Technical

Writing

Old Dominion University

ENGL334W.wordpress.com
Spring 2015

Dr. Daniel P. Richards

Department of English
dprichar@odu.edu
Office: BAL 4054
Hours: T+R 3p-4p

Technical writingalso known as technical communication, business writing, or professional

writingis a broad field of study with many avenues of research and practice in a variety of
workplace settings. From the more traditional writing of user manuals and research reports, to the
more contemporary applications in public relations, visual rhetoric, and social media, the type of
work technical writers do depends more on the individual organizational context than a universal
job description. In asking students to think deeper about workplace communication, this course
explores the patterns and boundaries of technical writing as a field within English but more
importantly aims to help students cultivate the skills required to be an effective and marketable
technical writer, namely critical thinking, collaboration, clear written, visual, and oral
communication, argumentation, reading comprehension, technological proficiency, and problem
solving. This course, then, requires students to assume two different roles: an academic
undergraduate student studying technical writing and a technical writer who is actively working
to solve real problems. These aims will be facilitated through inquiry and practice, as we pose and
continually circle back to the following questions:

What does it mean to be a technical writer?

How does rhetorical theory inform technical writing practice?
What are the patterns of practice shaping the field?
What makes for effective technical writing?

By the end of course, students will walk away with:

Knowledge of theories of technical writing

Ability to apply these theories of real technical writing projects
Technical proficiency in technologies used most commonly by technical writers
ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 1
Research skills in and about technical writing

Course Delivery

This course blends collaboration, lecture, workshop, and reflective modes of learning. You will be
given time during each class to work on your projects. Having time to work in class is not, contrary to
popular belief, a time to slack off; rather, it is a crucial time for you to work with technologies you
might only have access to at school and to work on high stakes projects with peer and professor
assistance. Here is the specific time-based breakdown of each class this semester:
1:301:55
1:552:20
2:202:45

Activity
Lecture
Workshop/Reflection

Course Website & Blackboard

This course has its own website: engl334w.wordpress.com. It is in the students best interest to
bookmark this site in their web browser as this will be the main hub of information delivery,
assignment access, and readings. Blackboard will be used for the submission of some assignments
and for access to grades and feedback. As we all continue to learn about technical writing this
semester, we will discuss the reasons driving the decision of an instructor to create a separate,
standalone course website in addition to the institutional learning management system (LMS).

Textbook
The Essentials of Technical Communication (3e). Eds. Tebeaux and Dragga. Oxford UP.

Student Work Expectations

Each student will be expected to work approximately an average of 5 hours per week outside of
class time. This follows the general rule of thumb in university that students are expected to spend
twice the amount of hours outside of class on work as there are lecture hours. Thus, if you spend 2.5
hours in class, you will work 5 hours per class. If a student takes 5 courses, then that is 7.5 hours per
week per course, for a total of 37.5 hours per week. Hence the notion of a full time student. In
terms of our class specifically, you will be given time in class to work on your own projects. This is not
meant to replace work outside of the class, as it does not mean that whatever you get done in class
is sufficient. The expectation when I grade is that you are working on your projects outside of class
throughout the entire semester while using the time granted to you in class productively.

Attendance
Attendance is required. You can miss two classes; missing a third class affects your final grade.
Consistent lateness can also count towards an absence. Intellectual absences are also a thing, as
those who choose not to follow instructions or participate in a given class are at risk of being
assigned an absent for that day.
ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 2

Technology Requirements
Not having used WordPress is not an excuse in this class. You will be consistently challenged this
semester to engage in digital writing technologies that may be difficult and challenge you. This
requires a certain degree of patience and professionalism towards the learning process, as we are
all in this together. I have accounted for the high amount of technological work involved in this
course by lowering the word counts for the course overall. Specific technology requirements are as
follows:
Old Dominion email account and the ability to attach files
WordPress account
A thumb drive with a lot of free memory
Working knowledge of an Internet browser, a word processing program, and the ability to
convert files to PDF
Here is a list of the technologies we will learn how to use this semester:
Mac Operating System (OS)
WordPress
Google Drive
Social media platforms appropriate for sharing portfolio content
Bookmarking and annotating tools for web browsers
Much if not all of your work will be public, so be sure to think about your ethos and self-presentation
on the web before composing any content.

Email Policy
Being a student in an upper-level English course only heightens your responsibility to communicate
with your peers and professor with utmost professionalism in all forms of electronic communication.
All emails sent to the instructor must have the following characteristics: pertinent title, appropriate
greeting, clear sentences, concise paragraphs, and a signature indicating your full name.
I reserve the right to not respond to any email that does not fulfill the above characteristics or that
asks questions about the timeliness of grading and/or information presented clearly presented in the
syllabus or website (you can ask for further clarification).
Do

Do Not

Check your email every weekday

Expect response within 48 hours
Think of your teacher as an academic
Write about concerns of learning

Check it once a week

Expect a response outside of the 8am-5pm block
Think of your teacher as a customer service agent
Write about grading timelines

ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 3

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism

Plagiarism will result in the failure of the assignment and possibly the failure 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 an online source.

Cell Phones, Laptops, & Computer Lab Etiquette

Phones can be used for emergencies only, and ringers must be turned off upon entering class.
Students seen attending to their phones for purposes outside of class activities will lose participation
points. During class time, your full attention is expected. Lab computers will be used for class
activities and work on projects only. Browsing the Internet for personal purposes during class time is
strongly discouraged and will affect your participation grade. Please use the allotted break times for
personal phone and computer use.

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 meet with 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 me with your travel schedule and game schedule
indicating when you will need to miss class to participate in athletic events. While travel for athletics
is an excused absence, you will need to make up any missed work.

Submitting Assignments
Deadlines are important and it is imperative that you abide by them. Assignments are due by either
(a) 1:30pm in class as a hard copy or (b) 11:59pm on the specific due date to the appropriate drop
box on Blackboard unless otherwise stated. If for some reason there are issues with uploading
online, it is your responsibility to send a link via email to me 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.

ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 4

Deliverables
Jo Allen (1990) argues, quite justifiably, that technical writing is one-third working collaboratively,
one-third writing proficiency, and one-third solving problems. The weight of the deliverables this
semester reflects this idea, as

30% of the final grade is allocated to working collaboratively (Participation, Class Project),
30% of the final grade is allocated to writing proficiency (Portfolio), and
30% of the final grade is allocated to solving problems (Public Problem)

The remaining 10% is allocated towards marketing these skills, specifically through a project focusing
on the development of important employment materials (cover letters, rsums, and online profiles).
As a final note, all deliverables1 must be completed in order to pass the class.
15% Class Participation
Students will be assessed holistically based upon their level of participation and their
completing and submitting of assigned activities and tasks. At the end of the semester,
students will be assigned a letter grade based on the combination of: attendance, intellectual
attentiveness, completion of in-class activities (especially peer review sessions), engagement
with assigned readings, and collaborative attitude. Some of these factors are of course highly
subjective, but use this to your advantagemake yourself a memorable and substantive
contributor to the highly participatory class culture.
15% Class Collaborative Project: Developing a User Manual
Each member of the class will be a part of the team developing A Composition Instructor's
Guide to Google Drive. This is a service-learning project aimed at the development of a
technical user guide for teachers implementing portfolios into their classroom. Students will
receive individual grades and will be working on specific tasks towards the larger goal of the
project. Students will engage in different forms of project management, a key skill in
technical writing, and will be assessed not only on their completion of the task but on their
ability to engage in these project management techniques. Tasks will be assigned based upon
previous experience, skill sets, and student preferences. The tasks are as follows:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Interviews (x2)
Online surveys
Document design
Structure and organization
Process description content writing (x2)
Image capturing
Usability testing (x2)

Students can sign up for a preferred task on the course website, on a first-come, first-serve
basis. Please review the descriptions and the course schedule below before making an
informed decision.
1

A deliverable is just another word for thing that needs to be turned in.
ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 5

1) Interviews (x23)
Interviews can be a crucial component to technical writing, since conducting primary
research is often the best way to get at the heart of the real issue. Because interviews
are so important, there will be two students assigned to this task. These two students
will: (a) Create the interview questions in order to find out more information about the
meaning and context of the project; (b) Conduct interviews with the main stakeholders;
and (c) Report back to the class on the main ideas, concerns, and obstacles.
Skills required: Personable, good listener
Skills preferred: Primary research, interviewing experience
Due date: February 12
2) Online Surveys
Of course, there is always more information to be gleaned from a project than just
interviews. Online surveys are a great way to elicit responses from the actual users of a
given process or product. This student will use Qualtrics, the main Old Dominion
survey creation tool, and compose a series of questions for instructors on their
experience using Google Drive in their classrooms. This student will also report back
their findings to the class in the form of a professional memorandum.
Skills required: Web browser
Skills preferred: Experience with Qualtrics or similar
Due date: February 12
3) Process Description Content Writing (x2)
This task requires two students not only because manuals should take into
consideration more than one viewpoint but also because there is the most text with this
task. Here, the two students will work together to focus on the actual writing of the
manual processes instructions. This includes identifying the sequence for the user and
writing clear instructions guiding users along in the process of using Google Drive.
Skills required: High level writing proficiency, clear writing
Skills preferred: Background in technical/workplace writing
Due date: February 26
4) Document Design
This task is best reserved for a student who is proficient or savvy with a specific Word
processing program that will allow for effective design for the task at hand. This student
is responsible for providing the main designthe overall look and feelof the user
manual, which will provide consistency in design for the entire document. This student
will also be the main key holder of the document.
Skills required: High proficiency with Microsoft Word
Skills preferred: Adobe InDesign or similar
Due date: March 3
ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 6

5) Structure and Organization

This task is more conceptual but also requires some technical expertise, mainly with the
formatting of a Word document and the insertion of images into a document. This
student, while working closely with the document designer, will ensure that the table of
contexts, paragraph structuring, sequencing, and image placement all reflect the
principles of effective page design.
Skills required: High proficiency with Microsoft Word
Skills preferred: Adobe InDesign or similar
Due date: March 3
6) Image Capturing
This student will work very closely with the two students in charge of task five, simply
because the text and visuals of a user manual are so intertwined with each other. Every
effective user manuals consist of visuals that help the user navigate the complex
process. This student is in charge of going through the process of Google Drive for
instructors and taking strategic screenshots of the process.
Skills required: Experience with image capturing software, shortcuts
Skills preferred: High proficiency with Microsoft Word
Due date: March 5
7) Usability Testing (x2)
This task usually takes place when the productin our case a user manualis near
completion. Usability testing is simply the act and process of testing out a product on
actual users and making observations about the users use of the product. This task will
require an individual to sit by a computer and observe an actual users use the manual
and make note of how and when the user manual is effective and ineffective. These
students will report back to the class and suggest revisions that need to be made.
Skills required: Observation skills, computer expertise
Skills preferred: Usability testing experience
Due date: March 24
The due dates for these tasks above are primarily for the first iteration of the document. Once
the usability testing is conducted, students will have to make revisions either to the process,
writing, design, or organization of the document. Thus, the due dates are general guidelines
that help students see when the main bulk of work will be carried out but are by no means an
indication of when the work on this project will end. This document, like most documents, is a
continuous project that will continue to be shaped and reformed by new ideas, information,
and user experience. Each student will be assessed and graded based upon the expectations
for each given task. As such, each student will have different deliverables, deadlines, and
overall scope of assessment. Details will be discussed on an individual basis throughout the
semester through emails and face-to-face meetings.
ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 7

30% Portfolio
Each student will use WordPress to create an online, public portfolio. The portfolio is broken
up into three separate but closely related categories: aesthetic, substance, and technical.
The Aesthetic
Each site will have a theme selected that appropriately reflects the nature of the content
and the students academic and/or professional interests. The overall presentation of the
portfolio is an important part of the portfolio as a whole. One of the key features of the site
will be the landing page, where the student will introduce visitors/users to the portfoliothis
requires an identification of purpose as well as a brief but adequate biography.
The Technical
Of course all of this wonderful content will go unnoticed if it is not accessible, usable, and/or
easily findable. Each portfolio, in addition to an appropriate theme, a landing page, and
content, will need to be presented using the appropriate technical affordances of WordPress.
Attention must be paid to: widgets, functional and well-integrated hyperlinks, effective
navigation menus and attention to information design, and an overall usable interface.
The Substance
The portfolio will consist of three pieces of technical writing and a reflection. You have
choice in terms of the content matter:
Object Description (10%): Write an explanatory description of a complex technical
object or scientific process to an audience of nonexperts. The description will be onepage, single-spaced with 12-point Times New Roman font and will be composed in
Microsoft Word before being uploaded to your portfolio. Object descriptions have the
following characteristics:

Plain or clear language

Clarity of ideas
Concise explanation of jargon and key terms
Audience awareness
Shorter sentences
Ethos of expertise

Unsurprisingly, a strong description requires research, outlining, drafting, peer review,

and careful copy-editing before it is considered ready to be read by the appropriate
audience. While the final deliverable may be short, the amount of writing and thought
required to compose an effective object description is rather substantial. See the
schedule below for due dates for outlines, drafts, peer review sessions, and for the final
due date.
ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 8

How-To Guide (10%): Write a set of instructions using text and visuals that will help
users complete a task (based on instructables.com). These instructions must take users
through a technical process of at least ten discrete steps and must include an
introduction and visuals created or taken by the student. The How-To Guides will be
assessed by if and how well they possess the following characteristics:

A narrative situating the process being described

An understanding of the audience at hand, and what the users might find
particularly difficult (strong anticipation)
A strong attention to detail in visuals
An evident commitment to clear language
An understanding of the function of transitional language
An attention to format and genre

As the object description, this deliverable requires outlining, drafting, and peer review.
Visual (Re)Design (10%): Students will choose an infographic and redesign it using a
technology of their choice to either more accurately portray data or use the same data
to portray a different argument. The original design and redesign, along with a threepage explanation, will be combined into a single document. This explanation will
describe in detail the rationale behind the design and redesign choices and how the
portrayal of data in this specific instance is making a particular argument and what
exactly the student thinks this argument to be. The technology used to create the
infographic is entirely up to the student, although students are encouraged to use a
technology with which they are less familiar. Visual design is an increasingly important
component to workplace and public communication so it is only fitting that we engage
in a type of communication that is most informative and persuasive.
30% Public Problem: A Report
Each student will locate, analyze, and recommend a solution to a public communication
problem. This falls under the genre of an informal technical report (Ch. 8). All around us
there are failures of communication or just ways that public communication can be improved.
Take a look at this example of a street sign, or this one on a boarding pass. Part of being an
effective communicator is actually seeing the often subtle, nuanced ways that the world can
be improved through more effective communication, much of which falls under the heading of
technical writing/communication. Each student will take time and locate one such instance of
an opportunity to more effectively communication information to the public and think and
write about it over the course of the semester. The process of each report requires more
submissions than just the final report, however. In addition to the report, each student will
write and have graded separately:

Location of Public Problem: An informational email message outlining the main

idea (Ch. 7)
Update on Research and Writing: One progress report (Ch. 9)
Reflection: Memo on the research process (Ch. 7)
ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 9

In terms of the final report, each individual report must do, have, or consist of the
following:
2000 words in length (approximately 8 double-spaced pages)
Formatted in accordance with the informal technical report genre outlined in our
course text (headings, subheadings, etc.)
Written for a specific audience identified by the student
Contain three visuals (Ch. 6), formatted properly into the Word document
Include a references page with at least 4 research sources (can be primary or
secondary, including print or online)
Overall, the Public Problem Report is worth 100 points and is broken down as such:
Location of Public Problem Email
2 points
Update on Research and Writing
10 points
Final Informal Technical Report
80 points
Reflection Memo
8 points
10% Job Materials: Rsum and Cover Letter
Students will submit a rsum and cover letter aimed at responding to a specific job ad the
student locates on their own and that is related to their future career trajectory. The rsum
must be at least one page and the cover letter should be three substantial paragraphs
(introduction, body, and conclusion). Both documents should be informed by Chapter 12 of
the course textbooknamely, the documents should composed with consideration of design
principles, audience, and ultimately the specific job ad at hand. The rsum and cover letter
will be assessed by how well they follow design principles and above all else how well they
are tailored to the individual job ad. The full PDF document should include the following, in
this order:

The job advertisement itself, highlighted for key words

The cover letter
The rsum
A 2-page, double-spaced reflection outlining the decisions made in terms of
formatting, style, and choice and framing of content

Note on Revision Policy

There will be ample opportunities for revision throughout the semester. Students can choose to
revise their portfolio pieces in between the time of original assessment and the due date of the final
portfolio. For example, if a student receives a B- on the Object Description due February 12, the
student can choose to revise the piece for the April 28 portfolio deadline and receive a higher grade,
if: (a) the product is substantially improved, (b) the student followed the feedback given by the
instructor, and (c) the revision is accompanied by an email outlining specifically the revisions made to
the piece and the rationale behind them.

ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 10

Weighting Scale
Letter grades will be assigned for each component of the course. They are enumerated as such:
A
A-

92.5-100
90-92.4

B+
B
B-

87.5-89.9
82.5-87.4
80-82.4

C+
C
C-

77.5-79.9
72.5-77.4
70-72.4

D+
D
D-

67.5-69.9
62.5-67.4
60-62.4

<59.9

Late assignments will receive a penalty of 1/3 of a letter grade per day, including weekends.

Assessment and Drafts

All deliverables will be assessed in accordance with the following system, which is informed by four
of the five canons of rhetoric:

Concept: Purpose, audience, effective research, knowledge of a topic

Structure: Strong thesis, logical and detailed argument, exploration, explanation,
effective paragraph organization
Design: Document design, professional pages, accurate visuals, usable for readers,
technically sound
Style, Grammar, and Mechanics: Sentence-level organization, prose, grammar,
punctuation, mechanics, citation

Students will receive feedback on their work during the drafting phases, one time per portfolio
piece and twice per public problem report, in accordance with this system to prepare for the final
grading. The feedback window runs for a full week beginning on the date the first copy is due. See
schedule for the individual dates of all deliverables.

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.

ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 11

Course Schedule
The course schedule below is subject to change. Follow course site and check email for any updates.
Week 1
Jan 13

Agenda
Readings
Goals, Expectations, Definitions STC

Due

Jan 15

On Reading

Gee
P. Malone

WordPress.org Setup

Week 2
Jan 20

Agenda
History of Technical Writing

Readings
Connors

Due

Jan 22

Project Task Mgmt: Methods

Guest: Daniel Hocutt

Ch. 1

Class Project Sign-Up Sheet

Week 3
Jan 27

Agenda
Audience and Readability

Readings
Ch. 4
Okrent

Due
Outline of Object Description

Jan 29

Information Management
Guests: Dr. Rodrigo & Ms. Mize

Week 4
Feb 3

Agenda
Readings
Peer Review: Object Description

Due
Draft of Object Description

Feb 5

Emails and Ethos

Ch. 7

Week 5
Feb 10

Agenda
The Writing Process(es)

Readings
Ch. 2
Wu

Due
Location of Public Problem

Feb 12

Font

Vsauce

Week 6
Feb 17

Agenda
Punctuation

Readings
The Visual
N. Malone

Due
Object Description

Feb 19

Instructions

Ch. 10

Snow Day Exercise

ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 12

Week 7
Feb 24

Agenda
No Class

Readings

Due
Outline of How-To Guide

Feb 26

Instructions, Wireframing

Ch. 5
Lewis

Week 8
March 3

Agenda
Progress Reports

Readings
Ch. 9 (p. 255273)

Due
Draft of How-To Guide

March 5

Usability

Kamprani

Update on Public Problem

Week 9
March 10

Agenda
Spring Holiday: No Class

Readings

Due

March 12

Spring Holiday: No Class

Week 10
March 17

Agenda
No Class: Online Peer Review

Readings
Ch. 8 (p. 181208)

Due
How-To Guide Peer Review

March 19

No Class

How-To Guide

Week 11
March 24

Agenda
Solving Problems

Readings
Ch. 8 (p. 181208)

Due
Draft of Public Problem

March 26

Reviewing Class User Manual

Week 12
March 31

Agenda
Visual Ethics

Readings
Ch. 3
JLARC

Due

April 2

Visual Rhetoric

Ch. 6

Sketch Visual (Re)Design

Week 13
April 7

Agenda
Revisiting Public Problems

Readings

Due

April 9

Peer Review of Visual (Re)Design

Draft of Visual (Re)Design

Week 14

Agenda

Due

Readings

ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 13

April 14

The Circulation of Reports

Public Problem Report

April 16

Discussing (Re-Designs)

Visual (Re)Design

Week 15
April 21

Agenda
Cover Letters

Readings
Ch. 12

Due

April 23

Rsums

Ch. 12

Class Collaborative Project

Week 16
April 28

Agenda
Reflexivity

Readings
Schon

Due
Final Portfolio
Job Materials
Reflections

ENGL 334W: Technical Writing | Spring 2015 | 14