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Southern Utah University

Spring Semester 2026

Technical Writing (Online)

COMM 4240-32I

Course:	COMM 4240-32I
Credits:	3
Term:	Spring Semester 2026
Department:	COMM
CRN:	11454

Introduction

Welcome to COMM 4240: Technical Writing & Communication, the course where you learn that writing is not about being “creative” but about making sure someone does not blow up a nuclear reactor because you misused a comma.
Technical writing is what happens when society collectively admits that no one knows how to operate anything. Microwaves, car manuals, prescription bottles—without technical writers, humanity would still be trying to figure out which side of the toaster makes the toast. This class is about precision: the right word in the right place at the right time. It is not about sounding fancy; it is about preventing chaos, lawsuits, and tragic encounters with IKEA furniture.
By the end of this course, you will have the power to write instructions so clear that even your technologically hopeless uncle—the one who still thinks “the cloud” is a weather pattern—will be able to set up a Wi-Fi router without calling you in tears. You will transform vague hand-waving into flowcharts, cryptic jargon into clarity, and impenetrable science into something your neighbor’s golden retriever could almost understand.
Think of yourself as a translator between geniuses and the rest of us. Engineers build rocket ships, chemists discover things that explode, doctors prescribe potions that sound like spells—and you will explain all of it in plain English so no one dies. That is technical writing. Glamorous? Maybe not. Essential? Absolutely.

Course Description

The SUU General Catalog asserts that this course "focuses on practical types of writing used in business and industry. Using principles of analyzing and planning to meet the reader's informational needs, students produce proposals, instructions, and the various types of informative and persuasive reports used in organizations." While this description provides a broad and reasonably accurate overview of the class, it does not address one of its most important components — the effort to help students get over their fear of writing.
Let's face it: Most students would rather not take this course. They dread it and wait to enroll until they no longer have a choice. It's not that they're lazy; it's just that they're afflicted by a severe case of scriptophobia—an honest, intense fear of writing, especially when that writing will be read by others.
It is unfortunate that so many students suffer from scriptophobia, but it is also a problem this course strives to address. Why? Because effective writing skills are needed, and in some cases required, in most professions and vocations. Anyone who hopes to be successful in his/her/their chosen field will almost assuredly be required to write well.
Our primary objective is to help you develop skills that will allow you to write with confidence in the workplace , leading to effective completion of work-related writing assignments. We will focus on various types of work-related writing, as well as skill sets that will help students prepare to write more effectively and present their work in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Required Texts

The textbook for this course is Markel's Practical Strategies for Technical Communication, 5th ed. MacMillan (ISBN 978-1-319-56871-9). We will use the text as a supplement to our lessons; several assignments will require you to consult the book. The text is provided via the SUU Bookstore's Inclusive Access program, and required readings have been inserted into our modules. Although you have the opportunity to opt out of Inclusive Access and make your own arrangements to buy the book, please do not opt out and then try to skate by without it. That would be a mistake.

Learning Outcomes

If you successfully complete this course, you will be able to:

Explain and implement the audience-based approach to workplace writing projects.
Demonstrate proficiency in key technical writing skills: AI prompt engineering, audience analysis, research and information literacy, document design, and basic graphics.
Produce effective workplace communications, including memos, business letters, proposals, outlines, progress reports, and in-depth technical reports.

Contacting the Instructor

I am your instructor this semester; my name is Dr. Paul Husselbee. I began teaching at SUU in August 2000. I am in my 31st year of university teaching. I try to be friendly, and I am always willing to help students. To maintain appropriate boundaries between us, I ask that you do not call me "Paul." Instead, I prefer "Dr. H."
Here are several ways you can contact me:

Virtual Office Hours are conducted via Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. If these times are inconvenient for you, please contact me via Canvas message and provide at least three (3) days and times when you are available. I will choose one that works for me, or suggest an alternative.
My Zoom Personal Meeting ID is 809 375 6892; the passcode is DRH2026.
For day-to-day inquiries about class, the best and most effective way to contact me is Canvas message rather than email. Canvas messages are appropriate for questions about assignments, requests for Zoom conferences, and the occasional heads-up when you know an assignment will be submitted late.
The Comment feature at the end of an assignment is not an appropriate venue for asking questions. If you have specific questions or observations about an assignment, please go to your Canvas Inbox and compose a new message there.
You may contact me via email at husselbee@suu.edu if the nature of your message to me is formal or personal. If you send an email, please follow up with a Canvas message requesting that I check my email for your message.
Telephone conferences are available as needed. To request a phone call, please send me a Canvas message that includes your phone number and several good times to call. I will return your call as soon as possible. Please expect a call from a restricted number.
I do my best to respond to students' questions in timely fashion. However, if you attempt to contact me too late in the day (usually after 5 p.m.), you should not expect a response until the next day.

On-Going Communication

When you first log in to Canvas, please make a habit of checking the course Home page right away. I will post announcements, reminders, or other important information on the Home page as needed. Sometimes, I will post links to helpful resources or links to interesting articles that have to do with what we're learning in class. Often, I will deliver pertinent information about the course or give you a heads-up or reminder about what's coming up in the near future.
That's one avenue of on-going communication between us, but communication is a two-way street, or so we've been told. I cannot help you or answer your questions if you don't ask. I encourage you to contact me via Canvas message when you have questions or desire help with assignments. As I noted above, please do not try to ask important questions using the Comment section when you view graded assignments. After I have graded an assignment, I am unlikely to see those messages.

Attendance Policy

This is an asynchronous online course. It is found at https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1153548, which serves as the Home page. Because this is an online course, there are no designated days, times, or places for lectures or class meetings.
In recognition of the fact that some students in distance-education courses—especially students with full-time jobs—prefer to complete assignments on the weekends, our weekly schedule begins on Monday and ends on the following Sunday. Most assignments are due on Saturday or Sunday.
The course is set up so that you may work at your own pace — as long as you complete required activities and exercises in order and by the scheduled deadlines, which are set based on the Mountain Time (USA) zone.

Course Requirements

This course is designed to meet federal and institutional expectations for student workload, while supporting meaningful engagement with intercultural communication theory and practice. Students should expect to devote approximately 8–10 hours per week to course activities, including assigned readings and media, learning activities, application assignments, and exam preparation. The course is organized into 12 instructional units, each aligned with a single week of instruction.
Assignments fit into one of these categories:

Discussion & Reflection — These low-stakes learning activities are designed to promote engagement, critical thinking, and application of technical writing concepts without overburdening students. We will complete three assignments in this category, each worth 10 points.
Allied Skills — These medium-stakes assignments are designed to embed principles through application of specific course concepts to your final paper. We will complete three such assignments, each worth 20 points.
Writing — These high-stakes assigned invite you to apply the course concepts to specific writing challenges, each of which is related to your final paper. We will complete four such assignments, each worth 30 points.
Final Paper — We will begin work on the final paper almost immediately and complete it through a scaffolded approach that incorporates allied skills and writing assignments to build the paper one piece at a time. The final product will be submitted for review; it is worth 90 points.
Exams — Two exams—a Midterm and a Final—provide structured opportunities for you to demonstrate conceptual understanding and applied knowledge. Exams are balanced with coursework so that no single assessment disproportionately determines the final grade.

The course avoids excessive weekly assignments, limits high-stakes testing, and maintains a predictable instructional rhythm, although some shifting of gears from one module to the next will be required. This design ensures academic rigor while maintaining an appropriate balance of low-stakes, medium-stakes, and high-stakes learning opportunities, which is appropriate for senior-level students in an online learning environment.

Grading Distribution
Discussion-Reflection

Three low-stakes assignments @ 10 points each; 30 points total (8% of the semester grade)

Allied Skills

Three medium-stakes assignments @ 20 points each; 60 points total (17% of the semester grade)

Writing

Four high-stakes assignments @ 30 points each; drop lowest score; 90 points total (25% of the semester grade)

Final Paper

Scaffolded writing assignment @ 90 points total (25% of the semester grade)

Exams

Midterm @ 45 points; Final @ 45 points; 90 points total (25% of the semester grade)

Grading Policies

Where grades are concerned, these policies apply:

Grading Philosophy. Assessment is based on performance rather than effort. If you're unhappy with the grade, please improve the performance. You may request individual help in tutorials, and I am always happy to oblige, but your performance depends on you and the extent to which you demonstrate a mastery of the curriculum. Please keep in mind that I do not give you grades; you earn them. As I am fond of saying, "This is your ball game; I just keep the score."
The Only Failure is the Failure to Try. In my world, no student who makes an honest effort is a failure, even if the quality of his or her work does not reach the level of average or better. If you try, you cannot fail. The only failure is the student who does not try..
Assessment Rubrics. In the interest of fairness, consistency, and transparency, each assignment is evaluated using a rubric that provides the assessment criteria. These criteria are tied to our Learning Outcomes. You earn points based on the extent to which you achieve the objectives defined in the assessment criteria of the rubric. Students who are concerned about their grades should study the grading rubric for each assignment and allow it to guide their work.
Blind, Random Assessment. No, that does not mean that I blindly and random grade student papers. It means (1) that I assess assignments in random order, which is generated by a computer app, and (2) that I try not to put a student's name to the paper I am grading. The process is my best effort to ensure fairness and transparency in the assessment process. You can help in two (2) ways:
1. First, please do not put your name at the top of your paper. Canvas allows me to download all papers and grade them randomly and anonymously. I will match your paper with your submission through the Canvas portal after I have graded all the papers.
2. Second, please do not add superfluous details at the top of the page. Since you already submit all assignments through the Canvas portal, so I already know the name/title of the assignment. It is also unnecessary to include the date, the course title, my name, or a URL where I might obtain a couple of toe-nail clippings to verify your DNA. (I already know the first three on that list, and I don't want or need to know the last one.) All I need is your assignment.
Assessment Feedback. In general, I provide feedback in two places:
1. Rubric Criteria. Each criterion in the assessment rubric allows the instructor to provide specific feedback about the student's performance on that criterion. I will provide sustained feedback for each criterion of Embedded Principles assignments.
2. Comments. In addition to the feedback corresponding to the grading rubric criteria, I use the Comment function to provide feedback about overall performance. In some cases, feedback in the Comment section will include praise for a job well-done. In other instances, it may include a "Come to Jesus" admonition to improve the overall performance on our assignments.
Instructor Response Time. I prefer to grade assignments within three (3) days of the due date. That is not always possible, but I do my best to ensure a quick turn-around. All assignments submitted on time will be graded (and feedback provided, as needed) within seven (7) days of the due date.
Discussion of Grades. I will discuss grades on individual assignments up to three (3) days after the grade is given. If you can make a cogent argument in favor of increasing a grade, I will consider it. After that point, I will not alter grades. Unless you honestly believe I erred in computing your final grade, please do not email me after semester grades have been posted and beg for a higher grade. Any such request will be ignored.
Rounding Up. When computing semester grades, Dr. H does not round up. If you're looking for an A, you must have more than your toenails on the line.
Time Zone. Southern Utah University operates in the Mountain Time zone in the United States. The deadlines for assignments are relative to the Mountain Time zone. If you live in another time zone, it is up to you to make the necessary adjustment so that your work is submitted on time.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

With respect to assignments, these policies apply:

Discussion-Reflection and Allied Skill assignments may be submitted a day late with a 10% grade reduction.
Writing assignments may be submitted late up to three days after the due date. Late assignments incur an automatic, non-negotiable grade penalty of 10% for the first late day and an additional 10% for each subsequent day. After three (3) days, your carriage turns into a pumpkin.
The Final Paper is due on the final day of class instruction. It may be submitted late during Finals Week; the grade penalty is 10% per day.
Exams are governed by strict deadlines. Late exams are not available without prior arrangement with the instructor or a bona fide emergency (see below).

The only exceptions to the sensible, plain-spoken rules outlined here are serious illness, family emergency, or university-related travel (see below). Such situations must be documented to my satisfaction. I am the sole and final arbiter of what constitutes an "emergency."

University-Related Travel
Students required to travel for university-related activities, such as athletics, are expected to complete quizzes and homework assignments before traveling.

However, they may make arrangements to submit assignments late, as long as they do so before leaving campus.
If arrangements are not made before the trip, missed quizzes and late assignments will not be excused, and the late-work policies above apply.

LLMs and Use of Generative AI

Rapid advances in technology have given rise to Large Language Models, which are frequently referred to as "AI." Examples include ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, Owen, etc. They are an incredibly useful learning companion for people who cultivate the ability to use them correctly.
Unfortunately, a lot of students use AI models as a crutch. They copy the entire assignment, paste it in the prompt window, and hit the Enter key. Then they copy the output, paste it on a page, put their names on the top, and submit it as their own original work. Of course, that constitutes plagiarism (see below), which violates the academic integrity policy at SUU and every other reputable university in the world.
Let's be clear about the use of generative AI models in this course:
Some assignments in this course will permit AI use. However, that will not always be the case. It is up to you to know when AI is allowed and when it is not. I will make that clear in the assignment instructions.

If AI is prohibited, you will see an "AI Prohibited" warning near the end of the assignment. Please take it seriously.
If AI is permitted, the assignment will make that clear and explain the limits placed on AI use.
If you chose to use an AI model for an assignment that permits it, you are required to complete and submit the required AI Disclosure form that accompanies the assignment. Failure to properly disclose AI use by completing the form completely and honestly will be considered cheating. I am not bashful about imposing appropriate penalties.

Speaking of penalties, here is how that works:
If I suspect you have used an AI model, I will send you a Canvas message asking you to respond to that suspicion. That gives you an opportunity to tell the truth or to defend your work, both of which are required by fairness and due process.

Meanwhile, I will run your assignment through my AI-Detection GPT, which is extremely accurate and will generate a detailed report of its findings. If the GPT provides overwhelming evidence of unauthorized AI use (50% likelihood or greater), I will likely assess a grade of zero (0) on the first offense.
If there is a second offense, you will receive a formal Notice of Alleged Violation of Academic Integrity Policy, and we will proceed through the academic misconduct process overseen by the university's Academic Integrity specialist.

That may seem a little "over the top" to some students, but violation of the academic integrity policy is a serious matter. Also, please remember that your place as a student at this university is a privilege, not a right. When SUU accepted you, it rejected two other students who applied for admission. That alone suggests a moral duty to abide by the academic integrity policy.
On top of that, the ability to engage in sustained critical thought goes hand-in-hand with the notion of being a university student. Obviously, the goal is to learn to think for yourself. You cannot do that by taking shortcuts using AI models.

Communication Department AI Guideline
AI cannot substitute for foundational learning. Students must acquire disciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills in order to evaluate AI outputs appropriately. In cases where assignment instructions allow for AI use, students must certify that they have reviewed, verified, and edited all AI outputs, which may include AI prompts used. Students should treat AI as a partner in thought and creation, not as a shortcut or a substitute for human expertise, ethics, and judgment. Students should not input sensitive, personal, confidential, copyrighted or proprietary information into public AI tools as it is illegal and violates expectations of privacy and academic/creative work.
AI is allowed for certain assignments (see assignment instructions for details). Presenting AI-generated work as entirely one's own in a course that does not permit such use, or using AI in ways explicitly prohibited in assignment instructions, constitutes a violation of SUU Policy 6.33: Academic Misconduct and opens the violator up to a series of potential sanctions.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a form of cheating that violates the SUU Academic Integrity policy. Plagiarism may take several forms, including:

Direct Copying. Using text from other sources without quotation marks or attribution.
Paraphrasing Without Citation. Rewording ideas from other sources without citing them in the paper and providing an adequate reference.
Inadequate Paraphrasing. Making minimal changes to original text while claiming it as original work.
Self-Plagiarism. Submitting work from a previous course without permission from both instructors.
Mosaic or Patchwork Plagiarism. Mixing copied phrases or passages with original text and failing to credit external source material.
Ghost Writing. Having someone else write your work, or writing a paper for another student.
Contract Cheating. Purchasing a paper from an "essay mill" or other online source and submitting it as original work.
Fabricated Citations. Creating fake sources or misrepresenting real ones.

In this course, submitting plagiarized work is not tolerated. The process is similar to unauthorized AI use:

If I suspect you have engaged in plagiarism, I will send you a Canvas message asking you to respond to that suspicion. That gives you an opportunity to tell the truth or to defend your work, both of which are required by fairness and due process.
Meanwhile, I will run your assignment through CopyLeaks, the university's powerful plagiarism-detection app. CopyLeaks is extremely accurate and generates a detailed report of its findings. If CopyLeaks provides overwhelming evidence of plagiarism (60% likelihood or greater), I will likely assess a grade of zero (0) on the first offense.
If there is a second offense, you will receive a formal Notice of Alleged Violation of Academic Integrity Policy and we will proceed through the academic misconduct process overseen by the university's Academic Integrity specialist.

Ignorance and negligence do not excuse plagiarism. Please cite your sources when required to do so and do your own writing. If you're unsure about the nature of plagiarism or what constitutes plagiarism, please consult Plagiarism.org, which provides in-depth guidance on how to avoid plagiarism in your course work.

A Word to the Wise: Dr. H leads the league in catching plagiarists and AI cheaters. He takes no pleasure in punishing them, but he will do what is necessary to protect the academic integrity of the class, the other students, and the university as a whole. Please do not test him. Please! Thank you. 😉

Course Outline

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

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