Eastern Illinois University

Amie Whittemore’s Nest of Matches is a lavish declaration of the beauty of the natural world, queer identity, and of the imagination set free. Whittemore’s third collection explores the complexities of love—romantic, familial, and love for place—and wonders at cycles of life, finding that: “Every habit / even love—strangest / of them all—offers exhaustion / and renewal.” Moving seamlessly from meditations on the moon’s phases to explorations of dream spaces to searches for meaning through patterns of love and loss, Whittemore’s work embodies the mysteries of dichotomies—grief and joy, consciousness and unconsciousness, habit and spontaneity—and how they coexist to create our identities. Throughout the collection, Whittemore reveals how interior nature manifests into exterior habits and how physical landscapes shape the psyche.
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Whittemore, Amie

Nest of Matches

Strausbaugh, Robert

Kinematic Equations

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LCBT

Denise Head

Binns, Donna

Eastern Illinois University 
The Keep 
Summer 2024 2024 
Summer 6-15-2024 
ENG 3005-600 Technical Communication 
Donna Binns 
Eastern Illinois University 
Follow this and additional works at: https://thekeep.eiu.edu/english_syllabi_summer2024 
Recommended Citation 
Binns, Donna, "ENG 3005-600 Technical Communication" (2024). Summer 2024. 3. 
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/english_syllabi_summer2024/3 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the 2024 at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion 
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tabruns@eiu.edu. 
ENG 3005-600: Technical Communication (Online, 3.0 Credit Hours) 
 
Professor: Dr. Donna Binns    
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM; Conferences 
available online through Zoom 
E-mail: djbinns@eiu.edu  
English Department Phone Number: 217-581-2428 
 
Welcome to ENG 3005: Technical Communication. I look forward to working 
with you this semester. 
 
Course Description:  
ENG 3005 provides instruction and practice in technical communication and 
creation of documents used in professional settings. It will focus on 
communicating complex information to specialized and non-specialized audiences. 
Students will complete projects in multiple genres and media. This semester, your 
case-based project will involve an Instructions Revision Proposal and Revised 
Instructions along a Letter of Transmittal based on your original proposal. This 
course will also address online communication, ethical communication, document 
design, intercultural/global communication, collaboration, accessibility concerns, 
and document presentation. WC 
 
Course Objectives: Parentheses indicate which course learning goals are covered 
by the Eastern Illinois University learning objectives. In some instances, specific 
sub-steps are listed when only portions of that learning goal are covered:  
1. Explain the value of technical communication in organizational settings and the 
responsibilities of professional communicators to communicate clearly and 
concisely to satisfy an audience’s need for information (WR)  
2. Adapt common genres of technical communication (proposals, progress reports, 
reports, instructions, presentations, etc.) to specific audiences, purposes, media, 
and contexts—including global contexts (CT/WR/SL/RC)  
3. Critically read and analyze information addressed to readers of differing 
technical levels (CT/WR 5–7/QR 3–4) 
4. Implement principles of effective document design (using basic and advanced 
features of computer software) to create professional, easy-to-use projects, 
including quantitative displays of information (QR 5–6)  
5. Use effective collaborative strategies to create a positive work environment and 
high-quality projects (CT 1 / SL 2–3, 7 / RC 1–2)  
6. Demonstrate college- and professional-level writing produced through the 
process of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading (WR)  
7. Demonstrate metacognitive awareness of strategies used to successfully 
approach, adapt to, and complete new (previously untried) communication 
situations (RC-4)  
 
Required Texts & Materials: 
Markel, Mike and Stuart Selber. Technical Communication 12th ed. New York:  
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018. 
Active EIU e-mail account through Panthermail, Microsoft Word (Office 365 is 
available to Eastern students with no charge), and Internet Access to EIU's D2L 
Online Course Delivery System 
 
Course Requirements: In this class, you will complete writing assignments of 
various genres. Major writing assignments include the Informational Report, 
Instructions Revision Proposal, and Revised Instructions & Transmittal Letter. 
These assignments are available under Content. You will also complete discussion 
posts, assignment drafts, and peer responses that will consist of a significant 
portion of your "Daily Work" grade.  
 
Assigned reading will be vital to successful completion of course assignments 
and posts, so keep up with the reading schedule. I rarely, if ever, give quizzes over 
the chapters, but the writing assignments will be your tests as to whether or not you  
apply what you read in them. The chapters demonstrate effective document design 
and use of graphics, so do not be discouraged by the number of pages.  
 
Finally, you will build a revision-based Final Project at the end of the semester that 
uses a self-analysis and revised writing assignment from the class to demonstrate 
your success at attaining the course learning objectives and "Measures of 
Excellence in Technical Communication” (the latter are discussed in Chapter 1 of 
our textbook). The Major Writing Assignments and Final Project must be 
completed for you to be eligible to pass this course. In a four-week course, 
keeping up with the schedule is vital. 
 
Participation: There will be discussion work through D2L (such as peer responses 
as well as discussion posts) during the semester. These activities will receive 
grades based upon rubrics provided under Content. Read the directions for each 
discussion post closely so that you don't miss any aspects of the assignment. I will 
assign peer responders the day after the assigned deadline for posting a draft. 
Students who do not post drafts by the deadline may not participate in peer 
responses. Your classmates need to be able to provide the required feedback by the 
deadline, so it is not fair to them for me to accept late drafts. More details for each 
discussion topic, such as specific discussion questions, will be posted with 
instructions from Dr. Binns on the Discussion Board. Students must follow the 
EIU Netiquette guidelines that are posted under "Content" in D2L.  
 
Deadlines: Due dates for D2L posts, writing assignments, and the final project are 
listed on the course calendar. Discussion posts, drafts, peer responses, writing 
assignments, and the final project should be submitted by 11:59 pm on the date 
listed on the syllabus and weekly News items on the course Homepage. If changes 
to the schedule are necessary, the revised due dates will be available in that week’s 
News item. Late penalties are discussed below under "Late Work." Therefore, 
make certain that you keep up with those News items. 
 
Course Grade: Your final course grade will be determined by the following: 
 
  Participation    20%   
  Major Writing Assignments  50% 
  Final Project    30% 
 
  A= 90% to 100% 
  B= 80% to 89% 
  C= 70% to 79% 
  D= 60% to 69% 
  F= 0% to 59% 
 
Late Work: Late work, excluding peer responses, which is not excused by Dr. 
Binns (due to extenuating circumstances only, will be penalized by 10% of the 
maximum possible points each day. To avoid the penalty, contact Dr. Binns as 
soon as possible if you feel you have a serious reason for turning in late work.  
 
Plagiarism: Students are expected to maintain principles of academic integrity and 
conduct as defined in EIU’s Code of Conduct 
(http://www.eiu.edu/judicial/studentconductcode.php). Violations will be reported 
to the Office of Student Standards. In accordance with English Department and 
University policies, “Any teacher who discovers an act of plagiarism—‘The 
appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas, and/or thoughts of another 
author, and representation as one’s original work’ (Random House Dictionary of 
the English Language)—has the right and responsibility to impose upon the guilty 
student an appropriate penalty up to and including immediate assignment of the 
grade of F for the assigned essay and a grade of F for the course , and to report the 
incident to the Office of Student Standards. Respect for the work of others should 
encompass all formats, including print, electronic, and other sources. 
 
Using AI to complete course writing assignments or the final project will be 
considered plagiarism. 
 
The best argument against plagiarism is that you cheat yourself out of the 
education you are here to obtain if  you do not complete your own work. If you 
believe that a specific instance in your writing might constitute plagiarism, please 
consult me prior to turning it into the Dropbox. 
 
Resources for Student Well-Being: You can find that list of resources 
here: https://www.eiu.edu/fdic/Student%20_Well-Being_26-July-2022.pdf.  
 
Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a documented disability in 
need of accommodations to fully participate in this class, please contact the Office 
of Student Disability Services (OSDS). All accommodations must be approved 
through OSDS. Please stop by McAfee 1210, or call 217-581-6583 to make an 
appointment. If you do not live in the Charleston, IL, area, you may contact them 
by phone. 
 
The Student Success Center: Students who are having difficulty achieving their 
academic goals are encouraged to contact the Student Success Center 
(www.eiu.edu/~success) for assistance with time management, text taking, note 
taking, avoiding procrastination, setting goals, and other skills to support academic 
achievement. The Student Success Center provides individualized consultations. 
To make an appointment, call 217-581-6696, or go to McAfee 1301.  
 
Contacting Dr. Binns: You may contact Dr. Binns through Panthermail at 
(djbinns@eiu.edu) or arrange an appointment. E-mail Dr. Binns directly through 
Panthermail rather than trying to e-mail through D2L. Generally, you should 
receive a response to e-mails within about forty-eight hours if you send them 
through Panthermail. Dr. Binns will contact all students through their officially 
provided EIU e-mail addresses through Panthermail only. Online conferences 
can be arranged through Zoom. 
 
 
 
 
 
ENG 3005 Course Calendar: Summer 2024 
 
The due dates listed on this calendar are subject to change at my discretion. 
Reading and writing assignments, discussion posts, peer responses, and the final 
project are due by 11:59 pm on the dates listed in this calendar. Reading 
assignments are from our Technical Communication textbook unless otherwise 
indicated. Discussion posts, assignment drafts, and peer responses will be due to 
our Discussion Board (under "Communication") on D2L. Writing assignments and 
the final project will be due to our course Dropbox (under "Assessment”) on D2L.  
 
Week 1 
5-13 Read Chapters 1-3; Discussion 1 Part 1 Due (to D2L Discussion Board 
under “Communication”) by 11:59 pm 
5-14 Read Chapters 5-6, 11, & 17; Discussion Part 2 Due by 11:59 pm 
5-15 Read Chapters 9 & 14; Informational Memo draft due to D2L Discussion 
Board by 11:59 pm 
5-16 Read Chapters 7 and 12; Post Informational Memo assigned peer responses 
to D2L Discussion Board by 11:59 pm 
5-17 Informational Memo due to D2L Dropbox by 11:59 pm 
 
Week 2 
5-20 Read Chapters 16 & 20; Work on Instructions Revision Proposal; 
Discussion 2 Part 1 Due by 11:59 pm 
5-21 Read Chapters 8, 10, & 18; Discussion 2 Part 2 due by 11:59 pm 
5-22 Read Chapters 13 & 15; Instructions Revision Proposal draft due by 11:59 
pm to D2L Discussion Board 
5-23 Read Chapter 4; Instructions Revision Proposal assigned peer responses 
due by 11:59 pm 
5-24 Instructions Revision Proposal due to D2L Dropbox by 11:59 pm 
 
Week 3 
5-27 Memorial Day 
5-28 Read Chapter 12 and Review Chapter 20; Work on Revised Instructions & 
Transmittal Letter; Discussion 3 Due by 11:59 pm 
5-29 Revised Instructions & Transmittal Letter draft due by 11:59 pm to D2L 
Discussion Board 
5-30 Revised Instructions & Transmittal Letter assigned peer responses due by 
11:59 pm 
5-31 Revised Instructions & Transmittal Letter due to D2L Dropbox by 11:59 
pm 
 
Week 4 
6-3 Work on Final Project; Discussion 4 Part 1 Due 
6-4 Work on Final Project; Discussion 4 Part 2 Due 
6-5 Work on Final Project  
6-6 Work on Final Project  
6-7 Final Project Due 


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Nest of Matches

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ENG 3005-600 Technical Communication

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