Carolyne,
I would certainly agree that you can't and shouldn't stay up all night waiting for the last post to appear. You can establish the expectations at the beginning of the course to help the students understand that if they post 2 minutes before the deadline, then they can't expect an immediate response and it could affect their grade (if they are required to change something). In other words, they may forfiet the ability to rework or rewrite their post or clarify it if they wait until the last minute. I actually have a written expectation that states I will not answer questions on a lab 6 hours before it is due. I also explain this is due to the nature of the labs....if they wait until the last minute then there is no way that they can complete the work accurately and in the depth expected. Truthfully, I will answer their questions, but it sets the framework for the expectation and it does typically get the students to work earlier on the work than 30 minutes before it is due. Herb
