video” (they know they’re gonna watch a video because the icon will tell them what it is),
- should be addressed to the learner directly,
- should not need frequent updating,
- should always give the duration at the bottom (‘Duration: 5 minutes’ or ‘Duration: 43 slides plus appendix’).
Bad example: