As a course lecturer, should I excuse late assignment submissions if I wrote the assignment deadline slightly...
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I am the course lecturer of an undergraduate course.
For a recent assignment, I had written the assignment deadline as 23 November 2018 (Saturday). Unfortunately, 23 November is actually a Friday, and not a Saturday.
I received an email from a student asking for me to excuse his/her assignment which was submitted late. The student explained that he/she marked the deadline as Saturday, without checking the assignment date.
Question
Should I excuse the student's late submission because I made a slight mistake in specifying the assignment deadline?
Note: We use a learning management system to receive assignment submissions, and the assignment deadline was entered correctly in the learning management system.
What I decided to do
For the current incident:
After reading the answers, and thinking it through, I decided that it is better to use the later of the two deadlines (i.e., 24 November Saturday) as the official deadline for the assignment.
I did make a mistake in writing the wrong day of the week for the deadline,
and students could have been misled with my mistake.
It is not fair to punish such students for my mistake.
For future courses:
- The more places I put the deadline in
(e.g., the syllabus, the assignment itself, the learning management system),
it becomes likely that I will make a mistake somewhere. - In the future, I will put the deadline in only the learning management system, and refer students to check the deadlines there.
teaching coursework
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up vote
34
down vote
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I am the course lecturer of an undergraduate course.
For a recent assignment, I had written the assignment deadline as 23 November 2018 (Saturday). Unfortunately, 23 November is actually a Friday, and not a Saturday.
I received an email from a student asking for me to excuse his/her assignment which was submitted late. The student explained that he/she marked the deadline as Saturday, without checking the assignment date.
Question
Should I excuse the student's late submission because I made a slight mistake in specifying the assignment deadline?
Note: We use a learning management system to receive assignment submissions, and the assignment deadline was entered correctly in the learning management system.
What I decided to do
For the current incident:
After reading the answers, and thinking it through, I decided that it is better to use the later of the two deadlines (i.e., 24 November Saturday) as the official deadline for the assignment.
I did make a mistake in writing the wrong day of the week for the deadline,
and students could have been misled with my mistake.
It is not fair to punish such students for my mistake.
For future courses:
- The more places I put the deadline in
(e.g., the syllabus, the assignment itself, the learning management system),
it becomes likely that I will make a mistake somewhere. - In the future, I will put the deadline in only the learning management system, and refer students to check the deadlines there.
teaching coursework
57
In dubio pro reo…
– ebosi
yesterday
17
What would be the benefits for you or for your students of rejecting this single assignment which was submitted on Saturday? (I can't see a compelling benefit.)
– pts
yesterday
27
@ebosi: There's also a legal doctrine called contra proferentem that seems on point here.
– Michael Seifert
yesterday
8
In addition to the reasons given by answers, to stick to the shorter deadline you will need to argue that such a small error doesn't matter, and that could backfire in a few days when you grade their assignments and some perceivedly small mistakes will need to matter.
– Pere
yesterday
7
BTW how do you accidentally name a weekend day if you don’t want that? (That thinking can also be applied by your students)
– eckes
yesterday
|
show 5 more comments
up vote
34
down vote
favorite
up vote
34
down vote
favorite
I am the course lecturer of an undergraduate course.
For a recent assignment, I had written the assignment deadline as 23 November 2018 (Saturday). Unfortunately, 23 November is actually a Friday, and not a Saturday.
I received an email from a student asking for me to excuse his/her assignment which was submitted late. The student explained that he/she marked the deadline as Saturday, without checking the assignment date.
Question
Should I excuse the student's late submission because I made a slight mistake in specifying the assignment deadline?
Note: We use a learning management system to receive assignment submissions, and the assignment deadline was entered correctly in the learning management system.
What I decided to do
For the current incident:
After reading the answers, and thinking it through, I decided that it is better to use the later of the two deadlines (i.e., 24 November Saturday) as the official deadline for the assignment.
I did make a mistake in writing the wrong day of the week for the deadline,
and students could have been misled with my mistake.
It is not fair to punish such students for my mistake.
For future courses:
- The more places I put the deadline in
(e.g., the syllabus, the assignment itself, the learning management system),
it becomes likely that I will make a mistake somewhere. - In the future, I will put the deadline in only the learning management system, and refer students to check the deadlines there.
teaching coursework
I am the course lecturer of an undergraduate course.
For a recent assignment, I had written the assignment deadline as 23 November 2018 (Saturday). Unfortunately, 23 November is actually a Friday, and not a Saturday.
I received an email from a student asking for me to excuse his/her assignment which was submitted late. The student explained that he/she marked the deadline as Saturday, without checking the assignment date.
Question
Should I excuse the student's late submission because I made a slight mistake in specifying the assignment deadline?
Note: We use a learning management system to receive assignment submissions, and the assignment deadline was entered correctly in the learning management system.
What I decided to do
For the current incident:
After reading the answers, and thinking it through, I decided that it is better to use the later of the two deadlines (i.e., 24 November Saturday) as the official deadline for the assignment.
I did make a mistake in writing the wrong day of the week for the deadline,
and students could have been misled with my mistake.
It is not fair to punish such students for my mistake.
For future courses:
- The more places I put the deadline in
(e.g., the syllabus, the assignment itself, the learning management system),
it becomes likely that I will make a mistake somewhere. - In the future, I will put the deadline in only the learning management system, and refer students to check the deadlines there.
teaching coursework
teaching coursework
edited 9 hours ago
asked 2 days ago
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57
In dubio pro reo…
– ebosi
yesterday
17
What would be the benefits for you or for your students of rejecting this single assignment which was submitted on Saturday? (I can't see a compelling benefit.)
– pts
yesterday
27
@ebosi: There's also a legal doctrine called contra proferentem that seems on point here.
– Michael Seifert
yesterday
8
In addition to the reasons given by answers, to stick to the shorter deadline you will need to argue that such a small error doesn't matter, and that could backfire in a few days when you grade their assignments and some perceivedly small mistakes will need to matter.
– Pere
yesterday
7
BTW how do you accidentally name a weekend day if you don’t want that? (That thinking can also be applied by your students)
– eckes
yesterday
|
show 5 more comments
57
In dubio pro reo…
– ebosi
yesterday
17
What would be the benefits for you or for your students of rejecting this single assignment which was submitted on Saturday? (I can't see a compelling benefit.)
– pts
yesterday
27
@ebosi: There's also a legal doctrine called contra proferentem that seems on point here.
– Michael Seifert
yesterday
8
In addition to the reasons given by answers, to stick to the shorter deadline you will need to argue that such a small error doesn't matter, and that could backfire in a few days when you grade their assignments and some perceivedly small mistakes will need to matter.
– Pere
yesterday
7
BTW how do you accidentally name a weekend day if you don’t want that? (That thinking can also be applied by your students)
– eckes
yesterday
57
57
In dubio pro reo…
– ebosi
yesterday
In dubio pro reo…
– ebosi
yesterday
17
17
What would be the benefits for you or for your students of rejecting this single assignment which was submitted on Saturday? (I can't see a compelling benefit.)
– pts
yesterday
What would be the benefits for you or for your students of rejecting this single assignment which was submitted on Saturday? (I can't see a compelling benefit.)
– pts
yesterday
27
27
@ebosi: There's also a legal doctrine called contra proferentem that seems on point here.
– Michael Seifert
yesterday
@ebosi: There's also a legal doctrine called contra proferentem that seems on point here.
– Michael Seifert
yesterday
8
8
In addition to the reasons given by answers, to stick to the shorter deadline you will need to argue that such a small error doesn't matter, and that could backfire in a few days when you grade their assignments and some perceivedly small mistakes will need to matter.
– Pere
yesterday
In addition to the reasons given by answers, to stick to the shorter deadline you will need to argue that such a small error doesn't matter, and that could backfire in a few days when you grade their assignments and some perceivedly small mistakes will need to matter.
– Pere
yesterday
7
7
BTW how do you accidentally name a weekend day if you don’t want that? (That thinking can also be applied by your students)
– eckes
yesterday
BTW how do you accidentally name a weekend day if you don’t want that? (That thinking can also be applied by your students)
– eckes
yesterday
|
show 5 more comments
8 Answers
8
active
oldest
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up vote
71
down vote
accepted
In dubio pro reo (where nothing happened anyway)
Mistakes happen. Like you writing the wrong day for a certain date. Happened once, the "damage" is that students may have a reason to hand in one day later. That's it. And that's basically nothing.
Students are humans too. Most probably he really did not pay too much attention, did not look it up properly. Like no one of us would have or normally does in his daily business. And that's fine. Because it was not about life and death.
Let it be like that and accept the hand-in saying that you really wrote the wrong day (and may even apologize for the small mistake, as it may caused some confusion and a little anxiety to the student when he realized it). Even thinking about that incident is too much energy wasted for nothing happened. And be happy that you did not write the date of a test wrong or similar. Keep the mouse a mouse, don't make it an elephant.
Also, not accepting it will result in punishing a (most probably) innocent student. That's just unfair and will leave a very bad impression with the student. No reason to risk that.
add a comment |
up vote
113
down vote
If the assignment deadline was not shown correctly to the students, then it is your error and they cannot be penalized for being late.
Claiming it is correct in one area while incorrect in another does not absolve you, you caused the confusion so you have to accept late submissions, as long as they arrived on Saturday...
Any submissions on Sunday will, of course, be late.
Re-reading this, it sounds a bit blunt... Probably because I have done exactly the same and had to sort it out after... Peace reigns if you stick to being fair, so giving them the extra time does not usually make much of a difference, except for the recognition from the students.
32
@ASimpleAlgorithm the date given was the 23rd as the Saturday, while the 23rd was actually Friday... So, confusion for `students who looked at the DAY and marked it on their calendar... Then when submitting on the Saturday, they find themselves late and contact the OP...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm if your system sends out reminders, then I agree with you they have less ground to stand on... The system I am "blessed" with does not send out reminders so I have to deal with errors such as this... It is actually easy if you swallow a bit of humble pie and play fair... The students accept the error and apology, as long as it is infrequent... :)
– Solar Mike
yesterday
8
@ASimpleAlgorithm as a student I used to hate the automated systems from the University's learning platform and ended up copying the 'filedrop' link into my personal calendar app on the day given, without looking into the learning platform otherwise. I would have been left astray here possibly... Without ill intent, because of a mistake the lecturer) made. The fact it's only one could be someone looking for a loophole, sure. It could also be someone not using the same system as all the others....
– Patrice
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm: It doesn't matter if the system sends out reminders if it sends it out too late. Students need to manage their time between multiple classes and assignments (and often work), which sometimes means they don't finish up an assignment until very close to a due date. So getting a reminder the day before or day of, when they were justifiably under the assumption it was due a day later, might not give them time to actually finish their assignment. For all we know this one student may have been working when this reminder went out, making it impossible for them to submit it.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
4
@SolarMike They were working to the deadline, they were just given the wrong deadline, which is exactly my point. To then tell them "Learn to work to a deadline" is nothing short of a huge slap in the face, and I'm sure it's perfect grounds for a student to make a complaint to the dean of the department for their assignment to be accepted a day late.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
|
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up vote
63
down vote
If you occasionally published two different dates as a deadline, you should accept the work until the latest date without penalty. This is what essentially happened: you announced the deadline as 23rd Nov 2018 but also as Saturday, which is not the same day. Go with the latest of two then — this is the best way to be fair in this situation.
7
Yup. Not least because if they appeal it, a) it'll waste your time having to explain that you're an incompetent and b) the university will likely side with the student and you'll look bad.
– Valorum
yesterday
13
Kinda off-topic, but one of my instructors once mistakenly wrote the deadline as 11/27/2108, and we still got penalties for submitting after 11/27/2018 :(
– nalzok
yesterday
2
@nalzok: A hundred years is far too much extra time for school work.
– user21820
yesterday
3
@user21820 Arguable :)
– user45266
yesterday
1
@user21820 some students would still be late after having 100 years :) ...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
|
show 1 more comment
up vote
32
down vote
I think the most important question a teacher should ask about their own actions is "What my action will teach?"
If you accept the late submission you will teach that one must assume their own mistakes and get full responsibility.
If you don't, you will teach that the people with more power don't need to clean up and take responsibility after mistakes, and the underdogs should not trust them.
We can say the last will prepare the student to be a good employee in the corporate world, and the first to be a responsible person.
2
Very good point regarding setting a personal example! Teachers educate students as persons, they don't just teach particular subject matter. +1
– einpoklum
yesterday
While I agree with the idea of the teaching, being strict with with the date does not teach that "people with power don't need to clean up...", but that it is the student's responsability to make sure to have all the elements in hand. I'm still in favour of a lenient response, but the second part of your answer is biased.
– bilbo_pingouin
yesterday
1
Maybe my answer is biased, but I think I don't need to "make sure" I "have all the elements in hand" if I trust my superior. If the student is penalized because they don't catch the professor mistake, we are not teaching students to be attentive, but that "s*** goes down", and we must not trust our superiors. The result would be improved attention? Sure. but the message was not "Attention is important".
– Cochise
21 hours ago
1
@bilbo_pingouin really, it is the student’s responsibility to always be on their guard in case against incompetence or errors on the side of their instructors? That seems unreasonable. If we required such hyper-vigilance from students, they would not have any time left for studying.
– Dan Romik
16 hours ago
Well I disagree, Students aren't Kindergarten kids. They can take care of themselves and do not need to be taken by hand every time. By your logic, the student could deliver any saturday, that would have been ok. I disagree. There were an error in the requirement, the student should be able to spot it. Why assume Saturday was fine and not the date? Again, I don't think that student should be penalised here. But I still disagree with your second part.
– bilbo_pingouin
6 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
Purely from a standpoint of error distance, I would probably put more trust in the spelled-out day than in a numeric date, if there's any conflict between the two, because it's much more likely to accidentally hit 3
instead of 4
than to type Satur
when you meant to type Fri
. Of course that only applies to the mechanical aspect of typing, for most brains it's probably just as easy to mix the two up.
In any case, unless you noticed your error and communicated an unambiguous correction within a reasonable timeframe, it seems only fair that you should accept submissions up to the latest possible reasonable interpretation of the originally communicated deadline.
I say “reasonable" interpretation, because I guess the latest possible interpretation would be Saturday, November 23rd of the next year in which November 23rd is a Saturday. (This wouldn’t make sense in an academic context, but it’s a possible result of a typo in some longer-range planning.)
New contributor
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up vote
3
down vote
You can only hold people to what you said clearly, not to what you meant
I meant the 23rd. That was a typo, perhaps ironically.
Says you. As a student, I was given an assignment due on Saturday the 24th. What's that you're saying? That the numeric date has 23 rather than 24? Oh, surely that's just a typo.
See what I'm saying?
Actually, even in a more extreme case, where you merely hinted that the later day is appropriate, and did not spell it out, you should still have accepted late submissions.
4
This looks more like a comment to a comment, except for the bolded line that actually adresses the OP.
– corey979
yesterday
1
I guess I don't see what you mean, if all you've done here is swap one ambiguous date for another. And my point was the date was given twice, once nonsensically, which cannot be followed as the day didn't exist in the current year, and one clearly, where it was online. Just like you want.
– A Simple Algorithm
22 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: Which date in your opinion was the sensical one, and which the non-sensical one?
– einpoklum
20 hours ago
@einpoklumthe nonsensical one is "saturday, Nov. 23". The "sensical" one is the date on the online system which presumably was "nov. 23". Those are not three dates they are two. As a student you are held responsible for everything you are told, not your favorite piece of information.
– A Simple Algorithm
19 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: That's just, like, your opinion, man.. I saw a perfectly sensical date and a typo, and that's a reasonable - even if not the only interpretation. The fact that it says something else on the online system doesn't change anything, because once I saw that Saturday, I was reading the submission date information anywhere else - I already knew when I needed to submit.
– einpoklum
16 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I think there is no other choice for you than to excuse your student. As he/ she already mentioned that he/ she follow calendar day deadline instead of calendar date which is also clearly mentioned in your submission deadline . So being a very valid reason and a typo mistake on your part, your student should be given excuse .
New contributor
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up vote
0
down vote
You probably want to ask yourself what your purpose in teaching is.
Is it to teach students, proliferate knowledge and make sure people learn what you want to course to convey? If so, be lenient.
If, on the other hand, you think your principal job is to filter students by failing them hard and early, this is a perfect excuse to do so.
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8 Answers
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8 Answers
8
active
oldest
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active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
71
down vote
accepted
In dubio pro reo (where nothing happened anyway)
Mistakes happen. Like you writing the wrong day for a certain date. Happened once, the "damage" is that students may have a reason to hand in one day later. That's it. And that's basically nothing.
Students are humans too. Most probably he really did not pay too much attention, did not look it up properly. Like no one of us would have or normally does in his daily business. And that's fine. Because it was not about life and death.
Let it be like that and accept the hand-in saying that you really wrote the wrong day (and may even apologize for the small mistake, as it may caused some confusion and a little anxiety to the student when he realized it). Even thinking about that incident is too much energy wasted for nothing happened. And be happy that you did not write the date of a test wrong or similar. Keep the mouse a mouse, don't make it an elephant.
Also, not accepting it will result in punishing a (most probably) innocent student. That's just unfair and will leave a very bad impression with the student. No reason to risk that.
add a comment |
up vote
71
down vote
accepted
In dubio pro reo (where nothing happened anyway)
Mistakes happen. Like you writing the wrong day for a certain date. Happened once, the "damage" is that students may have a reason to hand in one day later. That's it. And that's basically nothing.
Students are humans too. Most probably he really did not pay too much attention, did not look it up properly. Like no one of us would have or normally does in his daily business. And that's fine. Because it was not about life and death.
Let it be like that and accept the hand-in saying that you really wrote the wrong day (and may even apologize for the small mistake, as it may caused some confusion and a little anxiety to the student when he realized it). Even thinking about that incident is too much energy wasted for nothing happened. And be happy that you did not write the date of a test wrong or similar. Keep the mouse a mouse, don't make it an elephant.
Also, not accepting it will result in punishing a (most probably) innocent student. That's just unfair and will leave a very bad impression with the student. No reason to risk that.
add a comment |
up vote
71
down vote
accepted
up vote
71
down vote
accepted
In dubio pro reo (where nothing happened anyway)
Mistakes happen. Like you writing the wrong day for a certain date. Happened once, the "damage" is that students may have a reason to hand in one day later. That's it. And that's basically nothing.
Students are humans too. Most probably he really did not pay too much attention, did not look it up properly. Like no one of us would have or normally does in his daily business. And that's fine. Because it was not about life and death.
Let it be like that and accept the hand-in saying that you really wrote the wrong day (and may even apologize for the small mistake, as it may caused some confusion and a little anxiety to the student when he realized it). Even thinking about that incident is too much energy wasted for nothing happened. And be happy that you did not write the date of a test wrong or similar. Keep the mouse a mouse, don't make it an elephant.
Also, not accepting it will result in punishing a (most probably) innocent student. That's just unfair and will leave a very bad impression with the student. No reason to risk that.
In dubio pro reo (where nothing happened anyway)
Mistakes happen. Like you writing the wrong day for a certain date. Happened once, the "damage" is that students may have a reason to hand in one day later. That's it. And that's basically nothing.
Students are humans too. Most probably he really did not pay too much attention, did not look it up properly. Like no one of us would have or normally does in his daily business. And that's fine. Because it was not about life and death.
Let it be like that and accept the hand-in saying that you really wrote the wrong day (and may even apologize for the small mistake, as it may caused some confusion and a little anxiety to the student when he realized it). Even thinking about that incident is too much energy wasted for nothing happened. And be happy that you did not write the date of a test wrong or similar. Keep the mouse a mouse, don't make it an elephant.
Also, not accepting it will result in punishing a (most probably) innocent student. That's just unfair and will leave a very bad impression with the student. No reason to risk that.
answered yesterday
Mayou36
1,985515
1,985515
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
113
down vote
If the assignment deadline was not shown correctly to the students, then it is your error and they cannot be penalized for being late.
Claiming it is correct in one area while incorrect in another does not absolve you, you caused the confusion so you have to accept late submissions, as long as they arrived on Saturday...
Any submissions on Sunday will, of course, be late.
Re-reading this, it sounds a bit blunt... Probably because I have done exactly the same and had to sort it out after... Peace reigns if you stick to being fair, so giving them the extra time does not usually make much of a difference, except for the recognition from the students.
32
@ASimpleAlgorithm the date given was the 23rd as the Saturday, while the 23rd was actually Friday... So, confusion for `students who looked at the DAY and marked it on their calendar... Then when submitting on the Saturday, they find themselves late and contact the OP...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm if your system sends out reminders, then I agree with you they have less ground to stand on... The system I am "blessed" with does not send out reminders so I have to deal with errors such as this... It is actually easy if you swallow a bit of humble pie and play fair... The students accept the error and apology, as long as it is infrequent... :)
– Solar Mike
yesterday
8
@ASimpleAlgorithm as a student I used to hate the automated systems from the University's learning platform and ended up copying the 'filedrop' link into my personal calendar app on the day given, without looking into the learning platform otherwise. I would have been left astray here possibly... Without ill intent, because of a mistake the lecturer) made. The fact it's only one could be someone looking for a loophole, sure. It could also be someone not using the same system as all the others....
– Patrice
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm: It doesn't matter if the system sends out reminders if it sends it out too late. Students need to manage their time between multiple classes and assignments (and often work), which sometimes means they don't finish up an assignment until very close to a due date. So getting a reminder the day before or day of, when they were justifiably under the assumption it was due a day later, might not give them time to actually finish their assignment. For all we know this one student may have been working when this reminder went out, making it impossible for them to submit it.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
4
@SolarMike They were working to the deadline, they were just given the wrong deadline, which is exactly my point. To then tell them "Learn to work to a deadline" is nothing short of a huge slap in the face, and I'm sure it's perfect grounds for a student to make a complaint to the dean of the department for their assignment to be accepted a day late.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
|
show 12 more comments
up vote
113
down vote
If the assignment deadline was not shown correctly to the students, then it is your error and they cannot be penalized for being late.
Claiming it is correct in one area while incorrect in another does not absolve you, you caused the confusion so you have to accept late submissions, as long as they arrived on Saturday...
Any submissions on Sunday will, of course, be late.
Re-reading this, it sounds a bit blunt... Probably because I have done exactly the same and had to sort it out after... Peace reigns if you stick to being fair, so giving them the extra time does not usually make much of a difference, except for the recognition from the students.
32
@ASimpleAlgorithm the date given was the 23rd as the Saturday, while the 23rd was actually Friday... So, confusion for `students who looked at the DAY and marked it on their calendar... Then when submitting on the Saturday, they find themselves late and contact the OP...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm if your system sends out reminders, then I agree with you they have less ground to stand on... The system I am "blessed" with does not send out reminders so I have to deal with errors such as this... It is actually easy if you swallow a bit of humble pie and play fair... The students accept the error and apology, as long as it is infrequent... :)
– Solar Mike
yesterday
8
@ASimpleAlgorithm as a student I used to hate the automated systems from the University's learning platform and ended up copying the 'filedrop' link into my personal calendar app on the day given, without looking into the learning platform otherwise. I would have been left astray here possibly... Without ill intent, because of a mistake the lecturer) made. The fact it's only one could be someone looking for a loophole, sure. It could also be someone not using the same system as all the others....
– Patrice
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm: It doesn't matter if the system sends out reminders if it sends it out too late. Students need to manage their time between multiple classes and assignments (and often work), which sometimes means they don't finish up an assignment until very close to a due date. So getting a reminder the day before or day of, when they were justifiably under the assumption it was due a day later, might not give them time to actually finish their assignment. For all we know this one student may have been working when this reminder went out, making it impossible for them to submit it.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
4
@SolarMike They were working to the deadline, they were just given the wrong deadline, which is exactly my point. To then tell them "Learn to work to a deadline" is nothing short of a huge slap in the face, and I'm sure it's perfect grounds for a student to make a complaint to the dean of the department for their assignment to be accepted a day late.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
|
show 12 more comments
up vote
113
down vote
up vote
113
down vote
If the assignment deadline was not shown correctly to the students, then it is your error and they cannot be penalized for being late.
Claiming it is correct in one area while incorrect in another does not absolve you, you caused the confusion so you have to accept late submissions, as long as they arrived on Saturday...
Any submissions on Sunday will, of course, be late.
Re-reading this, it sounds a bit blunt... Probably because I have done exactly the same and had to sort it out after... Peace reigns if you stick to being fair, so giving them the extra time does not usually make much of a difference, except for the recognition from the students.
If the assignment deadline was not shown correctly to the students, then it is your error and they cannot be penalized for being late.
Claiming it is correct in one area while incorrect in another does not absolve you, you caused the confusion so you have to accept late submissions, as long as they arrived on Saturday...
Any submissions on Sunday will, of course, be late.
Re-reading this, it sounds a bit blunt... Probably because I have done exactly the same and had to sort it out after... Peace reigns if you stick to being fair, so giving them the extra time does not usually make much of a difference, except for the recognition from the students.
edited 2 days ago
answered 2 days ago
Solar Mike
11.1k52246
11.1k52246
32
@ASimpleAlgorithm the date given was the 23rd as the Saturday, while the 23rd was actually Friday... So, confusion for `students who looked at the DAY and marked it on their calendar... Then when submitting on the Saturday, they find themselves late and contact the OP...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm if your system sends out reminders, then I agree with you they have less ground to stand on... The system I am "blessed" with does not send out reminders so I have to deal with errors such as this... It is actually easy if you swallow a bit of humble pie and play fair... The students accept the error and apology, as long as it is infrequent... :)
– Solar Mike
yesterday
8
@ASimpleAlgorithm as a student I used to hate the automated systems from the University's learning platform and ended up copying the 'filedrop' link into my personal calendar app on the day given, without looking into the learning platform otherwise. I would have been left astray here possibly... Without ill intent, because of a mistake the lecturer) made. The fact it's only one could be someone looking for a loophole, sure. It could also be someone not using the same system as all the others....
– Patrice
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm: It doesn't matter if the system sends out reminders if it sends it out too late. Students need to manage their time between multiple classes and assignments (and often work), which sometimes means they don't finish up an assignment until very close to a due date. So getting a reminder the day before or day of, when they were justifiably under the assumption it was due a day later, might not give them time to actually finish their assignment. For all we know this one student may have been working when this reminder went out, making it impossible for them to submit it.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
4
@SolarMike They were working to the deadline, they were just given the wrong deadline, which is exactly my point. To then tell them "Learn to work to a deadline" is nothing short of a huge slap in the face, and I'm sure it's perfect grounds for a student to make a complaint to the dean of the department for their assignment to be accepted a day late.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
|
show 12 more comments
32
@ASimpleAlgorithm the date given was the 23rd as the Saturday, while the 23rd was actually Friday... So, confusion for `students who looked at the DAY and marked it on their calendar... Then when submitting on the Saturday, they find themselves late and contact the OP...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm if your system sends out reminders, then I agree with you they have less ground to stand on... The system I am "blessed" with does not send out reminders so I have to deal with errors such as this... It is actually easy if you swallow a bit of humble pie and play fair... The students accept the error and apology, as long as it is infrequent... :)
– Solar Mike
yesterday
8
@ASimpleAlgorithm as a student I used to hate the automated systems from the University's learning platform and ended up copying the 'filedrop' link into my personal calendar app on the day given, without looking into the learning platform otherwise. I would have been left astray here possibly... Without ill intent, because of a mistake the lecturer) made. The fact it's only one could be someone looking for a loophole, sure. It could also be someone not using the same system as all the others....
– Patrice
yesterday
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm: It doesn't matter if the system sends out reminders if it sends it out too late. Students need to manage their time between multiple classes and assignments (and often work), which sometimes means they don't finish up an assignment until very close to a due date. So getting a reminder the day before or day of, when they were justifiably under the assumption it was due a day later, might not give them time to actually finish their assignment. For all we know this one student may have been working when this reminder went out, making it impossible for them to submit it.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
4
@SolarMike They were working to the deadline, they were just given the wrong deadline, which is exactly my point. To then tell them "Learn to work to a deadline" is nothing short of a huge slap in the face, and I'm sure it's perfect grounds for a student to make a complaint to the dean of the department for their assignment to be accepted a day late.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
32
32
@ASimpleAlgorithm the date given was the 23rd as the Saturday, while the 23rd was actually Friday... So, confusion for `students who looked at the DAY and marked it on their calendar... Then when submitting on the Saturday, they find themselves late and contact the OP...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
@ASimpleAlgorithm the date given was the 23rd as the Saturday, while the 23rd was actually Friday... So, confusion for `students who looked at the DAY and marked it on their calendar... Then when submitting on the Saturday, they find themselves late and contact the OP...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
4
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm if your system sends out reminders, then I agree with you they have less ground to stand on... The system I am "blessed" with does not send out reminders so I have to deal with errors such as this... It is actually easy if you swallow a bit of humble pie and play fair... The students accept the error and apology, as long as it is infrequent... :)
– Solar Mike
yesterday
@ASimpleAlgorithm if your system sends out reminders, then I agree with you they have less ground to stand on... The system I am "blessed" with does not send out reminders so I have to deal with errors such as this... It is actually easy if you swallow a bit of humble pie and play fair... The students accept the error and apology, as long as it is infrequent... :)
– Solar Mike
yesterday
8
8
@ASimpleAlgorithm as a student I used to hate the automated systems from the University's learning platform and ended up copying the 'filedrop' link into my personal calendar app on the day given, without looking into the learning platform otherwise. I would have been left astray here possibly... Without ill intent, because of a mistake the lecturer) made. The fact it's only one could be someone looking for a loophole, sure. It could also be someone not using the same system as all the others....
– Patrice
yesterday
@ASimpleAlgorithm as a student I used to hate the automated systems from the University's learning platform and ended up copying the 'filedrop' link into my personal calendar app on the day given, without looking into the learning platform otherwise. I would have been left astray here possibly... Without ill intent, because of a mistake the lecturer) made. The fact it's only one could be someone looking for a loophole, sure. It could also be someone not using the same system as all the others....
– Patrice
yesterday
4
4
@ASimpleAlgorithm: It doesn't matter if the system sends out reminders if it sends it out too late. Students need to manage their time between multiple classes and assignments (and often work), which sometimes means they don't finish up an assignment until very close to a due date. So getting a reminder the day before or day of, when they were justifiably under the assumption it was due a day later, might not give them time to actually finish their assignment. For all we know this one student may have been working when this reminder went out, making it impossible for them to submit it.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: It doesn't matter if the system sends out reminders if it sends it out too late. Students need to manage their time between multiple classes and assignments (and often work), which sometimes means they don't finish up an assignment until very close to a due date. So getting a reminder the day before or day of, when they were justifiably under the assumption it was due a day later, might not give them time to actually finish their assignment. For all we know this one student may have been working when this reminder went out, making it impossible for them to submit it.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
4
4
@SolarMike They were working to the deadline, they were just given the wrong deadline, which is exactly my point. To then tell them "Learn to work to a deadline" is nothing short of a huge slap in the face, and I'm sure it's perfect grounds for a student to make a complaint to the dean of the department for their assignment to be accepted a day late.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
@SolarMike They were working to the deadline, they were just given the wrong deadline, which is exactly my point. To then tell them "Learn to work to a deadline" is nothing short of a huge slap in the face, and I'm sure it's perfect grounds for a student to make a complaint to the dean of the department for their assignment to be accepted a day late.
– Wipqozn
23 hours ago
|
show 12 more comments
up vote
63
down vote
If you occasionally published two different dates as a deadline, you should accept the work until the latest date without penalty. This is what essentially happened: you announced the deadline as 23rd Nov 2018 but also as Saturday, which is not the same day. Go with the latest of two then — this is the best way to be fair in this situation.
7
Yup. Not least because if they appeal it, a) it'll waste your time having to explain that you're an incompetent and b) the university will likely side with the student and you'll look bad.
– Valorum
yesterday
13
Kinda off-topic, but one of my instructors once mistakenly wrote the deadline as 11/27/2108, and we still got penalties for submitting after 11/27/2018 :(
– nalzok
yesterday
2
@nalzok: A hundred years is far too much extra time for school work.
– user21820
yesterday
3
@user21820 Arguable :)
– user45266
yesterday
1
@user21820 some students would still be late after having 100 years :) ...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
|
show 1 more comment
up vote
63
down vote
If you occasionally published two different dates as a deadline, you should accept the work until the latest date without penalty. This is what essentially happened: you announced the deadline as 23rd Nov 2018 but also as Saturday, which is not the same day. Go with the latest of two then — this is the best way to be fair in this situation.
7
Yup. Not least because if they appeal it, a) it'll waste your time having to explain that you're an incompetent and b) the university will likely side with the student and you'll look bad.
– Valorum
yesterday
13
Kinda off-topic, but one of my instructors once mistakenly wrote the deadline as 11/27/2108, and we still got penalties for submitting after 11/27/2018 :(
– nalzok
yesterday
2
@nalzok: A hundred years is far too much extra time for school work.
– user21820
yesterday
3
@user21820 Arguable :)
– user45266
yesterday
1
@user21820 some students would still be late after having 100 years :) ...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
|
show 1 more comment
up vote
63
down vote
up vote
63
down vote
If you occasionally published two different dates as a deadline, you should accept the work until the latest date without penalty. This is what essentially happened: you announced the deadline as 23rd Nov 2018 but also as Saturday, which is not the same day. Go with the latest of two then — this is the best way to be fair in this situation.
If you occasionally published two different dates as a deadline, you should accept the work until the latest date without penalty. This is what essentially happened: you announced the deadline as 23rd Nov 2018 but also as Saturday, which is not the same day. Go with the latest of two then — this is the best way to be fair in this situation.
answered 2 days ago
Dmitry Savostyanov
25.1k953107
25.1k953107
7
Yup. Not least because if they appeal it, a) it'll waste your time having to explain that you're an incompetent and b) the university will likely side with the student and you'll look bad.
– Valorum
yesterday
13
Kinda off-topic, but one of my instructors once mistakenly wrote the deadline as 11/27/2108, and we still got penalties for submitting after 11/27/2018 :(
– nalzok
yesterday
2
@nalzok: A hundred years is far too much extra time for school work.
– user21820
yesterday
3
@user21820 Arguable :)
– user45266
yesterday
1
@user21820 some students would still be late after having 100 years :) ...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
|
show 1 more comment
7
Yup. Not least because if they appeal it, a) it'll waste your time having to explain that you're an incompetent and b) the university will likely side with the student and you'll look bad.
– Valorum
yesterday
13
Kinda off-topic, but one of my instructors once mistakenly wrote the deadline as 11/27/2108, and we still got penalties for submitting after 11/27/2018 :(
– nalzok
yesterday
2
@nalzok: A hundred years is far too much extra time for school work.
– user21820
yesterday
3
@user21820 Arguable :)
– user45266
yesterday
1
@user21820 some students would still be late after having 100 years :) ...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
7
7
Yup. Not least because if they appeal it, a) it'll waste your time having to explain that you're an incompetent and b) the university will likely side with the student and you'll look bad.
– Valorum
yesterday
Yup. Not least because if they appeal it, a) it'll waste your time having to explain that you're an incompetent and b) the university will likely side with the student and you'll look bad.
– Valorum
yesterday
13
13
Kinda off-topic, but one of my instructors once mistakenly wrote the deadline as 11/27/2108, and we still got penalties for submitting after 11/27/2018 :(
– nalzok
yesterday
Kinda off-topic, but one of my instructors once mistakenly wrote the deadline as 11/27/2108, and we still got penalties for submitting after 11/27/2018 :(
– nalzok
yesterday
2
2
@nalzok: A hundred years is far too much extra time for school work.
– user21820
yesterday
@nalzok: A hundred years is far too much extra time for school work.
– user21820
yesterday
3
3
@user21820 Arguable :)
– user45266
yesterday
@user21820 Arguable :)
– user45266
yesterday
1
1
@user21820 some students would still be late after having 100 years :) ...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
@user21820 some students would still be late after having 100 years :) ...
– Solar Mike
yesterday
|
show 1 more comment
up vote
32
down vote
I think the most important question a teacher should ask about their own actions is "What my action will teach?"
If you accept the late submission you will teach that one must assume their own mistakes and get full responsibility.
If you don't, you will teach that the people with more power don't need to clean up and take responsibility after mistakes, and the underdogs should not trust them.
We can say the last will prepare the student to be a good employee in the corporate world, and the first to be a responsible person.
2
Very good point regarding setting a personal example! Teachers educate students as persons, they don't just teach particular subject matter. +1
– einpoklum
yesterday
While I agree with the idea of the teaching, being strict with with the date does not teach that "people with power don't need to clean up...", but that it is the student's responsability to make sure to have all the elements in hand. I'm still in favour of a lenient response, but the second part of your answer is biased.
– bilbo_pingouin
yesterday
1
Maybe my answer is biased, but I think I don't need to "make sure" I "have all the elements in hand" if I trust my superior. If the student is penalized because they don't catch the professor mistake, we are not teaching students to be attentive, but that "s*** goes down", and we must not trust our superiors. The result would be improved attention? Sure. but the message was not "Attention is important".
– Cochise
21 hours ago
1
@bilbo_pingouin really, it is the student’s responsibility to always be on their guard in case against incompetence or errors on the side of their instructors? That seems unreasonable. If we required such hyper-vigilance from students, they would not have any time left for studying.
– Dan Romik
16 hours ago
Well I disagree, Students aren't Kindergarten kids. They can take care of themselves and do not need to be taken by hand every time. By your logic, the student could deliver any saturday, that would have been ok. I disagree. There were an error in the requirement, the student should be able to spot it. Why assume Saturday was fine and not the date? Again, I don't think that student should be penalised here. But I still disagree with your second part.
– bilbo_pingouin
6 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
32
down vote
I think the most important question a teacher should ask about their own actions is "What my action will teach?"
If you accept the late submission you will teach that one must assume their own mistakes and get full responsibility.
If you don't, you will teach that the people with more power don't need to clean up and take responsibility after mistakes, and the underdogs should not trust them.
We can say the last will prepare the student to be a good employee in the corporate world, and the first to be a responsible person.
2
Very good point regarding setting a personal example! Teachers educate students as persons, they don't just teach particular subject matter. +1
– einpoklum
yesterday
While I agree with the idea of the teaching, being strict with with the date does not teach that "people with power don't need to clean up...", but that it is the student's responsability to make sure to have all the elements in hand. I'm still in favour of a lenient response, but the second part of your answer is biased.
– bilbo_pingouin
yesterday
1
Maybe my answer is biased, but I think I don't need to "make sure" I "have all the elements in hand" if I trust my superior. If the student is penalized because they don't catch the professor mistake, we are not teaching students to be attentive, but that "s*** goes down", and we must not trust our superiors. The result would be improved attention? Sure. but the message was not "Attention is important".
– Cochise
21 hours ago
1
@bilbo_pingouin really, it is the student’s responsibility to always be on their guard in case against incompetence or errors on the side of their instructors? That seems unreasonable. If we required such hyper-vigilance from students, they would not have any time left for studying.
– Dan Romik
16 hours ago
Well I disagree, Students aren't Kindergarten kids. They can take care of themselves and do not need to be taken by hand every time. By your logic, the student could deliver any saturday, that would have been ok. I disagree. There were an error in the requirement, the student should be able to spot it. Why assume Saturday was fine and not the date? Again, I don't think that student should be penalised here. But I still disagree with your second part.
– bilbo_pingouin
6 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
32
down vote
up vote
32
down vote
I think the most important question a teacher should ask about their own actions is "What my action will teach?"
If you accept the late submission you will teach that one must assume their own mistakes and get full responsibility.
If you don't, you will teach that the people with more power don't need to clean up and take responsibility after mistakes, and the underdogs should not trust them.
We can say the last will prepare the student to be a good employee in the corporate world, and the first to be a responsible person.
I think the most important question a teacher should ask about their own actions is "What my action will teach?"
If you accept the late submission you will teach that one must assume their own mistakes and get full responsibility.
If you don't, you will teach that the people with more power don't need to clean up and take responsibility after mistakes, and the underdogs should not trust them.
We can say the last will prepare the student to be a good employee in the corporate world, and the first to be a responsible person.
answered yesterday
Cochise
1,3351714
1,3351714
2
Very good point regarding setting a personal example! Teachers educate students as persons, they don't just teach particular subject matter. +1
– einpoklum
yesterday
While I agree with the idea of the teaching, being strict with with the date does not teach that "people with power don't need to clean up...", but that it is the student's responsability to make sure to have all the elements in hand. I'm still in favour of a lenient response, but the second part of your answer is biased.
– bilbo_pingouin
yesterday
1
Maybe my answer is biased, but I think I don't need to "make sure" I "have all the elements in hand" if I trust my superior. If the student is penalized because they don't catch the professor mistake, we are not teaching students to be attentive, but that "s*** goes down", and we must not trust our superiors. The result would be improved attention? Sure. but the message was not "Attention is important".
– Cochise
21 hours ago
1
@bilbo_pingouin really, it is the student’s responsibility to always be on their guard in case against incompetence or errors on the side of their instructors? That seems unreasonable. If we required such hyper-vigilance from students, they would not have any time left for studying.
– Dan Romik
16 hours ago
Well I disagree, Students aren't Kindergarten kids. They can take care of themselves and do not need to be taken by hand every time. By your logic, the student could deliver any saturday, that would have been ok. I disagree. There were an error in the requirement, the student should be able to spot it. Why assume Saturday was fine and not the date? Again, I don't think that student should be penalised here. But I still disagree with your second part.
– bilbo_pingouin
6 hours ago
add a comment |
2
Very good point regarding setting a personal example! Teachers educate students as persons, they don't just teach particular subject matter. +1
– einpoklum
yesterday
While I agree with the idea of the teaching, being strict with with the date does not teach that "people with power don't need to clean up...", but that it is the student's responsability to make sure to have all the elements in hand. I'm still in favour of a lenient response, but the second part of your answer is biased.
– bilbo_pingouin
yesterday
1
Maybe my answer is biased, but I think I don't need to "make sure" I "have all the elements in hand" if I trust my superior. If the student is penalized because they don't catch the professor mistake, we are not teaching students to be attentive, but that "s*** goes down", and we must not trust our superiors. The result would be improved attention? Sure. but the message was not "Attention is important".
– Cochise
21 hours ago
1
@bilbo_pingouin really, it is the student’s responsibility to always be on their guard in case against incompetence or errors on the side of their instructors? That seems unreasonable. If we required such hyper-vigilance from students, they would not have any time left for studying.
– Dan Romik
16 hours ago
Well I disagree, Students aren't Kindergarten kids. They can take care of themselves and do not need to be taken by hand every time. By your logic, the student could deliver any saturday, that would have been ok. I disagree. There were an error in the requirement, the student should be able to spot it. Why assume Saturday was fine and not the date? Again, I don't think that student should be penalised here. But I still disagree with your second part.
– bilbo_pingouin
6 hours ago
2
2
Very good point regarding setting a personal example! Teachers educate students as persons, they don't just teach particular subject matter. +1
– einpoklum
yesterday
Very good point regarding setting a personal example! Teachers educate students as persons, they don't just teach particular subject matter. +1
– einpoklum
yesterday
While I agree with the idea of the teaching, being strict with with the date does not teach that "people with power don't need to clean up...", but that it is the student's responsability to make sure to have all the elements in hand. I'm still in favour of a lenient response, but the second part of your answer is biased.
– bilbo_pingouin
yesterday
While I agree with the idea of the teaching, being strict with with the date does not teach that "people with power don't need to clean up...", but that it is the student's responsability to make sure to have all the elements in hand. I'm still in favour of a lenient response, but the second part of your answer is biased.
– bilbo_pingouin
yesterday
1
1
Maybe my answer is biased, but I think I don't need to "make sure" I "have all the elements in hand" if I trust my superior. If the student is penalized because they don't catch the professor mistake, we are not teaching students to be attentive, but that "s*** goes down", and we must not trust our superiors. The result would be improved attention? Sure. but the message was not "Attention is important".
– Cochise
21 hours ago
Maybe my answer is biased, but I think I don't need to "make sure" I "have all the elements in hand" if I trust my superior. If the student is penalized because they don't catch the professor mistake, we are not teaching students to be attentive, but that "s*** goes down", and we must not trust our superiors. The result would be improved attention? Sure. but the message was not "Attention is important".
– Cochise
21 hours ago
1
1
@bilbo_pingouin really, it is the student’s responsibility to always be on their guard in case against incompetence or errors on the side of their instructors? That seems unreasonable. If we required such hyper-vigilance from students, they would not have any time left for studying.
– Dan Romik
16 hours ago
@bilbo_pingouin really, it is the student’s responsibility to always be on their guard in case against incompetence or errors on the side of their instructors? That seems unreasonable. If we required such hyper-vigilance from students, they would not have any time left for studying.
– Dan Romik
16 hours ago
Well I disagree, Students aren't Kindergarten kids. They can take care of themselves and do not need to be taken by hand every time. By your logic, the student could deliver any saturday, that would have been ok. I disagree. There were an error in the requirement, the student should be able to spot it. Why assume Saturday was fine and not the date? Again, I don't think that student should be penalised here. But I still disagree with your second part.
– bilbo_pingouin
6 hours ago
Well I disagree, Students aren't Kindergarten kids. They can take care of themselves and do not need to be taken by hand every time. By your logic, the student could deliver any saturday, that would have been ok. I disagree. There were an error in the requirement, the student should be able to spot it. Why assume Saturday was fine and not the date? Again, I don't think that student should be penalised here. But I still disagree with your second part.
– bilbo_pingouin
6 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
Purely from a standpoint of error distance, I would probably put more trust in the spelled-out day than in a numeric date, if there's any conflict between the two, because it's much more likely to accidentally hit 3
instead of 4
than to type Satur
when you meant to type Fri
. Of course that only applies to the mechanical aspect of typing, for most brains it's probably just as easy to mix the two up.
In any case, unless you noticed your error and communicated an unambiguous correction within a reasonable timeframe, it seems only fair that you should accept submissions up to the latest possible reasonable interpretation of the originally communicated deadline.
I say “reasonable" interpretation, because I guess the latest possible interpretation would be Saturday, November 23rd of the next year in which November 23rd is a Saturday. (This wouldn’t make sense in an academic context, but it’s a possible result of a typo in some longer-range planning.)
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
Purely from a standpoint of error distance, I would probably put more trust in the spelled-out day than in a numeric date, if there's any conflict between the two, because it's much more likely to accidentally hit 3
instead of 4
than to type Satur
when you meant to type Fri
. Of course that only applies to the mechanical aspect of typing, for most brains it's probably just as easy to mix the two up.
In any case, unless you noticed your error and communicated an unambiguous correction within a reasonable timeframe, it seems only fair that you should accept submissions up to the latest possible reasonable interpretation of the originally communicated deadline.
I say “reasonable" interpretation, because I guess the latest possible interpretation would be Saturday, November 23rd of the next year in which November 23rd is a Saturday. (This wouldn’t make sense in an academic context, but it’s a possible result of a typo in some longer-range planning.)
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
up vote
13
down vote
Purely from a standpoint of error distance, I would probably put more trust in the spelled-out day than in a numeric date, if there's any conflict between the two, because it's much more likely to accidentally hit 3
instead of 4
than to type Satur
when you meant to type Fri
. Of course that only applies to the mechanical aspect of typing, for most brains it's probably just as easy to mix the two up.
In any case, unless you noticed your error and communicated an unambiguous correction within a reasonable timeframe, it seems only fair that you should accept submissions up to the latest possible reasonable interpretation of the originally communicated deadline.
I say “reasonable" interpretation, because I guess the latest possible interpretation would be Saturday, November 23rd of the next year in which November 23rd is a Saturday. (This wouldn’t make sense in an academic context, but it’s a possible result of a typo in some longer-range planning.)
New contributor
Purely from a standpoint of error distance, I would probably put more trust in the spelled-out day than in a numeric date, if there's any conflict between the two, because it's much more likely to accidentally hit 3
instead of 4
than to type Satur
when you meant to type Fri
. Of course that only applies to the mechanical aspect of typing, for most brains it's probably just as easy to mix the two up.
In any case, unless you noticed your error and communicated an unambiguous correction within a reasonable timeframe, it seems only fair that you should accept submissions up to the latest possible reasonable interpretation of the originally communicated deadline.
I say “reasonable" interpretation, because I guess the latest possible interpretation would be Saturday, November 23rd of the next year in which November 23rd is a Saturday. (This wouldn’t make sense in an academic context, but it’s a possible result of a typo in some longer-range planning.)
New contributor
edited yesterday
J.R.
11.3k22953
11.3k22953
New contributor
answered yesterday
Axim
1314
1314
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
You can only hold people to what you said clearly, not to what you meant
I meant the 23rd. That was a typo, perhaps ironically.
Says you. As a student, I was given an assignment due on Saturday the 24th. What's that you're saying? That the numeric date has 23 rather than 24? Oh, surely that's just a typo.
See what I'm saying?
Actually, even in a more extreme case, where you merely hinted that the later day is appropriate, and did not spell it out, you should still have accepted late submissions.
4
This looks more like a comment to a comment, except for the bolded line that actually adresses the OP.
– corey979
yesterday
1
I guess I don't see what you mean, if all you've done here is swap one ambiguous date for another. And my point was the date was given twice, once nonsensically, which cannot be followed as the day didn't exist in the current year, and one clearly, where it was online. Just like you want.
– A Simple Algorithm
22 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: Which date in your opinion was the sensical one, and which the non-sensical one?
– einpoklum
20 hours ago
@einpoklumthe nonsensical one is "saturday, Nov. 23". The "sensical" one is the date on the online system which presumably was "nov. 23". Those are not three dates they are two. As a student you are held responsible for everything you are told, not your favorite piece of information.
– A Simple Algorithm
19 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: That's just, like, your opinion, man.. I saw a perfectly sensical date and a typo, and that's a reasonable - even if not the only interpretation. The fact that it says something else on the online system doesn't change anything, because once I saw that Saturday, I was reading the submission date information anywhere else - I already knew when I needed to submit.
– einpoklum
16 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
You can only hold people to what you said clearly, not to what you meant
I meant the 23rd. That was a typo, perhaps ironically.
Says you. As a student, I was given an assignment due on Saturday the 24th. What's that you're saying? That the numeric date has 23 rather than 24? Oh, surely that's just a typo.
See what I'm saying?
Actually, even in a more extreme case, where you merely hinted that the later day is appropriate, and did not spell it out, you should still have accepted late submissions.
4
This looks more like a comment to a comment, except for the bolded line that actually adresses the OP.
– corey979
yesterday
1
I guess I don't see what you mean, if all you've done here is swap one ambiguous date for another. And my point was the date was given twice, once nonsensically, which cannot be followed as the day didn't exist in the current year, and one clearly, where it was online. Just like you want.
– A Simple Algorithm
22 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: Which date in your opinion was the sensical one, and which the non-sensical one?
– einpoklum
20 hours ago
@einpoklumthe nonsensical one is "saturday, Nov. 23". The "sensical" one is the date on the online system which presumably was "nov. 23". Those are not three dates they are two. As a student you are held responsible for everything you are told, not your favorite piece of information.
– A Simple Algorithm
19 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: That's just, like, your opinion, man.. I saw a perfectly sensical date and a typo, and that's a reasonable - even if not the only interpretation. The fact that it says something else on the online system doesn't change anything, because once I saw that Saturday, I was reading the submission date information anywhere else - I already knew when I needed to submit.
– einpoklum
16 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
You can only hold people to what you said clearly, not to what you meant
I meant the 23rd. That was a typo, perhaps ironically.
Says you. As a student, I was given an assignment due on Saturday the 24th. What's that you're saying? That the numeric date has 23 rather than 24? Oh, surely that's just a typo.
See what I'm saying?
Actually, even in a more extreme case, where you merely hinted that the later day is appropriate, and did not spell it out, you should still have accepted late submissions.
You can only hold people to what you said clearly, not to what you meant
I meant the 23rd. That was a typo, perhaps ironically.
Says you. As a student, I was given an assignment due on Saturday the 24th. What's that you're saying? That the numeric date has 23 rather than 24? Oh, surely that's just a typo.
See what I'm saying?
Actually, even in a more extreme case, where you merely hinted that the later day is appropriate, and did not spell it out, you should still have accepted late submissions.
answered yesterday
einpoklum
23k138133
23k138133
4
This looks more like a comment to a comment, except for the bolded line that actually adresses the OP.
– corey979
yesterday
1
I guess I don't see what you mean, if all you've done here is swap one ambiguous date for another. And my point was the date was given twice, once nonsensically, which cannot be followed as the day didn't exist in the current year, and one clearly, where it was online. Just like you want.
– A Simple Algorithm
22 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: Which date in your opinion was the sensical one, and which the non-sensical one?
– einpoklum
20 hours ago
@einpoklumthe nonsensical one is "saturday, Nov. 23". The "sensical" one is the date on the online system which presumably was "nov. 23". Those are not three dates they are two. As a student you are held responsible for everything you are told, not your favorite piece of information.
– A Simple Algorithm
19 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: That's just, like, your opinion, man.. I saw a perfectly sensical date and a typo, and that's a reasonable - even if not the only interpretation. The fact that it says something else on the online system doesn't change anything, because once I saw that Saturday, I was reading the submission date information anywhere else - I already knew when I needed to submit.
– einpoklum
16 hours ago
add a comment |
4
This looks more like a comment to a comment, except for the bolded line that actually adresses the OP.
– corey979
yesterday
1
I guess I don't see what you mean, if all you've done here is swap one ambiguous date for another. And my point was the date was given twice, once nonsensically, which cannot be followed as the day didn't exist in the current year, and one clearly, where it was online. Just like you want.
– A Simple Algorithm
22 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: Which date in your opinion was the sensical one, and which the non-sensical one?
– einpoklum
20 hours ago
@einpoklumthe nonsensical one is "saturday, Nov. 23". The "sensical" one is the date on the online system which presumably was "nov. 23". Those are not three dates they are two. As a student you are held responsible for everything you are told, not your favorite piece of information.
– A Simple Algorithm
19 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: That's just, like, your opinion, man.. I saw a perfectly sensical date and a typo, and that's a reasonable - even if not the only interpretation. The fact that it says something else on the online system doesn't change anything, because once I saw that Saturday, I was reading the submission date information anywhere else - I already knew when I needed to submit.
– einpoklum
16 hours ago
4
4
This looks more like a comment to a comment, except for the bolded line that actually adresses the OP.
– corey979
yesterday
This looks more like a comment to a comment, except for the bolded line that actually adresses the OP.
– corey979
yesterday
1
1
I guess I don't see what you mean, if all you've done here is swap one ambiguous date for another. And my point was the date was given twice, once nonsensically, which cannot be followed as the day didn't exist in the current year, and one clearly, where it was online. Just like you want.
– A Simple Algorithm
22 hours ago
I guess I don't see what you mean, if all you've done here is swap one ambiguous date for another. And my point was the date was given twice, once nonsensically, which cannot be followed as the day didn't exist in the current year, and one clearly, where it was online. Just like you want.
– A Simple Algorithm
22 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: Which date in your opinion was the sensical one, and which the non-sensical one?
– einpoklum
20 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: Which date in your opinion was the sensical one, and which the non-sensical one?
– einpoklum
20 hours ago
@einpoklumthe nonsensical one is "saturday, Nov. 23". The "sensical" one is the date on the online system which presumably was "nov. 23". Those are not three dates they are two. As a student you are held responsible for everything you are told, not your favorite piece of information.
– A Simple Algorithm
19 hours ago
@einpoklumthe nonsensical one is "saturday, Nov. 23". The "sensical" one is the date on the online system which presumably was "nov. 23". Those are not three dates they are two. As a student you are held responsible for everything you are told, not your favorite piece of information.
– A Simple Algorithm
19 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: That's just, like, your opinion, man.. I saw a perfectly sensical date and a typo, and that's a reasonable - even if not the only interpretation. The fact that it says something else on the online system doesn't change anything, because once I saw that Saturday, I was reading the submission date information anywhere else - I already knew when I needed to submit.
– einpoklum
16 hours ago
@ASimpleAlgorithm: That's just, like, your opinion, man.. I saw a perfectly sensical date and a typo, and that's a reasonable - even if not the only interpretation. The fact that it says something else on the online system doesn't change anything, because once I saw that Saturday, I was reading the submission date information anywhere else - I already knew when I needed to submit.
– einpoklum
16 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I think there is no other choice for you than to excuse your student. As he/ she already mentioned that he/ she follow calendar day deadline instead of calendar date which is also clearly mentioned in your submission deadline . So being a very valid reason and a typo mistake on your part, your student should be given excuse .
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I think there is no other choice for you than to excuse your student. As he/ she already mentioned that he/ she follow calendar day deadline instead of calendar date which is also clearly mentioned in your submission deadline . So being a very valid reason and a typo mistake on your part, your student should be given excuse .
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I think there is no other choice for you than to excuse your student. As he/ she already mentioned that he/ she follow calendar day deadline instead of calendar date which is also clearly mentioned in your submission deadline . So being a very valid reason and a typo mistake on your part, your student should be given excuse .
New contributor
I think there is no other choice for you than to excuse your student. As he/ she already mentioned that he/ she follow calendar day deadline instead of calendar date which is also clearly mentioned in your submission deadline . So being a very valid reason and a typo mistake on your part, your student should be given excuse .
New contributor
New contributor
answered yesterday
Ahmad Raza
1191
1191
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
You probably want to ask yourself what your purpose in teaching is.
Is it to teach students, proliferate knowledge and make sure people learn what you want to course to convey? If so, be lenient.
If, on the other hand, you think your principal job is to filter students by failing them hard and early, this is a perfect excuse to do so.
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
You probably want to ask yourself what your purpose in teaching is.
Is it to teach students, proliferate knowledge and make sure people learn what you want to course to convey? If so, be lenient.
If, on the other hand, you think your principal job is to filter students by failing them hard and early, this is a perfect excuse to do so.
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
You probably want to ask yourself what your purpose in teaching is.
Is it to teach students, proliferate knowledge and make sure people learn what you want to course to convey? If so, be lenient.
If, on the other hand, you think your principal job is to filter students by failing them hard and early, this is a perfect excuse to do so.
You probably want to ask yourself what your purpose in teaching is.
Is it to teach students, proliferate knowledge and make sure people learn what you want to course to convey? If so, be lenient.
If, on the other hand, you think your principal job is to filter students by failing them hard and early, this is a perfect excuse to do so.
answered 3 hours ago
Bex
1235
1235
add a comment |
add a comment |
protected by Alexandros 16 hours ago
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57
In dubio pro reo…
– ebosi
yesterday
17
What would be the benefits for you or for your students of rejecting this single assignment which was submitted on Saturday? (I can't see a compelling benefit.)
– pts
yesterday
27
@ebosi: There's also a legal doctrine called contra proferentem that seems on point here.
– Michael Seifert
yesterday
8
In addition to the reasons given by answers, to stick to the shorter deadline you will need to argue that such a small error doesn't matter, and that could backfire in a few days when you grade their assignments and some perceivedly small mistakes will need to matter.
– Pere
yesterday
7
BTW how do you accidentally name a weekend day if you don’t want that? (That thinking can also be applied by your students)
– eckes
yesterday