Students choosing due dates?
i like the idea of letting the students have some choice in assignment details but is it really helpful to let them choose due dates? I think that that is too much autonomy.Should I make it that the later the date the more complicated the task? I don't want students taking forever to do easy assignments as that might drag the class down.
Prior to taking this online course I experimented with letting the students choose projects but not the dude date. I was actually prompted by an adult student who had previously taken classes with me. The student asked if I could allow them to choose. At first I surprised but because I knew almost every student and had confidence that this would not impact the class in a negative way I decided to give a shot. On a whole the class moral and sense of security among the students was strong but the pride and excitement the students projected when I provided them with choice was enlightening. Although it does take a bit more work on my part I am more than happy to offer the project choice. I try to incorporate this in all my classes now.
I agree with your questioning of this concept. Especially considering that we are preparing the students to enter the work force where they will have zero control over when things are due or how they are done. I agree that the educational process should be one that is stimulating and enjoyable. However, I think that we also have a responsibility of making things challenging and realistic enough that they are not coddled when entering a fiercely competitive market.
im not a big fan of this, but lately i have been allowing the students to choose their own due date, the only diff is that ive preselected the the dates that they can choose from.
Dale, what a great technique. Another incentive I have seen work very well is allowing students to submit work early for your feedback. They can then take the feedback and resubmit the work on time for a better final score. If they turn the work in at the last minute then they do not get the advantage of your feedback that could have resulted in a better score. This technique motivates them to submit earlier work and tends to give you as the instructor more feedback on their understanding of the overall assignment.
James Jackson
I believe giving our students due dates makes them work towards goals to get work done. i always tell my students i they arent gonna have there work done to communicate with me.
I agree that not everybody with get what they want, and that this is a great way to engage students in the discussion. It will feel like they do have choices and not all dictated from the instructor.
I like your idea of letting them choose between two dates and your other tips. Usually I will let my students resubmit their work if they turn it in early and will let them make the corrections I made.
Hi Shannon!
I agree with you. I recently completed my master's degree in an online program, which requires significant intrinsic motivation, and the ability and desire to act autonomously. I appreciated that although there were specific due dates for assignments, discussion questions, and discussion question responses, students were able to work around their individual needs/schedules as long as the assignments were completed on time.
The biggest challenge was working in groups, which was a regular requirement in my program. At the beginning of each class, teams created their own team charter regarding due dates, who would complete what portion of the assignments, etc. This allowed autonomy but sometimes created insecurity because one never knew if his or her teammates (especially if unknown or unfamiliar) would complete their portions on time. The ability/opportunity to choose team deadlines, however, was empowering.
I don't dock them points for not reaching a due date. I tell them just make sure the work is turned in before the end of class. Then I incentivise them with rewards for turning work in early. The main thing I coonstantly stress, however, is that if they wait until the last week to try and get everything done, they will turn in inferior work or not at all. This gives them total autonomy. In other words they are told from day 1 that they, and they alone, are responsible for their grades.
I agree that instructors should remain in control of setting due dates for assignments. While there are some students with enough motivation to accomplish setting their own dates and goals, there are many who need that structure and depend upon it. Adult students have other things outside of class that also need their focus and attention, so providing a clear structure and well organized syllabus/lesson plan will help them to plan and be organized as well.
I like that idea of letting them pick the order of projects rather than due dates. I feel my students would push a due date back very far to make it easier on themselves and then forget to do it altogether. And instead of it helping their sense of autonomy, it would make them feel that they can get around problems in the classroom and in life by putting them off til later. Putting multiple tasks in order of importance is a common real life senario, pushing due dates back is not.
matt, great topic and I really like how you provide an incentive to turn in work early to allow time for re-submission of missed work. I have used this technique for some time and it allows some students to have more time to turn in one good assignment while others may turn in multiple versions early to allow more interaction with the instructor. Either method allows students to have more autonomy and engagement with the classroom materials. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
donna, the key to your post is you got your students to be involved in the decision making process. Not everyone will get what they want but no one can say their opinion was not worthy of discussion. This is a great example of getting student engaged and fully committed to the outcomes of the class. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
Snezana, deadlines are good as long as they come with well developed road maps of how to meet the deadlines and what is required to be successful. The more you know your students the better you can establish workable deadlines and achieve a high level of success with your learning outcomes.
James Jackson
Thanks Matt, those are great approaches. I like the the early submit early reward approach.
I think one of the there are some other challenges to letting them do this as well.
First, if it's a project/paper/assignment/what ever, and it's new to them, they may not have a grasp of how long it will take to accomplish. So instead of letting them choose the date solely on their own, maybe offer them a choice of dates that they must decide on as a class.
As an alternative to that, I will sometimes offer a choice between 2 due dates for a project. There is often a benefit associated with choosing the earlier date. I will either offer a few extra points or, most often, I take projects turned in early, offer tips to correct the project if necessary, and allow them to resubmit. That not only allows them autonomy but also further incorporates accountability.
Matt
I find that giving them some control of due dates allows them the peace of mind that they are able to complete it when it is right for them. I also feel that the due date is adhered to more when they understand that it was set in place by the student. I do not do this alot maybe for one assignment,
This sounds like a good idea. I think it may work for some of my classes.
I have tried letting a class choose when a report should be due. Part of the class wanted to hand the work in within a week, and the remaining part of the class preferrred to hand the work in at the end of the MOD. What I did allow was which project would be due first, second and so on. This seemed to work much better.
