Dealing with the Procrastinor
I have found often times students will wait until the last minute to communicate with me in regards last assignment submittals. WHat have you found is the best way to handle the situation? Do you always adhere to your late policy or evaluate on a case by case basis?
Hi Rhonda,
I find that by posting the following announcement at the middle of the term very effective:
What are you telling me? ……. Some of you are telling me that you want an “A†for this course. Some are telling me you just need to squeeze by this course. I do not determine your GRADE …… You determine your GRADE by the time and effort you excerpt into this course.
My goal for this course is that you all succeed.
I want everyone of you to look at the details of grade and see if there is an assignment or quiz that you received a “0†score and ask yourself if it is something that you can make-up to improve your total course score. The Course Project is always open for you to work. I can open up all point items except the Discussions. If there is an item you need open, advise me by email immediately.
You are almost half way through this course and this is not the time for any procrastination.
It is important to me that you all succeed in my course.
I hope you are having a great week.
yes, I go by our policies, I found out that I only get my students to finish the work by lower grades at the end and my students don't like lower grades.
I usually will send one or two emails. If they do not keep their promises and the grade or the situation is getting to the point of failure, I then email the student and the advisor.
Hi Dr. Heyman,
It is hard to tell if students are taking advantage of me because there are not visual cues. What usually happens is the student ends up failing the exams or withdraws from the class.
With math classes, most students cannot afford to wait until the deadline to try to comprehend and apply what they have learned.
Colleen
I always post my late policy during the first week of class. I understand that "life" may get in the way of school sometimes so I usually give the student the benefit of the doubt.
When it comes to tests, I advise students not to wait until the last minute because I will not accept late tests. This gives them time to work out any computer glitches that may suddenly arise.
Colleen
Hi Errin,
I teach a five week course with two assignments due each week. A student my try to use excuses and take advantage of my leniency, although this would only work for a few assignments before it becomes clear that there may be a procrastination problem. At this point, I take points off for late work.
Amy
Hi LaKeya,
You bring up some good questions. I evaluate students on a case by case basis, always giving them the benefit of the doubt. Unless the student is a self-professed procrastinator, often it is impossible to determine why work is late. The student may be a procrastinator or simply be spread very thin with work and/or family commitments. I try to be flexible although I make the school's late policy clear at the beginning of the session. Then, I take points off for late work unless there is a substantial reason communicated. ~Amy
If I am met with opposition with my students, I would speak to them and see what they feel is unfair to resolve the problem. Conflict can be turned around into a learning experience. I would be fair, listen to both sides and see if I could come to a fair conclusion. 1 Example is in a 6 week mini-course I taught as a Teacher at a University, I gave the students a group project presentation and paper. I also gave them weekly work and a lot of assignments. Two students had concern that since these were group projects they did not have time to meet their partners in such a small course. I thought about the amount of work, and felt it was fair to turn the project into an individual project. The students, who opposed my initial assignment, were delighted I listened to them and helped them through, but at the same time they worked very hard and did well.
In order for any class to become successful, that teacher must motivate and effectively allow the students to be dedicated and gain incentives along the way. I am able to strive on work ethic and time management and try to help students adapt to various situations that need quick thinking and important strategically analysis. If a group or person wants to obtain a goal or social norm they should go above and beyond to reach to obtain the best results. By creating a friendly, social online environment, an important goal driven group of students will dedicate them to reach goals and gain attributes that they want to accomplish. These are some of the attributes I try to bring to each course I teach or any educational or work related experience I attempt. I believe that if I receive such an opportunity at your university; I would dedicate all my time, and effort into creating a great output, outcome and future success for the students enrolled.
Why do you wait until after the third week Dennis?
I usually wait until the 3rd week of class before I start counting off for being late.
Yes, it is hard to determine whether or not the student is telling the truth. When it is appropriate, asking for some kind of documentation is certainly appropriate.
LOL. I find this to be an issue and often a difficult situation to manage; it seems to be a balance between being a savior and an ogre. I is hard to decifer what is truly an issue and what is a made up excuse.
Hello Dr. Ernst:
I agree that it is critical to set late policies and enforce them. In addition, it is not out of line to send a reminder to students of assignments due via email; you can send a blind copy just to that one student and s/he won't feel singled out.
Best,
Susan
I set open and close dates on every assignment, assessment, and discussion in my class. I email these to my students the first week of class and they are also posted on the class homepage.
One of the most frequent excuses I hear is that the student's computer crashed. I often wonder what they possibly do to their computers to make them crash so frequently and always on the last day assignments are due.
I have already requested that a student submit documentation to their home campus and have them contact me to verify. No documentation was ever produced.
That is a good philosophy. Being consistant is very important for this issue, regardless teaching modality.
I agree that it is up to the instructor to determine if you will excuse them for being late. I use the fair but firm so I am consistant with all my students and make sure that they understand from the start of the course.
That sounds very reasonable. Explain the policies thoroughly, remain consistent, and require documentation of reasons for late assignments, just like in the traditional setting. Also frequently reminding students of when things are due. Thanks.
I don't know if being an online student is any different than being a traditional student when it comes to excuses. I would encourage instructors to require appropriate document.
