New College Students - Accepting Late Work
I've been teaching a Microsoft Office course for many years. I know that this is one of the first courses that students take when they enter our school. It is an online course, so there are not any tests, only assignments. I've always been very easy going when it comes to turning in late work. Some of this is tension from the school (they do not want students to drop-out) and the fact that I just want the students to learn the material. After reading about the "Real World" examples, I wonder if I've been doing my students a service or a disservice by being so lenient when it comes to late work.
Is there something that I can do differently that will keep the school happy with good retention rates, but also teach the students the importance of meeting deadlines?
Or, is it better to be easy on the new students and keep my existing strategy. This strategy involves tricking the students into thinking I have deadlines when really I don't.
Thanks for your comments!
Steve
I'm in the same boat Jerry. It's very frustrating and in fact, very demoralizing to instructors as well as to the students that are in fact, making the grade. This is a constant struggle. I cannot seem to get across to the powers that be that in the long term, the quality of graduates that we sent out to the work force will eventually be our demise.
That's a tough spot to be in jerry. I've been there before, and it has never sat well with me either.
Having the classroom policies overturned for retention purposes drives me nuts!
I wish I had some advice for you, but it really all comes down to the money.
By the way, I don't teach there anymore....
I am glad I found this thread. I just posted in another area about new students and managing the balance between students learning the material and preparing them for future professional endeavors (aka accepting late work). Thanks for the comments here they are very helpful.
I appreciate you posting this. It's a stategy that I've never heard before, but I see value in it.
I teach at an inner-city proprietary school. Many of the students are not disciplined. It would be quite easy to fail a majority of the students. I have adopted a penalty of 10% per week for a major project that is not turned in on a timely basis. Personally, I believe this may be too lenient.
I am not sure if I should tighten this up a little. There have been complaints from employers about the work habits of the school's students.
Looking forward to any feedback.
Bob
I find that it works best if they understand up front that assignments are due at a certain date and they have plenty of time to turn them in. If arragements are made to accept late work with a point reduction or if an extension was made it is based on that circumstance. Student retention is important, but if a student is using the excuse that they are dropping out or leaving because the instructor did not let them turn in an assignment that usually means there is something else going on. The fact that they left is not just based on missed assignments. As you stated most students are working, with children. They understand responsibility, and the life issues are usually reasons why they leave.
Hi Steve,
Your response makes perfect sense. At my institution we try to give the students two very easy class to start out with so that they are successful at the very beginning. This is a great way to build confidence and to show the students they are successful. We want all of our students to return after every grading period.
Patricia
Hi Jerry,
Wow!!! I too work for a private for-profit institution, but we do not SACRIFICE standards to save a student. I completely see your point!
Patricia
Hi Lakiesha,
That's fair! You accept the late presentation, but points are deducted. I will deduct at least 10 points so that they start at a letter grade lower.
Patricia
Hi Patricia,
I just got out of a meeting at my school regarding retention and weak academic performance. I unfortunately work for a private for-profit institution, so money and retention appears to always outweigh academics.
On many occasions, our classroom policies are overturned at the end of the semester all in the name of preventing a student from failing out of the program. We've been sometimes asked to allow the student to submit all the homework assignments he or she did not turn in on time (or did not bother doing at all) to bring up his or her final average.
This is something that never sits well with me. We're coming across as complete hypocrites.
Jerry
Hi Steve-
I agree with the other responses here focusing on deadlines and late penalties. If you are clear on your expectations, you can stick to your plan. I personally accept late work and quizzes with a deduction but will not accept late submissions of assignments requiring activity during the assigned week such as discussions and teamwork.
Melissa
Hi Cambria,
I agree with you that if the students does have an excused letter for them being absent I will give them a chance but, I have student who take advantage of the situation. Some student knows that an assignment and a presentation is required on the due date and they are expecting me to give them a chance the next day. What I normally do is give them the chance to present and let them know that points will still being take off because they where late.
I agree that penalties for late work are a must for students to understand the real world implications for their actions. Many of my assignments are not graded on content (I teach a course about learning and being a successful student) but on completion. I find it has been effective to have a strict policy of half credit for late assignments. Because they are relatively small in point value one late assignment is not going to significantly effect an overall grade but the impact of "half credit" or an automatic 50% seems to be really effective with my student.
When a student is absent (excused, of course) I have a little more leeway with accepting late work for full credit. My personal policy is an excused absence allows for work to be turned in on the next class period. An unexcused absence (i.e. missing class without calling or emailing the instructor) results in the previously mentioned late work policy.
It seems to be fair to me, and has cut down considerably on the amount of assignments turned in late.
There is a flip side to this late issue. I'm an online teacher and most of my students work 40 hours a week already. They don't need to be shown how to responsible. So lets imagine my typical student:
1. 40 hour week
2. 2 or more children
3. 30+ years old
He or she just started back to college after not going for many years. The first few classes are going to decide whether or not they stay in school or decide it's too much for them to bare.
Personally, I feel that if we ease these students through the first few classes they might stick around and finish their degree programs. I know that for me once I gotten pretty far along with something then I'm probably going to finish it.
Anyway, food for more thought.
Steve
How much credit should be docked from the scores if class time is given, especially when the student may endup packing his or her things an hour before they are supposed to leave and you have been focusing on that student and giving all the help you can without depriving the others.
Hi Steven,
Be real with your students because their boss is going to be real with them in the workplace. At the minimum, students should be penalized for turning work in late. I certainly understand your position, you are really between a rock and a hard spot because retention really is an issue at every institution, but at my institution starndards are not lowered to save a student.
Patricia
Steve:
Personally, I think deadlines are extremely important. Since this is often one of the first courses that students at your school take, it is important for you to set an example for the rest of their program.
In my experience, students will only be late with assignments once or twice if they see it's affecting their grade.
Being an online course, though, I think it creates difficulty. Face to face contact, verbal reminders, asking how students are progressing, etc. go a long way in getting assignments on time.
My advice to you is to set deadline requirements and penalties for missing them. Stress to your students that late work is unacceptable when dealing with employers.
They will still learn the material; they just have to do it within your time frame.
Best of luck!
-Joy
