Josh, I agree the first day when discussing the assignments you tell the students of your expectation on late assignments. A letter grade drop I am finding out is much better than points off.
I would add that policies cannot be changed or revised, dates moved back or forth without compelling reasons. The students appreciate the structure and predictablity whether they would admit it or not.
Hello Joshua,
It is good to make policies/rules known on Day 1, therefore students will know exactly what they are facing. No surprises!
Patricia
I think it is a greta idea, and can tie in with having clear course examples. When an instructor decides on the spot to dock an assignment an arbitrary number of points, I feel that can give students an unfair perception of their instructor and damage their rapport with the student.
A better practice is to inform students of your late practices in the syllabus, or when discussing assignments during the course. If students know they will lose a letter grade each day a project is behind, it not only provides extrinsic motivation, but also gives firm expectation when it comes to "slacker" assignments that are done at the end of the course with focus on making up a grade rather than mastering the material. We've all been there.
Hi Hilary,
I even use a point-deduction system for late tests. The point-deduction system is as follows:
Day 1=-10 points
Day 2=-5 more points
Day 3=-5 more points
Day 4=-5 more points
After the 4th day, the student is given a zero.
Patricia
