Hi Petya,
I agree some students simply do not care about their grades and can care less about turning in their work and adhering to deadlines.
Patricia Scales
I think that really depends on the class. Some student bodies may benefit from this, particularly those that stress independent study and learning. As a general rule, though, for traditional classes, I think the most honest way to handle it, and the most fair, is to draw a line in the sand: no late work. That way those who did work hard are honored, and it's one assignment missed. The grade is a huge pot of points -- missing one assignment won't fail them. If it's a habit, then they do it to themselves.
I agree only 50 % with the explanation that the students need extra time because they didn't grasp well the questions or the context. But many students simply ignore the deadlines for submission of the assignments just because they don't care about their grades.
Hi Prairie,
I do not see this working well with our type of students although I fully understand your perspective. Most of our students simply do not do the assignments because they don't understand; they simply do not do it.
Patricia Scales
I want to throw another thought into the mix here as far as late assignments go. I recently read an article about late assignments that challenged the idea of penalizing students in terms of grade/points if assignments were late. The article stressed the paramount importance of student learning; in other words, if it took them days or even weeks longer to grasp the concepts that the assignment asked them to grasp, but they ultimately did and their assignment showed evidence of that, then why penalize the student? The point being that the learning is far more important than the due date. I don't quite know where I fall in terms of this debate. I believe that students should be aware that in the work world, deadlines exist, but who cares about a deadline if the work produced is sub-par. Another piece to my perspective on this is that I attended a college for my undergrad degree that did not give traditional grades, and while my classes did have deadlines for assignments, if a student did not fulfill the requirements of the assignment, they had to do it again, and again, until they did. I appreciated this opportunity to get it right and to really absorb the skills I was meant to master. I realize that at some colleges, this kind of system would not work and is not permitted, but do you think this kind of thinking has any place in our teaching experiences and the way we craft our classes?
I do not agree. If a student needs assistance then the student should seek help prior to the due date. We must help the students understand and meet the expectations that a potential employer would set.
Hi Shelia,
Sometimes students do not grasp a concept the first time. Some students do need additional time.
Patricia Scales
If a student did not grasp the meaning or understanding of the lesson and had to have extra help in order to be able to do the assignment.
