Late Assignment
The late policy I enforce in my classes is 10% of the total grade deducted for each day the assignment is late. On the fourth late day the paper is not accepted and the student gets a zero for the assignment.
What late policy do you use?
Hi Ryan,
Fair enough! I love your sternness. You are doing a great job preparing the students for the real world when it comes to meeting deadlines.
Patricia Scales
I do not take late work. If a parent or child dies or a pregnant student gives birth, that is different. I will work with those situations. Car issues, family problems, illness....sorry. You should have been more prepared to wait for the last minute to get an assignment done. WITH THAT SAID...My students on DAY 1 of class, are given ALL of their assignments for the quarter and the dates they are due. There is no guess work, secret agenda, or question to what is due and when. My students are also told day 1 of this policy and have to sign 2 different forms that state it as well as their assignment pack cover sheet says NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED! Some still act like they had no idea.
Our school uses 5% per day. The student needs to hand in the paper irregardless of the grade or the student does not pass the course. Losing points is a great motivator.
We take off 5% a day late.
Even if you get a zero, you must hand in the paper or you do not pass the course.
This student usually has other deficiencies that we are also monitoring as a group of instructors.
Hearing what other instructors say often makes some light bulbs go off about what is wrong and how can we teach this student.
We deduct 5% per work week days. The assignment must be handed in to receive a grade in the course. Even if the paper is a zero, it must be done.
Hi Justin,
The call is yours. At the minimum points should be deducted. Being consistent is key.
Patricia Scales
I have a class that meets only once per week. Would it be wrong to accept late homework at the next class with a 10% reduction? Should it be more of a reduction or should I not accept it at all?
Hi Maryna,
I use a similar system for accepting late work. Day 1 (10-point deduction) and Days 2-4 (5- point-deduction) after the 4th day a 0 will be issued. This system generally discourages students from turning in late work.
Patricia Scales
I ussually give student a late warning.On the fifths late day the paper is not acceptet.
Day-1-3(5 points deduction)
Day 3-4(10 points deduction)
Hi Jeff,
Fair enough! Students must realize that deadlines are crucial and are made to be adhered to, not broken.
Patricia Scales
I have a perminent grade structure so the least I can deduct is a 10 point infraction, so I will give one warning.
I do not use a graduated deductions policy in my teaching any more. When I first taught I did use this method and here were my results.
1.students would be confused about what a day meant: should weekends count, should days that they had to work count?
2. students would be less than truthful with me about whether or not they had handed in an assignment, "Oh Miss, I gave that to you last week"
3. students would hand in 5 pieces of work on the last day of class and beg for some credit so as to pass the course
Now I realize that the combination of my student population and the course structure (a 5 week course that meets only 10 times to complete 5 large topics in Anatomy and Physiology) is not amenable to this form of grading.
These students are immature adults who regard school as a trial to be passed with clever excuses rather than actual learning. When I leave no room for excuses and accept only evidence of learning they are surprised to find out that indeed they can learn new material. i am reminded of the ideas in the "Tiger Mother" - children must learn to attain mastery of difficult things. The self-confidence they achieve from this mastery is a great gift.
The course structure is punishing for students who do not complete work in a timely manner. They are struggling to work on an endocrine assignment while I am teaching how to manipulate a Punnet Square in a genetics lecture.
So now I insist that work in handed on on the day it is due or the grade is a zero. I give many assignments and they count for only 30% of the grade so that so that any one missed assignment does not result in a catastrophic decrease in the final grade.
The first week of class I usually have one or two late assignments. I always take them and offer to correct them "So that you will be able to learn from your work" but i caution the student that the grade will be a 0. So far I have not had any further late assignments.I point out to students that although they thought they had so many home and work pressures they would not be able to complete assignments on time in fact they were able to do so. I congratulate them on being much better time managers that they thought they were at the beginning of the class.
Hi Particia,
That is a good policy. It has the same basic results: after the 4th day the assignment gets a zero. Thanks.
Juan.
Hello Juan,
The late policy is as follows:
Day 1 10 points are deducted
Day 2 additional 5 points are deducted
Day 3 additional 5 points are deducted
Day 4 additional 5 points are deducted
After the 4th day, the student receives a 0.
Patricia
