One of the most common and frustrating aspects of dealing with students taking courses online are the countless and numerous late excuses. In most online platforms, students are presented with the entire course on day one and know up front when all assignments and discussion posts are due. However, this doesn’t stop students from procrastinating!
Many students wait until the last minute to start assignments and then realize the hour they budgeted is not enough time for the amount of reading and research required to complete the assignment well. That’s when the late excuses start pouring into my inbox!
For most of the schools I’ve taught for online, all course work must be submitted by Midnight on specific days. Inevitably, at least a handful of students in each course will email me minutes before the deadline asking for an extension. Excuses range from everything from their friend’s great-grandma fell down a flight of steps to illness. I’ve heard everything.
As an online instructor, in order to maintain my own sanity, keep my grading current, and help students learn to take responsibility for their actions and choices, I’ve found that I have to post clear expectations on the first day of the course. I have a fairly strict late policy and stick to it – no matter what the situation. To some, this may seem harsh, but besides course content, college students should also be expected to learn responsibility, timeliness, and how to organize and prioritize their school work. In the “real world” turning in work late isn’t acceptable – no matter what is going on in one’s personal life.
Many schools have a standard late policy in which instructors are required to comply, but some schools give the instructor leeway to create their own late policies. Personally, I accept assignments up to 4 days late with a grade reduction of 10% per day. Assignments submitted after the 4 day late window are not graded and receive a zero. Discussion posts can also be submitted up to 4 days late but must be submitted during the appropriate course week. For example, all Week 1 discussion must take place in Week 1. I also do not accept late submissions for the final assignments. When the course is over, the course is over and no more assignments are accepted.
I feel that learning to meet deadlines is a valuable skill for students to achieve. Online educators are required to meet numerous deadlines – a set number of substantive discussion responses on a specific number of days, grading feedback on essays and assignments on specific days, etc. During my five years teaching online I’ve gone through numerous life events – everything from the birth of twins to moving across the state. I’ve taught online through it all – grading essays while I was in labor with the twins, and working in the parking lot of a local hotel to pick up their WiFi when we moved and our Internet was not yet connected. I’ve never been late meeting my deadlines – no matter what was happening in my personal life.
I firmly believe that where there is a will, there is a way. If students value their education and make their online classes a priority, there is no reason that they should turn in assignments late.
About the Author
Jamie Weitl is a WAHM teaching for several online universities and raising three precocious little ones. In her spare time she enjoys writing, baking, and running. For more info, see my Google Plus Profile.
