Late Discussion Board Posts
I have a very hard time giving credit for students who post late to the discussion boards. In my opinion, these posts are no longer relevant once the week has passed and it is unfair to their fellow students who did not have the advantage of seeing their posts. Often though I do have cases of students with good reasons why they could not post on time. How do others handle this situation?
I agree with the sentiments that points should not be allotted for late discussion posts, as the discussion has already ended and the other students have moved on to a new discussion board. However, I do also have some lenience. I think that partial credit may be appropriate because the student is at least reading and responding to the prompt and/or responding to another student's post. This does take thought and work, even if it was not done in a timely manner.
Traci
I do not allow students to make up discussions post after the due date. Usually his is a university wide policy.
Thanks
Fred K
Sodang,
This seems like the prevalent policy. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Late discussion should be not accepted. The class is moving on forward to the new week and new topic.
Dan S
There are circumastances that preclude a student from participating during the week, but I require valid documentation. Vacations do not count, however, documented computer/technical issues will get some leniency as well as health and medical issues as well as unfiromed service personnel having restrictions on posts during field exercises or if they are posted overseas. I have not had very many issues in any of my classes in part because I am clear on the responsibilities and value the weekly posts have in both the learning process as well as the overall contribution to their grade.
I typically do not accept late DB's unless there are extreme circumstances.
I agree. It is a difficult situation when a student posts late to a discussion board area. If the posting comes after the deadline (for us Sunday midnight) for the week the student does not receive credit for the post. More problematic is when a student posts both of their peer responses (not the primary post) right before the Sunday midnight deadline. This can be challenging because it is not really interactive. It does not allow other students to respond to their post and typically does not include much substantive discussion.
I agree Traci; I always tell my students that a discussion that takes place after the week is not a discussion, as a true discussion post should always have the possibility of a reply. I understand that sometimes life throws curves, but I don't view having to post within the week to be overly restrictive!
Janis,
This is not uncommon among online institutions.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Nancy,
I understand your procedure. It seems like a good balance. Thanks.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hi Traci,
Since discussion board assignments require active participation throughout the week, I do not allow late DB posts. It is also very difficult for the instructor to keep track of late DB posts for grading. I have also noticed that students often take advantage of the "late policies" and will strive more to submit an assignment on time if they are not accepted after a deadline.
Best,
Kelly
In my schools there is a timeline to post to discussion boards. They must have a main post and two replies. They can make any of these posts between Monday and Wednesday and then make two posts between Thursday and Sunday. Before they implemented this strategy, we had the same problem. We are not allowed to accept late discussion board posts.
Hello,
Depending on the circumstance I will sometimes accept late Discussion Board assignments but do not grant points for participation because once the week has ended that DB is essentially over. I do require a very good “excuse†from the student along with documentation.
I try to help students avoid being in this spot but if it is unavoidable I will accept the late work only because a “0†in the grade book can often end in a student feeling demoralized and giving up whereas partial credit seems to carry far less of this stigma.
Thank you,
Nancy
Debra,
That sounds like a good policy and the likely outcome if more schools would adopt it.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Kimberly ,
Very true. The discussion board is one of the tools for a successful online learning experience and the late posts provide a greatly diminished value in that aspect.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
The policy of my university is not to accept late DB posts, unless there are extreme circumstances. We have seen an improvement in the ongoing discussion on the boards since this policy was adopted.
Late discussion bored posts does not create the online learning experience that is essential to be successful
Traci,
Many times an "all or nothing" approach to any graded work can have a negative impact. My approach is to provide partial credit, even with posts. The reduction in points is precisely for the reason that the posts were not accomplished as part of the class discussion, but after the fact.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
