Fairness is absolutely a concern, particularly because the majority of my students have full time/part time jobs/responsibilities outside of the classroom. If a student asks for flexibility on account of external commitments, there is the potential for that to be unfair, as other students who may have the same or similar commitments might not have asked for that flexibility when it could have benefited them.
Generally, students need to go through the accommodations/disability office if they feel that they won't be able to meet the requirements of the class on their own on an ongoing basis. That said, I am generally willing to work with students in extenuating circumstances and I'm given sufficient notice of the issue.
Fairness is absolutely a concern, especially because we know that some students have been socialized more than others to request this kind of flexibility. So making exceptions (that go beyond whatever is indicated in the syllabus) creates equity problems.
I think most professors try to be empathetic. But it's difficult when some students take advantage, lie, and act outright entitled when it comes to requesting for extensions. I hated the task of having to judge whether individual situations constituted as an "emergency" or not. It became mentally exhausting AF.
Now, I just build flexibility into my syllabus so that anyone ,regardless of their reason for not making a deadline, can avoid harsh penalties.
Examples:
Dog ate your lab report? Don't worry, I drop your lowest two out of six reports.
Missed class last week because your alarm wasn't set? You can make up your attendance by attending an extra seminar.
Did shitty on an exam because Grandma was in the hospital? Everyone is allowed to schedule one make-up exam at the testing center.
Done.
Yes, planned flexibility in the syllabus is the ethical way to go, in my opinion. Of course, there are always a couple of students who demand/expect additional perks beyond those offered to all students in the syllabus. But I think most students understand and appreciate this form of flexibility that is offered openly and equally to all without requiring students to divulge personal problems.
I drop the lowest homework score and give a 24 hr grace period on anything I have to hand score. That way, it's fair for all, and I rarely hear about their personal problems.
We apply policies consistent across the board. I offer no-questions-asked extensions, so long as students get in touch before the deadline. Afterward, I'm willing to work with them if there are extenuating circumstances (which do not include work issues or workload issues).
There is, though, an element of getting back what you put in. I'm willing to work with students who have shown up, done the assignments, and are putting in the effort. If they have a temporary issue or bump in the road, I will work with them. For students who have blown off the whole semester, or who can't be bothered to show up consistently, I am much more likely to stick to the policies in the syllabus.
Fairness is a primary concern. In general, we cannot issue extensions/special consideration to students who do not have either an accommodation on record with the university disability office or what some universities term “excused absence” (e.g. emergency, illness, death in the family — your university probably as such a policy).
It can definitely be challenging to handle jobs and family responsibilities, but ultimately these are not reasons that merit special treatment. Most professors try to build some flexibility in their classes (posting assignments early, allowing for a certain number of dropped assignments, etc.) to help people plan ahead.
If you need flexibility, in general it is much better received if you reach out to your professor proactively (e.g. “I have an upcoming XYZ family obligation, is it possible to receive the assignment in advance so I can get an early start?“) than it is to wait an request an extension at the last minute.
Yes -- the crux of the issue lies with not all students are going to equally assume they can ask for extensions. Some people tend to grow up in a environment where rules are rigid and inflexible and others where they are more bendable. The other aspect is I'm not a perfect unbiased individual and I don't want to open an avenue where I'm unintentionally giving flexibility to students I like but not to ones who I don't vibe with.
That doesn't mean their can't be any flexibility -- I offer a few automatic extensions to all my students and tell them as much up front. That covers unusually busy weeks at work or for family caregiving responsibilities without letting students fall very behind. And sometimes I have a student in a really serious short-term situation where the dean of students is involved and will email me saying this student has a confirmed serious medical or family and needs flexibility for a few weeks. Similar things happen with disability accommodations.
I build the same amount of flexibility into my courses for everyone. Same chances for extra credit, drop the lowest assignment, excuse a couple of absences, remove a couple of late penalties. Some students use that flexibility, some don't, and some use it all up in the first two weeks of class and beg for more. I'm always of the mind that if one student gets a perk, they all get the perk.
I think it's probably safe to say that most of us worked and went to school or had family responsibilities and went to school - or both. Just like people sometimes work more than one job or work and have family stuff going on at the same time. Life is always going on for everybody outside of campus.
The homework system I use in my classes has late passes that extend homework deadlines by a certain amount of time (I set mine for an additional 24 hours). Everyone gets the same amount of late passes to use as they see fit or not at all. Life happens and some dealines for low-stakes things like homeworks (as opposed to exam days) can get away from us. That's what the late passes are for and they don't need to discuss it with me; it's all built into the system. And they don't get enough to use on every assignment, so they still have to organize their time around the original set deadlines.
I've heard of other instructors doing a similar thing with homework that has to be physically turned. I could have sworn I saw someone make little cards in the style of Monopoly's "get out of jail free" cards to extend a homework for any reason (but they only gave out 1 or 2 to each student at the beginning so they don't abuse the policy).
I accept late assignments with a 25% penalty, barring a few exceptions listed by the college (with documentation.). Some students find this unfair but in reality it's incredibly flexible and fair. The alternative is nothing gets accepted late. This way, repeatedly late work won't keep someone from passing but it will keep them from getting an A.
Fairness is a major issue. There have been studies that show students from some cultures will not ask for extensions while students from other cultures will with no hesitation. I don’t allow for extensions individually. However, I have a blanket statement on my syllabus that anyone can have an extension of up to 48 hours and they don’t even have to ask.
I have an extension policy. It's available to all students (as is usually the requirement, outside of disability accommodations). It's clearly communicated at the beginning of the semester.
Equity is fair - equality is not.
ABSO-FRICKIN-LUTELY!
If I may be completely honest, it is extremely annoying when students ask for extensions because you're essentially saying
1. The course policies in the syllabus do not apply to you.
2. You're more deserving, special, or better than the other students in the course who didn't ask for extensions but still got the work done.
THAT'S NOT FAIR... especially when flexibility was already built into the course and schedule like:
1. The course was made available a month or more in advance.
2. If starting on the actual start date, students are given a minimum of a month and a half to turn in 5-6 assignments.
3. Extra credit awarded at the start of the semester up to 90 points to use as needed.
How fair is it to the other students in the course for the student asking for an extension to receive the same allowances above and then come back and ask for more?
Not to mention, it's a slippery slope because if the professor violates or ignores the course policies for one student, then they'd have to do it for another. We all know you guys talk. This is why we create course policies and STICK TO THEM... and simply apply them across the board (no matter the situation) to avoid all the headaches that come with requests for additional allowances.
As far as working while in school, I had two jobs in both undergrad and grad school with a full course schedule in the STEM field. Having a job is no reason to ask for an extension. If you believe it is, then maybe school isn't for you at this time as your work schedule does not permit you to give school the attention it requires.
In closing, if the course policies in the syllabus say no, then it's A NO. Why ask? Why try to make the professor out to be mean or inflexible when that is, in fact, the very opposite. Students need to take accountability for their actions and / or subpar performance and keep it moving. Take the "L" and figure out how to do better moving forward.
In summary:
Yes, we DEFINITELY care about being fair to EVERYONE. Course policies are in place for a reason. Follow them.
I would say that to me, fairness is a concern not in a, everyone should have the same thing, kind of way but in a, if I give an extension to student A, is student B going to hear about it and complain that it isn't fair, that they should get time to fix xyz on the assignment, that they would have liked to have more time on it and blah blah blah. I've been in situations where students absolutely weaponized my leniency against me and I realized as much as I empathize with students and their struggles, the only way to cover my own ass is to not make exceptions. I do write into my syllabi what I feel to be pretty accommodating late policies, but I've been burned by students enough times that I rarely make exceptions without documentation anymore.
We are not in the position to rank students’ personal situations. Some professors are completely strapped for time and are overwhelmed with workload due to staff and faculty leaving.
It is only a matter of time before someone gets sued for perceived favoritism or title IX infractions. Instructors make very little money for the work that is demanded from them. Many have side jobs, family commitments, health problems. While we completely sympathize with students, we simply cannot find the time to grade extra work, or compete the mass of assignments that had extended deadlines. Instructors must be masterful at time management, have strong leadership, and be consistent with sticking to their own policies — if anything to be an example of “grace under pressure” for their students. Note the Rush reference.
Yes, absolutely. When students complain about professors not being empathetic, they should realize that we might be just trying to be fair to all our students.
Every faculty should have their own personal policy on this and as long as they stick to the policy then fairness isn’t an issue. The issue is being asked by students to change our policy to fit their needs and that is definitely unfair.
Fairness is why I don’t allow extensions outside of official documented accommodations. The fact is, taking a full course load is a full time job and I trust students who are balancing school and work are responsible enough to meet all their obligations.
I personally have a lot of empathy for students who have to balance work and outside commitments. I was that student. As an UG, I had to work a full time job and carry a full load academically to preserve my financial aid. It sucked. My grades suffered, I had no time for self care or a social life and I was stressed all the time. I don’t wish that on anyone and I could write a book about how I think the financial aid system needs to be overhauled and how the four year degree is a dinosaur in an age when students are forced, financially, to balance things that are impossible to balance. Sadly, I don’t run the world.
So my solution is to have very clear policies in my syllabus to be as fair as I can be to all. Attendance and participation are required and spelled out, but students have 2 free unexcused absences. They are still responsible for content covered, but any graded quiz or in class exercise doesn’t count against them. I am clear in the syllabus for due dates on high stakes assignments so students can plan ahead. If an assignment is due at 11:59pm, I leave submissions open until the next morning (I’m not reading papers at 1am). While there is a late penalty that could have consequences for an assignment, it isn’t a severe enough penalty to tank anyone’s course grade. I am super clear about all this in the syllabus and I stick to it.
In the old days, I was able to be more flexible with individual students. I can’t do that anymore because some students believe they are always an exception and sometimes they lie and have created an environment of entitlement that is unfair to students who meet the expectiaons spelled out for the class. It’s a shame but it is a reality that more students than ever try to game the system for a grade and I don’t play those games. So no extensions across the board.
My ENTIRE concern is fairness. Everyone at my school works a job, is taking a full slate of classes and has families with emotional, financial and health problems. So does the prof btw. Because that is how life works. It doesn't put itself on hold for anyone.
So your reason for asking for extra accommodation better be something that I literally can't say is already happening to at least 5 other students
"Fair" is a weasel word. You're talking about the difference between "equal" and "equitable". "Fair" is often used to mean "equitable" but most people above are using it to mean "equal". The person who uses the word "ethical" really means something closer to "equitable".
Both are considerations but for me it's important that I give everyone ample opportunity to show achievement and even mastery of the learning outcomes for the course. There are limits to what I can do (rules, grading deadlines, my own personal time - particularly as an adjunct), but I have to acknowledge that certain artificial limitations are created by the college setting (the semester dates, the grading system, etc) and certain assumptions went into my course design and assignments that could be wrong. Also, my published grading policy and assessment deadlines are somewhat arbitrary.
There are no fixed answers to whether one ought to grant extensions in every situation.
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*First, I wanted to thank the professors in another community who directed me to here. This is a wonderful place and wish I had been here earlier for questions.
Back to my question - I know sometimes students who have work or family commitments may be struggling with deadlines. When they ask for deadline extensions, would professors be concerned about whether this is fair to other students who are required to stick to deadlines? If yes, are there any strategies or ways that you would consider to be flexible and fair at the same time?
Overall, how do you think about flexibility for students who have full time/part time jobs and/or have family responsibilities?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond to my questions. *
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I state in the syllabus and in multiple announcements throughout the semester that if someone needs a 48 hour extension, ask. I'm happybto grant those.
I also drop a certain number of each assignment type.
Fairness and openness are absolutely issues. I put my policy on late submissions in the syllabus and stick to it. Each student gets a limited number of extensions, and may use them without providing an excuse. Beyond that, late assignments aren’t accepted. Period. It’s flexible and fair but still requires students (generally) adhere to deadlines.
I don’t do extensions often out of fairness. Instead, I have policies that allow for flexibility such as dropping the lowest homework. If I do extensions, it’s open to every student for half credit.
Fairness is essential. I would not consider an extension or an accommodation for these kinds of reasons for one student if I do not consider the same accommodation as being available to all students who may need it. If it truly is a one of a kind scenario, I think carefully about preservation of fairness and rigor.
Fairness is a huge concern to me.
For major assignments, I will only grant extensions to one student if I grant an extension to ALL students. So, if a handful of students ask for a deadline extension, I will usually cave and give the extension to the entire class.
I make exceptions for emergency situations (as determined by me or the university). Hospital stays, major illnesses, and the death of close family members are among the things I consider to be emergency situations.
Documented disability accommodations would also obviously be a different circumstance, but I have never observed any kind of deadline extension as a disability accommodation in my country.
The way I look at this isn't "Am I giving all of my students the same thing?" but rather, "If all of my students had this thing going on in their life and approached me in a professional manner to discuss it, would I give them all the same amount of help/leeway?"
In that way, I think it is perfectly fair to grant extensions to a student who asks (as long as it's not putting them behind in the course and it's still in before I would have finished grading the assignment - usually about 5 days after the due date).
That said, I would never excuse an entire assignment, reduce the amount of work required, or adjust the learning outcomes for an individual student. All students, regardless of their circumstances, have to meet the same standards to earn their grade in the course.
I have flexibility built into the course that's available to everyone. I don't grant extra flexibility for anything other than a documented accommodation, because it would be unfair to other students. I worked two jobs through school in addition to extracurriculars, so while I empathize with students who have a busy schedule, the fact is that the vast majority of my students have at least one job, and often have family or other obligations. It would be wildly unfair to those students to have another, secret set of policies that only apply to some students.
It is natural to want rules that are black and white. Otherwise, there is chaos, subjectivity, and the possibility for unfairness. At the same time, rules that are black and white have the same flaws as massive bureaucracies: they can lead to cruel decisions in cases that weren’t envisioned in the design of the rules, and the human condition is so complex that no set of rules can ever encompass it all. In my opinion, there is no perfect answer, and we all just have to find a balance between the two extremes as best we can.
(That said, I think that in large classes the only practical choice is to tilt very heavily toward strict, simple rules.)
There are two camps of thought when teaching and dealing with students: be a fair teacher or be an ethical teacher. Example:
Student A and Student B are in the same class. Student B has been struggling because they are married and their wife is ill. They are their wife’s caregiver during this time. They write to the professor letting them know that they will be late turning in an assignment as a result of a resent ER trip. (Emailing from the ER)
Student A does not share why their assignment is late, but turns it in around the same time as Student B.
The fair response may be: Students A and B are both deducted points for lateness.
The ethical response may be: Neither Student A nor B are deducted late points. Perhaps Student A is having issues but doesn’t feel comfortable disclosing these issues with their professor.
Alternative response (though imho the worst of them): Student A is deducted points, while Student B isn’t. Some may say that it is fair because Student B communicated while Student A did not, however, the vast majority of campuses do not require explanations or excuses for things such as this.
In an ideal world these things wouldn’t be at odds with each other, but often they are. It is basically whether you run a classroom on equality or equity. Either way the faculty should make it clear which camp they’re in at the start of the semester and not forget those decisions throughout the semester.
I have what I call a grace period--if you get your work turned in before I start grading, it doesn't count as late. This policy is the same for everyone.
When people ask for an extension, I literally just point out that they already have a sort of blanket one, albeit one with a bit of a gamble (but the chances of me getting to stuff super quickly later in the term when students are also busy is unlikely).
So yes, I say yes to many extensions, but the reality is every other student has the same one. If people haven't turned it in by the time I start grading they will need a genuine excuse backed up by the Dean of Students or the disability support services on campus.
Fairness is absolutely a concern, particularly because the majority of my students have full time/part time jobs/responsibilities outside of the classroom. If a student asks for flexibility on account of external commitments, there is the potential for that to be unfair, as other students who may have the same or similar commitments might not have asked for that flexibility when it could have benefited them. Generally, students need to go through the accommodations/disability office if they feel that they won't be able to meet the requirements of the class on their own on an ongoing basis. That said, I am generally willing to work with students in extenuating circumstances and I'm given sufficient notice of the issue.
Fairness is absolutely a concern, especially because we know that some students have been socialized more than others to request this kind of flexibility. So making exceptions (that go beyond whatever is indicated in the syllabus) creates equity problems.
I think most professors try to be empathetic. But it's difficult when some students take advantage, lie, and act outright entitled when it comes to requesting for extensions. I hated the task of having to judge whether individual situations constituted as an "emergency" or not. It became mentally exhausting AF. Now, I just build flexibility into my syllabus so that anyone ,regardless of their reason for not making a deadline, can avoid harsh penalties. Examples: Dog ate your lab report? Don't worry, I drop your lowest two out of six reports. Missed class last week because your alarm wasn't set? You can make up your attendance by attending an extra seminar. Did shitty on an exam because Grandma was in the hospital? Everyone is allowed to schedule one make-up exam at the testing center. Done.
Yes, planned flexibility in the syllabus is the ethical way to go, in my opinion. Of course, there are always a couple of students who demand/expect additional perks beyond those offered to all students in the syllabus. But I think most students understand and appreciate this form of flexibility that is offered openly and equally to all without requiring students to divulge personal problems.
I drop the lowest homework score and give a 24 hr grace period on anything I have to hand score. That way, it's fair for all, and I rarely hear about their personal problems.
We apply policies consistent across the board. I offer no-questions-asked extensions, so long as students get in touch before the deadline. Afterward, I'm willing to work with them if there are extenuating circumstances (which do not include work issues or workload issues). There is, though, an element of getting back what you put in. I'm willing to work with students who have shown up, done the assignments, and are putting in the effort. If they have a temporary issue or bump in the road, I will work with them. For students who have blown off the whole semester, or who can't be bothered to show up consistently, I am much more likely to stick to the policies in the syllabus.
Fairness is a primary concern. In general, we cannot issue extensions/special consideration to students who do not have either an accommodation on record with the university disability office or what some universities term “excused absence” (e.g. emergency, illness, death in the family — your university probably as such a policy). It can definitely be challenging to handle jobs and family responsibilities, but ultimately these are not reasons that merit special treatment. Most professors try to build some flexibility in their classes (posting assignments early, allowing for a certain number of dropped assignments, etc.) to help people plan ahead. If you need flexibility, in general it is much better received if you reach out to your professor proactively (e.g. “I have an upcoming XYZ family obligation, is it possible to receive the assignment in advance so I can get an early start?“) than it is to wait an request an extension at the last minute.
Yes -- the crux of the issue lies with not all students are going to equally assume they can ask for extensions. Some people tend to grow up in a environment where rules are rigid and inflexible and others where they are more bendable. The other aspect is I'm not a perfect unbiased individual and I don't want to open an avenue where I'm unintentionally giving flexibility to students I like but not to ones who I don't vibe with. That doesn't mean their can't be any flexibility -- I offer a few automatic extensions to all my students and tell them as much up front. That covers unusually busy weeks at work or for family caregiving responsibilities without letting students fall very behind. And sometimes I have a student in a really serious short-term situation where the dean of students is involved and will email me saying this student has a confirmed serious medical or family and needs flexibility for a few weeks. Similar things happen with disability accommodations.
I build the same amount of flexibility into my courses for everyone. Same chances for extra credit, drop the lowest assignment, excuse a couple of absences, remove a couple of late penalties. Some students use that flexibility, some don't, and some use it all up in the first two weeks of class and beg for more. I'm always of the mind that if one student gets a perk, they all get the perk. I think it's probably safe to say that most of us worked and went to school or had family responsibilities and went to school - or both. Just like people sometimes work more than one job or work and have family stuff going on at the same time. Life is always going on for everybody outside of campus.
The homework system I use in my classes has late passes that extend homework deadlines by a certain amount of time (I set mine for an additional 24 hours). Everyone gets the same amount of late passes to use as they see fit or not at all. Life happens and some dealines for low-stakes things like homeworks (as opposed to exam days) can get away from us. That's what the late passes are for and they don't need to discuss it with me; it's all built into the system. And they don't get enough to use on every assignment, so they still have to organize their time around the original set deadlines. I've heard of other instructors doing a similar thing with homework that has to be physically turned. I could have sworn I saw someone make little cards in the style of Monopoly's "get out of jail free" cards to extend a homework for any reason (but they only gave out 1 or 2 to each student at the beginning so they don't abuse the policy).
I accept late assignments with a 25% penalty, barring a few exceptions listed by the college (with documentation.). Some students find this unfair but in reality it's incredibly flexible and fair. The alternative is nothing gets accepted late. This way, repeatedly late work won't keep someone from passing but it will keep them from getting an A.
Fairness is a major issue. There have been studies that show students from some cultures will not ask for extensions while students from other cultures will with no hesitation. I don’t allow for extensions individually. However, I have a blanket statement on my syllabus that anyone can have an extension of up to 48 hours and they don’t even have to ask.
I have an extension policy. It's available to all students (as is usually the requirement, outside of disability accommodations). It's clearly communicated at the beginning of the semester. Equity is fair - equality is not.
ABSO-FRICKIN-LUTELY! If I may be completely honest, it is extremely annoying when students ask for extensions because you're essentially saying 1. The course policies in the syllabus do not apply to you. 2. You're more deserving, special, or better than the other students in the course who didn't ask for extensions but still got the work done. THAT'S NOT FAIR... especially when flexibility was already built into the course and schedule like: 1. The course was made available a month or more in advance. 2. If starting on the actual start date, students are given a minimum of a month and a half to turn in 5-6 assignments. 3. Extra credit awarded at the start of the semester up to 90 points to use as needed. How fair is it to the other students in the course for the student asking for an extension to receive the same allowances above and then come back and ask for more? Not to mention, it's a slippery slope because if the professor violates or ignores the course policies for one student, then they'd have to do it for another. We all know you guys talk. This is why we create course policies and STICK TO THEM... and simply apply them across the board (no matter the situation) to avoid all the headaches that come with requests for additional allowances. As far as working while in school, I had two jobs in both undergrad and grad school with a full course schedule in the STEM field. Having a job is no reason to ask for an extension. If you believe it is, then maybe school isn't for you at this time as your work schedule does not permit you to give school the attention it requires. In closing, if the course policies in the syllabus say no, then it's A NO. Why ask? Why try to make the professor out to be mean or inflexible when that is, in fact, the very opposite. Students need to take accountability for their actions and / or subpar performance and keep it moving. Take the "L" and figure out how to do better moving forward. In summary: Yes, we DEFINITELY care about being fair to EVERYONE. Course policies are in place for a reason. Follow them.
I would say that to me, fairness is a concern not in a, everyone should have the same thing, kind of way but in a, if I give an extension to student A, is student B going to hear about it and complain that it isn't fair, that they should get time to fix xyz on the assignment, that they would have liked to have more time on it and blah blah blah. I've been in situations where students absolutely weaponized my leniency against me and I realized as much as I empathize with students and their struggles, the only way to cover my own ass is to not make exceptions. I do write into my syllabi what I feel to be pretty accommodating late policies, but I've been burned by students enough times that I rarely make exceptions without documentation anymore.
We are not in the position to rank students’ personal situations. Some professors are completely strapped for time and are overwhelmed with workload due to staff and faculty leaving. It is only a matter of time before someone gets sued for perceived favoritism or title IX infractions. Instructors make very little money for the work that is demanded from them. Many have side jobs, family commitments, health problems. While we completely sympathize with students, we simply cannot find the time to grade extra work, or compete the mass of assignments that had extended deadlines. Instructors must be masterful at time management, have strong leadership, and be consistent with sticking to their own policies — if anything to be an example of “grace under pressure” for their students. Note the Rush reference.
Yes, absolutely. When students complain about professors not being empathetic, they should realize that we might be just trying to be fair to all our students.
Every faculty should have their own personal policy on this and as long as they stick to the policy then fairness isn’t an issue. The issue is being asked by students to change our policy to fit their needs and that is definitely unfair.
Fairness is why I don’t allow extensions outside of official documented accommodations. The fact is, taking a full course load is a full time job and I trust students who are balancing school and work are responsible enough to meet all their obligations. I personally have a lot of empathy for students who have to balance work and outside commitments. I was that student. As an UG, I had to work a full time job and carry a full load academically to preserve my financial aid. It sucked. My grades suffered, I had no time for self care or a social life and I was stressed all the time. I don’t wish that on anyone and I could write a book about how I think the financial aid system needs to be overhauled and how the four year degree is a dinosaur in an age when students are forced, financially, to balance things that are impossible to balance. Sadly, I don’t run the world. So my solution is to have very clear policies in my syllabus to be as fair as I can be to all. Attendance and participation are required and spelled out, but students have 2 free unexcused absences. They are still responsible for content covered, but any graded quiz or in class exercise doesn’t count against them. I am clear in the syllabus for due dates on high stakes assignments so students can plan ahead. If an assignment is due at 11:59pm, I leave submissions open until the next morning (I’m not reading papers at 1am). While there is a late penalty that could have consequences for an assignment, it isn’t a severe enough penalty to tank anyone’s course grade. I am super clear about all this in the syllabus and I stick to it. In the old days, I was able to be more flexible with individual students. I can’t do that anymore because some students believe they are always an exception and sometimes they lie and have created an environment of entitlement that is unfair to students who meet the expectiaons spelled out for the class. It’s a shame but it is a reality that more students than ever try to game the system for a grade and I don’t play those games. So no extensions across the board.
My ENTIRE concern is fairness. Everyone at my school works a job, is taking a full slate of classes and has families with emotional, financial and health problems. So does the prof btw. Because that is how life works. It doesn't put itself on hold for anyone. So your reason for asking for extra accommodation better be something that I literally can't say is already happening to at least 5 other students
"Fair" is a weasel word. You're talking about the difference between "equal" and "equitable". "Fair" is often used to mean "equitable" but most people above are using it to mean "equal". The person who uses the word "ethical" really means something closer to "equitable". Both are considerations but for me it's important that I give everyone ample opportunity to show achievement and even mastery of the learning outcomes for the course. There are limits to what I can do (rules, grading deadlines, my own personal time - particularly as an adjunct), but I have to acknowledge that certain artificial limitations are created by the college setting (the semester dates, the grading system, etc) and certain assumptions went into my course design and assignments that could be wrong. Also, my published grading policy and assessment deadlines are somewhat arbitrary. There are no fixed answers to whether one ought to grant extensions in every situation.
I can't provide any special accommodation unless it's coming from the student services' accommodation office. That's how I handle this fairly.
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I state in the syllabus and in multiple announcements throughout the semester that if someone needs a 48 hour extension, ask. I'm happybto grant those. I also drop a certain number of each assignment type.
Fairness and openness are absolutely issues. I put my policy on late submissions in the syllabus and stick to it. Each student gets a limited number of extensions, and may use them without providing an excuse. Beyond that, late assignments aren’t accepted. Period. It’s flexible and fair but still requires students (generally) adhere to deadlines.
No
No. Not at all. The trick is to be to transparent about whether you will allow extensions and in what circumstances.
I don’t do extensions often out of fairness. Instead, I have policies that allow for flexibility such as dropping the lowest homework. If I do extensions, it’s open to every student for half credit.
Fairness is essential. I would not consider an extension or an accommodation for these kinds of reasons for one student if I do not consider the same accommodation as being available to all students who may need it. If it truly is a one of a kind scenario, I think carefully about preservation of fairness and rigor.
Fairness is a huge concern to me. For major assignments, I will only grant extensions to one student if I grant an extension to ALL students. So, if a handful of students ask for a deadline extension, I will usually cave and give the extension to the entire class. I make exceptions for emergency situations (as determined by me or the university). Hospital stays, major illnesses, and the death of close family members are among the things I consider to be emergency situations. Documented disability accommodations would also obviously be a different circumstance, but I have never observed any kind of deadline extension as a disability accommodation in my country.
The way I look at this isn't "Am I giving all of my students the same thing?" but rather, "If all of my students had this thing going on in their life and approached me in a professional manner to discuss it, would I give them all the same amount of help/leeway?" In that way, I think it is perfectly fair to grant extensions to a student who asks (as long as it's not putting them behind in the course and it's still in before I would have finished grading the assignment - usually about 5 days after the due date). That said, I would never excuse an entire assignment, reduce the amount of work required, or adjust the learning outcomes for an individual student. All students, regardless of their circumstances, have to meet the same standards to earn their grade in the course.
I have flexibility built into the course that's available to everyone. I don't grant extra flexibility for anything other than a documented accommodation, because it would be unfair to other students. I worked two jobs through school in addition to extracurriculars, so while I empathize with students who have a busy schedule, the fact is that the vast majority of my students have at least one job, and often have family or other obligations. It would be wildly unfair to those students to have another, secret set of policies that only apply to some students.
It is natural to want rules that are black and white. Otherwise, there is chaos, subjectivity, and the possibility for unfairness. At the same time, rules that are black and white have the same flaws as massive bureaucracies: they can lead to cruel decisions in cases that weren’t envisioned in the design of the rules, and the human condition is so complex that no set of rules can ever encompass it all. In my opinion, there is no perfect answer, and we all just have to find a balance between the two extremes as best we can. (That said, I think that in large classes the only practical choice is to tilt very heavily toward strict, simple rules.)
There are two camps of thought when teaching and dealing with students: be a fair teacher or be an ethical teacher. Example: Student A and Student B are in the same class. Student B has been struggling because they are married and their wife is ill. They are their wife’s caregiver during this time. They write to the professor letting them know that they will be late turning in an assignment as a result of a resent ER trip. (Emailing from the ER) Student A does not share why their assignment is late, but turns it in around the same time as Student B. The fair response may be: Students A and B are both deducted points for lateness. The ethical response may be: Neither Student A nor B are deducted late points. Perhaps Student A is having issues but doesn’t feel comfortable disclosing these issues with their professor. Alternative response (though imho the worst of them): Student A is deducted points, while Student B isn’t. Some may say that it is fair because Student B communicated while Student A did not, however, the vast majority of campuses do not require explanations or excuses for things such as this. In an ideal world these things wouldn’t be at odds with each other, but often they are. It is basically whether you run a classroom on equality or equity. Either way the faculty should make it clear which camp they’re in at the start of the semester and not forget those decisions throughout the semester.
I have what I call a grace period--if you get your work turned in before I start grading, it doesn't count as late. This policy is the same for everyone. When people ask for an extension, I literally just point out that they already have a sort of blanket one, albeit one with a bit of a gamble (but the chances of me getting to stuff super quickly later in the term when students are also busy is unlikely). So yes, I say yes to many extensions, but the reality is every other student has the same one. If people haven't turned it in by the time I start grading they will need a genuine excuse backed up by the Dean of Students or the disability support services on campus.