Due Date Dilemma
It is that time in the term when essays and projects are "due." I use the scare quotes around due because the concept when something is actually due is one that all teachers and pedagogues have to deal with at numerous times in the term.
I always attempt to alleviate this due date dilemma when I teach. I do this in a couple of ways. One, I always give the essay/assignment topics and instructions at least a month before the actual due date. That way the students have time to think about what they want to write about, consult with me or the writing centre about their drafts and theses, but more importantly it allows for procrastination gap time. Let's be honest, the actual percentage of students who complete their assignments before the due date is very low, say 40%. Another 35% complete the essay the night before, or even hours before it is due. This is why this meme is so popular:
Of course this mentality leads to C and D averages. You can always tell an essay that was written at the last moment from the lack of proofreading and often from the fact that it rarely sticks to the topics or texts assigned. So what about the remaining 25%.
About a quarter of every class that one teaches are firm believers in the "a due date is flexible" mentality. That if the top of the essay topics says October 24th, that means sometime by the end of October, or sometime by the end of the term. I want to be sure to mention that I am not talking about students who have accessibility accommodations or instances where there is a death in the family. I understand that life happens, things happen; these are not the cases I am referring to. I am specifically referring to cases where students just email you the essay days later assuming you will grade it, or the emails that I receive about how there is no late policy on my syllabus and how many marks will I deduct.
I've genuinely tried to address this "due date flexibility" in my policies but I always wonder what the ethical position should be. Every term I try to negotiate the two sides of this debate:
1. Due dates are necessary as a lesson in life skills. If you have something due at work will your supervisor be lenient and flexible when, for example, a client is waiting for this information? The answer is probably not. Life works on deadlines and due dates, thus having assignments due at a certain time will instill this work ethic.
BUT
2. Life happens. If there is anything that I learned by completing my PhD is that life happens. Things don't always go the way they are supposed to: bills need to be paid, relatives become sick and die, animals need to be taken to the vet. These things need to be taken into account as well.
So where do you draw the line? Honestly, in my pedagogical practice the line becomes drawn in the sand through communication. If you take the time to write me an email, or talk to me in office hours, and be honest about what is happening I will be more than happy to give you the few days you may need. I know most of my students have a full course load and when you are teaching introductory or second year subjects the students may not have perfected the art of planning and organizing their agendas. So talk to me. I strive to make my classrooms and office hours open and accessible. I welcome feedback and communication from the students. It makes the course more interesting and helps me hone my pedagogical practice. Sending me emails a few days after the due date without a reason why the essay is late prevents dialogue. By sending such an email you are in essence not taking advantage of one of the resources your course provides...your teacher.
So I ask, what sort of strategies do you employ to address the due date dilemma? Are you a firm 0% after the due date instructor, or do you encourage discussion? More importantly I am interested in how due dates function in the grand scheme of pedagogy. Do due dates stifle learning or encourage it?
I always attempt to alleviate this due date dilemma when I teach. I do this in a couple of ways. One, I always give the essay/assignment topics and instructions at least a month before the actual due date. That way the students have time to think about what they want to write about, consult with me or the writing centre about their drafts and theses, but more importantly it allows for procrastination gap time. Let's be honest, the actual percentage of students who complete their assignments before the due date is very low, say 40%. Another 35% complete the essay the night before, or even hours before it is due. This is why this meme is so popular:
Of course this mentality leads to C and D averages. You can always tell an essay that was written at the last moment from the lack of proofreading and often from the fact that it rarely sticks to the topics or texts assigned. So what about the remaining 25%.
About a quarter of every class that one teaches are firm believers in the "a due date is flexible" mentality. That if the top of the essay topics says October 24th, that means sometime by the end of October, or sometime by the end of the term. I want to be sure to mention that I am not talking about students who have accessibility accommodations or instances where there is a death in the family. I understand that life happens, things happen; these are not the cases I am referring to. I am specifically referring to cases where students just email you the essay days later assuming you will grade it, or the emails that I receive about how there is no late policy on my syllabus and how many marks will I deduct.
I've genuinely tried to address this "due date flexibility" in my policies but I always wonder what the ethical position should be. Every term I try to negotiate the two sides of this debate:
1. Due dates are necessary as a lesson in life skills. If you have something due at work will your supervisor be lenient and flexible when, for example, a client is waiting for this information? The answer is probably not. Life works on deadlines and due dates, thus having assignments due at a certain time will instill this work ethic.
BUT
2. Life happens. If there is anything that I learned by completing my PhD is that life happens. Things don't always go the way they are supposed to: bills need to be paid, relatives become sick and die, animals need to be taken to the vet. These things need to be taken into account as well.
So where do you draw the line? Honestly, in my pedagogical practice the line becomes drawn in the sand through communication. If you take the time to write me an email, or talk to me in office hours, and be honest about what is happening I will be more than happy to give you the few days you may need. I know most of my students have a full course load and when you are teaching introductory or second year subjects the students may not have perfected the art of planning and organizing their agendas. So talk to me. I strive to make my classrooms and office hours open and accessible. I welcome feedback and communication from the students. It makes the course more interesting and helps me hone my pedagogical practice. Sending me emails a few days after the due date without a reason why the essay is late prevents dialogue. By sending such an email you are in essence not taking advantage of one of the resources your course provides...your teacher.
So I ask, what sort of strategies do you employ to address the due date dilemma? Are you a firm 0% after the due date instructor, or do you encourage discussion? More importantly I am interested in how due dates function in the grand scheme of pedagogy. Do due dates stifle learning or encourage it?
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