Using Technology as an Excuse
I am going to be teaching an online course for the first time beginning at the end of this month. I have five years of in-classroom experience, and have heard many excuses as to why assignments are not ready on time, and I'm sure not all of them were completely truthful.
It's because of our technology that we are able to offer online courses. For those of you that have taught online in the past, how do you handle technology related excuses for late assignments?
In other words, do you often run into student issues such as "my internet connection went down", "my computer kept rebooting and I couldn't email my work on time", etc?
Martin,
Your experience is definitely not unique. I provide my students with one "technical freebie" at the beginning of the term. After that, the late submission penalties will apply. Except in a few extreme cases (documented natural disasters - where I did make an exception) this system seems to work pretty well.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Unfortunately this one doesn't go away. Ever.
It is a convenient out when an assignment is due at midnight and you get an email at 11:45 saying they are having technical issues and can't submit the assignment. One thing is to insist they contact tech support and get a ticket number regarding their case. Another is to remind them of time management skills and that assignments should not be started less than an hour prior to the submission time. I tend to be willing to accept the excuse once but point out that in the future there are computers available in all public libraries and if they are aware their computer is glitchy that it is their responsibility to ensure that they make every attempt to get their assignment posted on time.
Hi Rick,
I have ran into the excuses mentioned during my first term teaching online. After the first term, I began posting an announcement entitled "Tips for Online Success" and one of the items on the list is as follows:
Do not procrastinate
o Never wait until the last minute to either complete or upload your assignment(s) or take assessments as you never know what may happen (i.e computer glitches, network problems).
I also add as a "gentle reminder - Late assignments will not be accepted after the due date."
Hi Charles, we actually place a link to our technical right in the discussion area, so learners can easily find it and get technical support as soon as they have issues. Tina
I let them know in the first week of the course the policies related to technology problems and the penalties that will be assessed. I also make sure that my students know how to contact technical support. I let them know that in an online course that technology is the most valuable component and that their online services need to be up to par.
I post a separate announcement letting students know that computer issues are not an excuse for late assignments. Online faculty and students are informed of the required computer equipment and software they must have in place before starting a class. If they do not have the necessary IT equipment and a contingency plan in place, they should not sign the contract.
We have all witnessed extreme weather conditions lately such as blizzards, tornados and flooding. I will work with students who have computer issues related to natural disasters that are out of their control.
I require students to contact me prior to the assignment being late to let me know that they are experiencing technical issues. I have also heard all the excuses possible and it becomes extremely difficult to weed through them all.
At times it's difficult to discern whether or not a student is telling the truth when an assignment is late. At the beginning of the course, I strongly emphasize to students that they must turn in assignments on time or there will be late penalties assessed. I treat my students as adult professionals, and manage them with expectations much like their supervisor would. Students respond well when they know exactly what I expect from them during the course as well as exactly what they can expect from me as an instructor. Students have a minimum of 1 week to complete assignments (including exams) and I encourage them to complete the work a few days before the deadline just in case an "emergency" arises. It's not uncommon for students to make statements like "my kid was really sick and I couldn't get online" or "I was in the hospital the last few days". Although these may be true, there still needs to be a firm standard for late work and if that standard is not met, there are consequences, just like in the workplace.
Hi John, we have a 10 points per week policy too and it does resolve the issue of learners posting late work regardless of the problem. Tina
I mitigate the technology issue by assigning tasks seven days prior to the due date. This gives them ample time to complete the assignment and to either communicate to me any technical delays well in advance of the due date, or for the problem to resolve itself ('the internet is down'). I accepts late assignments up to the halfway point through the class, yet I deduct 10 points per week the assignment is late by. I feel this mitigates the risk of technology issues because, I have been notified in advance of the issue by the student, or the procrastinator hopefully learns an important lesson.
Technology challenges will always exist in a learning environment. I think we can all remember back to our time in junior high or high school when the projector didn’t work. In reality this is kind of the same thing whether it is on the Instructor or student side you will have technology challenges. On the instructor side it is important to always try and check your equipment is working with at least 30 minutes before your class starts as this will give you a little bit of an opportunity to fix anything that might not be working. If possible you should have a backup computer that you can work off of. Most importantly if you can’t make a lecture due to technical problems notify your students as soon as possible and ideally post an announcement in your classroom. On the student side the best way I think to deal with technology challenges is a non-technical solution have a late policy and make sure your students know what it is then enforce it. Also in the beginning of the session give your students tips on overcoming technology challenges, i.e. having a backup plan like the library computer system, calling tech support , using a backup system to save work in multiple locations. Last but not least you the instructor should evaluate every case on case by case basis and try and make an appropriate decision in each case.
After teaching online classes for the past 10 years, I've heard every excuse possible it seems. But the bottom line is that we as instructors must make the expectations clear from the start of class. The college I teach for offers students the ability to post assignments up to 4 days past due and with a 10% deduction per day. This covers any and all emergencies that arise including tech issues and personal issues. This gives them the opportunity to earn partial credit.
Tips for avoiding this:
Submit your work at least 1 day early just in case.
Have a backup computer to use- a friend or local library
Always save your work so you can retrieve and repost.
I've stuck to this standard and have avoided making exceptions in order to be fair and consistent to all students.
I have been teaching online for few years now and I have had some students who do turn in work late due to computer issues. I give them the benefit for the first missed/late assignment, and then I start to follow our school policy for late assignments.
I find having a rubric which includes a penalty for late assignment is also beneficial; because students know where they stand if they do turn in work late.
If a student continues to have computer issues I suggest they go to their school technology help desk. If they do not have internet at home I suggest they visit an “online†hotspot such as a library or fast food restaurant.
It is much better for students to learn that lesson in the security of the classroom than when they have their first professional job.
I have found that the excuses are varied and many, but meeting deadlines is a real-world experience. The student can learn and fail is our sheltered environment. Hopefully, it will provide a lesson that will help them keep that job.
My feeling is that students can always come up with an excuse if they want to. It doesn't matter if they are taking a class online or on campus. I try to keep the responsibility on them. If the dog chewed up their report, maybe they should have taken better care of the report. That's their responsibility. If they didn't get their assignment in because they waited until the last minute and their internet was down, maybe they should have completed the assignment sooner and submitted it sooner. They should always try to stay ahead and try to avoid any possible problems that could arise. We should teach them this.
Great tips Julie! I like the idea of recommending to the students that they identify another computer source in case their primary one goes down.
At the beginning of class, in my welcome letter and course expectations, I add the advice that students should identify an alternative computer or internet source, like a computer at a public library or a friend's house. This may help somewhat.
I also give one extension per course if there is a computer crisis. After that, though, I'll start taking off points if assignments are late.
Sometimes it is easy to overlook the obvious, but it is very difficult for a student to be successful with an online class if they don't have the proper computer equipment. Thanks for pointing that out Joel!
