Department of English Old Dominion University Fall 2016

ENGL 334W
Technical Writing
Spring 2017

Instructor:
Email:

Delivery:
Website:

Physical Office:
Office Hours:
WebEx:

Dr. Daniel P. Richards

dprichar@odu.edu
Asynchronous
techwriting334.wordpress.com
BAL 5032 / BAL 2019
TR 8:00a-9:30a (WebEx or in-person)
odu.webex.com/meet/dprichar

Overview
Technical writing refers to both a field of academic study as well as a mode of writing. To
learn about technical writing then means thinking critically about the ways writing takes
place in technical contexts as well as becoming more astute and proficient with writing in
a technical fashion. We will broach both aspects by working with relevant and
preparatory projects, genres, and technologies through the lens of guiding theories and
principles developed in the field.
Course Delivery
This course runs via asynchronous delivery. Students can expect to spend about 2-3 hours
per week on readings and video lectures and about 5-6 hours per week on assignments.
Course Texts
Krug, S. (2006). Dont make me think: A common sense approach to web usability. 2nd edition.

Berkeley, CA: New Riders Publishing.
Sword, H. (2016). The writers diet: A guide to fit prose. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tebeaux, E., & Dragga, S. (2015). The essentials of technical communication. 3rd edition. New

York: Oxford University Press.
Photo credit: Huffington Post (http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2534202/images/o-COMPLEXITY-facebook.jpg).

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Course Website & Blackboard

This course has its own website: techwriting334.wordpress.com. It is in the students best
interest to bookmark this site in their web browser as this will be the main source of
lecture delivery, assignment descriptions, and readings. Blackboard will be used only for
the submission of assignments/quizzes and access to grades and feedback.
Email Policy
All emails sent to the instructor must have the following elements: pertinent title,
appropriate greeting, clear sentences, concise paragraphs, and a signature indicating full
name. It is expected that students check their Old Dominion email account daily.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism will result in the failure of the assignment and possibly of the course. Students
cannot use work completed for credit in previous courses to count towards this course nor
can they lift ideas or content from a print or online source without proper citation.
Accommodations
In accordance with university policy, a student who wishes to receive some instructional
accommodation because of a documented sensory and/or learning disability should
contact the instructor to discuss this accommodation. Any student who has a concern or
needs to make special arrangements for meeting the requirements of the course is
encouraged to speak with the instructor. The instructor must be notified in the first two
weeks of the course of any students requiring accommodations. If you have questions
about assistance, please contact the Office of Educational Accessibility at 757-683-4655
or visit odu.edu/educationalaccessibility.
Student Athletes
If you are a student athlete, please provide your travel schedule and game schedule
indicating when you will need to participate in athletic events. While travel for athletics is
acceptable, the student will need to make up any missed work.
Submitting Assignments & Late Policy
Assignments are due at 11:59pm of the due date specified in the syllabus. If there are
issues with Blackboard submissions, it is the students responsibility to send the work via
email to the professor as backup. Late assignments will receive a third of a letter grade
penalty per day late, including weekends. Extensions will be negotiated on a situational
basis but permission must be sought in advance and for legitimate reasons.
Weighting Scale
Letter grades will be assigned for each assignment and are enumerated as such:
A (92.5-100)
B+ (87.5-89.9)
C+ (77.5-79.9)
D+ (67.5-69.9) F (<59.9)
A- (90-92.4)
B (82.5-87.4)
C (72.5-77.4)
D (62.5-67.4)



B- (80-82.4)
C- (70-72.4)
D- (60-62.4)

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Assignments & Schedule

Students will complete a variety of assignments ranging in genre, length, and depth. In
general, 7% in weighting represents one weeks worth of work (i.e., the visual redesign
project is one week in length, while the instructions project is two).

Assignment


The Writers Diet Exercises
Email



Employment Packet

Visual Redesign


Instructions


UX/Usability Testing

Informal Report

Weight
2%
7%
7%
7%
14%
21%
42%

Timeline
Weeks 1-15
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Weeks 4-5
Week 6-8
Weeks 9-15

Due
Intermittent
Jan. 15
Jan. 22
Jan. 29
Feb. 12
Mar. 5
Apr. 23

The assignments build on each other and are aimed at improving students ability to write
technically through composing genres and engaging in projects relevant to work in
technical writing/communication and workplace communication across all fields. Finer
details of each assignment will be communicated in a timely fashion on the website.
Writers Diet Exercises
Intermittently, students will be asked to complete exercises adapted from Swords
The Writers Diet (2016). These exercises will be in the form of assignments on
Blackboard. Students will also be asked to apply the Writers Diet Test on various
assignments on reflect and improve on the results.
Email
Students will compose an email inquiring into a potential work opportunity at an
organization of their choice. The email (300 words) must consist of the elements
of a professional email outlined in chapter 7 of Tebeaux and Draggas textbook.
Employment Packet
Students will compose an employment packet consisting of a personally-relevant
job advertisement, cover letter (one page), rsum (one to two pages), and brief
reflection (300 words) outlining the rhetorical choices made to tailor their work
materials to the ad.
Visual Redesign
Students will complete a brief case study of a workplace scenario in which they
will offer suggestions on how a co-worker could improve three technical
illustrations. Informed by the guidelines in chapters 3 and 6 of Tebeaux and
Draggas textbook, students will redesign the three problematic illustrations using a
technology of their choice and attach a brief memo (300 words) rationalizing their
design choices.

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Instructions
Students will compose a set of instructions that details an important technical task
to be completed in a workplace, academic, or online setting. The task must have at
least six discrete steps, incorporate visual aids, and abide by the principles of
effective instructional documentation as outlined in chapter 10 of Tebeaux and
Draggas textbook.
UX/Usability Testing
Students will complete a UX/usability case study that features an interactive
science communication web tool. Positioned as the user, students will become
briefly enculturated into the world of UX/usability by way of testing and will
make recommendations by way of a usability report (1500 words) outlining
feedback for improved design based on the principles and examples covered in
Krugs Dont Make Me Think (2006).
Informal Report
Students will compose a report based upon their primary and secondary research
into a case study provided by the professor. Common in many workplaces, an
informal report is a technical document explaining a complex topic or problem to
a given audience and advocating for a specific solution for the purpose of
informing future decision-making. The report will be informal in nature (6 single
space pages excluding title page and references) and will incorporate original
illustrations based upon the primary research conducted by the student. The
primary research will take the form of surveys and the secondary research will take
the form of internet and journal articles pertinent to the topic at hand. Students
can use the material in chapter 8 of Tebeaux and Draggas textbook for guidance
on how to design and structure the report.
Assessment
Student work will be assessed using grading rubrics in Blackboard. To view the criteria of
each assignment and breakdown of grading, click on the assignment dropbox link and
then on the rubric. Only work uploaded through Blackboard dropboxes will be graded
using the rubric and receive qualitative feedback. Late assignments will receive neither.
Withdrawal
A syllabus constitutes a contract between the student and the course instructor.
Participation in this course indicates your acceptance of its content, requirements, and
policies. If you believe that the nature of this course does not meet your interests, needs
or expectations (amount of work involved, class meetings, assignment deadlines, course
policies, etc.), you should drop the class by the drop/add deadline, which is indicated in
the ODU Schedule of Classes.