- How will you communicate the importance of meeting deadlines?
- What degree of flexibility will you offer for assignment submission deadlines, and is there a penalty associated with late work?
- How can you craft a policy that eliminates the need for you to judge the merits of a student’s excuse for late work?
22Feb’22
What Is the Value of a Late Work Policy?
Students occasionally need to submit work after the deadline for a legitimate reason. Instructors can save time and ensure all students are treated fairly by having a clear late work policy that reflects this reality.
Questions to Consider
Policy Examples from Penn Professors
PSCI 4200: Political Psychology, Upper-Level Seminar
Short-answer response papers are due by 11:59pm on Tuesday night of a given class week. Response papers should be submitted via Canvas (Assignments/Short-answer response/Correct topic). If the response paper is submitted between 12:00am and 10:15am, then that paper will be docked one-third of a letter grade (so an A paper becomes an A-, an A- becomes a B+, etc). No response papers will be accepted after the official start of class (10:15am).
BE 2000: Introduction to Biomechanics, Large Active Learning Class
In an effort to normalize work-life balance, every student is entitled to a single homework extension request per semester. Please note, this is separate from any religious accommodations or true medical emergencies. If you are feeling overwhelmed, have a cold and fell behind, are traveling too much for a sport, etc., you may have a two-day, full-credit extension on a homework assignment. The Google form must be filled out BEFORE the deadline.
CIS 1100: Introduction to Computer Programming (Python), Large Undergraduate Lecture
Late tokens are earned at a rate of one-third per lecture attended. Each late day allows you to submit an assignment up to 24 hours late. You can use up to two late days on any assignment. Late submissions are designed to help you through an especially busy week, a cold, and other issues that commonly crop up at some point in the semester. Deadlines are automatically enforced. Forty-eight (48) hours after the deadline, the submission link will disappear.
MATH 1300: Introduction to Calculus, Large Undergraduate Lecture
Because we expect more than 300 students to be a part of this class, we unfortunately do not have the capacity to make individual arrangements to extend deadlines or allow late submissions on the day-to-day work of this course. To account for circumstances such as illness or personal difficulties which impede your ability to complete assignments in a timely manner, you are allowed certain automatic drop opportunities. The specifications are:
- Pre-Work: The lowest 4 scores will be dropped.
- Post-Work: The lowest 4 scores will be dropped.
- Presentations: you must give two presentations in recitation, but scheduling is flexible.
- Group Work: Up to two weekly group work/feedback forms need not be submitted.
ENGL 1041: Jane Austen and Adaptation, Undergraduate Seminar
During the semester, we will not accept late work. In the case of the essay deadlines for the mid-semester or longer essays, this will not directly affect your grade because of the portfolio system; you simply lose that opportunity for us to read your work in draft and provide you with feedback. So, it's always better to hand in something. We do this to avoid the hassle of excuses, requests for extensions, etc. As with absences, please do not write to us asking for extensions; instead, hand in something on the date the draft is due so you can receive feedback.