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Southern Utah University

Summer Semester 2026

Technical Writing (Online)

COMM 4240-SW1

Course:	COMM 4240-SW1
Credits:	3
Term:	Summer Semester 2026
Department:	COMM
CRN:	20630

Course Description

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.

Required Texts

Kolin, Philip C. (2017) Successful Writing at Work (11th ed) ISBN 978-1-337-28501-8. No access code required.

Learning Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes

Compose a variety of well-structured, organized, grammatically correct forms of business and professional communications, including the use of properly documented outside sources.
Distinguish and analyze the basic elements of technical communications.

Course Objectives

Identify elements of professional written communication and describe how messages are adapted to various audiences and purposes.
Prepare and revise a variety of formal business communications, including letters, memos, instructions, reports, proposals, summaries to make them unified and well detailed. Develop and revise an effective resume.
Design effective visuals, and use electronic graphics to enhance business messages.
Write effective instructions that adapt the text to the previous knowledge and the needs of the audience, includes an introduction, definitions, preparations, and steps given as commands.
Propose, research and write a detailed individual technical document. This document can be, but is not limited to a proposal, grant request, white paper, users’ manual, detailed original instructions, small business plan, or other.

Course Requirements

Student Assignments

Required Reading Assignments: Textbook with associated reading quizzes
Required Writing Assignments: Resume, Letters, Proposals, Final Reports and other assignments.
Midterm and Final exams – Short answer, short essay, longer writing assignments.
Oral Presentation - a 3-4 minute oral presentation of term report

All assignments are to be produced on word-processing software and submitted digitally on CANVAS.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS and GRADING: Evaluation and Measurement of Objectives will take place through the following assignments.

(Details will be provided and assignments and points are subject to change with advance notice)

Examinations, Grading Policy, Attendance Policy, Class Fees

Both the midterm and final exam will be a short answer/essay/graphic design test worth 50 points. Study the reading assignments and the online notes to prepare for the tests. The chapter quizzes act as study guides. Grades will be based on a 100% scale.

Grade Breakdown

PLEASE ALLOW 3 – 7 DAYS FOR ASSIGNMENTS TO BE GRADED.

Assignments	Points Awarded	Total Possible
Introduction chat posted on CANVAS	10	10
Tech Writing in Your Field Memo	0 - 50	50
Introductory Memo to instructor	0 - 50	50
Style and format for your field memo	0 - 50	50
Initial Proposal Memo	0 - 50	50
Resume and Cover Letter	0 - 50	50
Instructions posted on Google Drive	0 - 50	50
Progress Report Memo 1 (this includes a sample section of the final report as a sample)	0 - 50	50
Oral Report w/visual aids professional attire, professional presentation	0 – 50	50
Final Report/Proposal w/ graphics, appropriate appendices, all other required elements. Huge deductions for poor grammar, spelling, and style.	0 – 100	100
Chapter Quizzes	15 quizzes of 10 pts each (auto graded on CANVAS)	150
Mid-Term (writing exercise)	0 – 50	50
Final Exam (writing and graphics exercise)	0 – 50	50
Total		760

Percentage and Grade
90% = As	80% = Bs	70% = Cs	60% = Ds	Below 60% = F

Course Outline

COURSE SCHEDULE - Communication 4240 – 31I – Summer 2026

Background and General Writing Tips — Week 1 (June 29 – July 3)

Course Introduction, What is technical writing? Chapter 1. Getting Started: Writing and Your Career. Four Keys to Effective Writing. Ethics in the workplace.
Begin drafting “In Your Field Memo”
Chapter 2. The Writing Process at Work, Discuss Resumes and Cover Letters
Chapter 1 Quiz due
Response to instructor video
Informal introduction chat posting
Begin drafting Introductory Memo
Chapter 2 (con’t). The Five Steps of the Writing Process.
Chapter 2 Quiz due
“In Your Field Memo” due
Begin drafting Initial Proposal Letter/Memo
Due July 6
Chapter 3. Collaborative Writing and Meetings at Work,
Discuss proposal memo
Planning effective meetings
Chapter 3 Quiz due Introductory Memo due
Topic video response

Correspondence — Week 2 (July 6 - 10)

Chapter 4 Correspondence, E-communications at work
Chapter 4 Quiz due
Style and Format in your Field Memo due
Improving Written Communication
Initial Proposal Letter/Memo due
Chapter 5 Writing Letters: Worldwide Audiences, International Audiences
Chapter 5 Quiz due
Begin work on resume and cover letter.
Due July 13
Chapter 6 Types of Business Letters, Complaint Letter.
Chapter 6 Quiz due
In-class exercise

Career and Job Communication — Week 3 (July 13 - 17)

Chapter 7 How to Get a Job, Resumes, Interviews Practice interviews
Complaint letter
Due July 20
Chapter 7 continue Passive vs. Active Writing. Action Verbs for resume (p. 256)
Chapter 7 Quiz due
Think about what instructions you might write

Research and Summarizing Information — Week 4 (July 20-23)

Chapter 12 Instructions (out of order!!!) Imperative Verbs (p. 491)
Chapter 12 Quiz due
Resume and Cover Letter due on CANVAS
Mid-term Test
Chapter 8 Doing Research and Documentation on the Job
Mid-term Due
Chapter 8 Quiz due
Begin drafting Instructions
More on Research, Library Research Chapter 9 Summarizing Information Persuasion theories
Chapter 9 Quiz due

Preparing Documents, Visuals and Presentations — Week 5 (July 27 - 31)

Chapter 10 Designing Clear Visuals, Charts, Graphs (p. 403)
Instructions due
Chapter 10 Quiz due
Begin drafting Progress Report Memo 1
Chapter 11 Designing Successful Documents and Websites, Font sizes,
Chapter 11 Quiz due

Finalizing Documents — Week 6 (Aug 3 - 7)

Chapter 13 Writing Winning Proposals
Chapter 13 Quiz due
Chapter 14 Writing Effective Short Reports
Chapter 14 Quiz due Progress Report Memo 1
Begin drafting complete paper
Chapter 15 Writing Careful Long Reports
Chapter 15 Quiz due

Preparing Reports (Aug 10)

Preparing Reports
Chapter 16 Presentations, Presentation format, modes
Chapter 16 Quiz due

Preparing Documents — Week 7 (Aug 10 - 14)

Class Members’ Presentations
Video presentation due. No vertical videos. Only horizontal videos allowed.
Points deducted for presentations that are shorter than 3 minutes and longer than 4.
Submit final report
Final Report/Proposal due
Due Aug 14
Final Exam
Final Exam due

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

FOR ANY CANVAS QUESTIONS: Contact the professor only for class questions, not CANVAS questions. It is the students’ responsibility to get up to speed and know how to use CANVAS. SUU provides CANVAS support for ANY CANVAS issues. This includes knowing how to access INSTRUCTOR FEEDBACK and COMMENTS, finding content in both the MODULES and ASSIGNMENTS (Check both areas before calling the CANVAS Help Desk), VIEWING VIDEOS, and SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS.

Familiarize yourself with CANVAS: - https://www.suu.edu/otl/student-resources.html

CALL CANVAS Help Desk: 435 865-8555

The instructor will be sending out multiple emails directly to your email account, not just through CANVAS.

Anti-plagiarism statement

All work must be by you. Avoid ALL possible reasons for suspicion of plagiarism. Ways to avoid plagiarism include:
Never just cutting and pasting from other digital sources.
Especially for the “Instructions” assignments. All work must be your own.
If you use other sources for background information, re-write in your own words and cite where you got the information.
Always cite where ANY information comes from.
Never fabricate any information. It is true or it is not.

A.I. Statement

AI cannot substitute for foundational learning. Students must acquire disciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills in order to evaluate AI outputs appropriately. Thus, the Communication Department will maintain a 25% tolerance threshold for AI use in completing assignments. That means, unless explicitly stated by your instructor for a specific assignment, any work that is submitted as AI generated at a rate of 26% or higher will receive a zero and require a conversation with the instructor. In those 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 (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) as it is illegal and violates expectations of privacy and academic/creative work.

For this course, no A.I use, other than content searches (google, etc.), spell check, and grammar check for content are allowed.

Attendance Policy

Attendance: Attendance is documented through submission of assignments.

Course Fees

No specific fee for this course. Payment of standard program fee is required during registration.

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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