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Is Average Academic Performance Constantly Getting Worse? Redditors Share Their Experience

Missed an exam in college here’s what to do: insights from reddit.

Image:unsplash.com

Have you ever missed a crucial exam by accident? You’re not alone. A recent Reddit post by a distressed college student who overslept and missed their English final has triggered a flurry of advice and personal stories. This article offers practical tips for anyone in a similar bind on how to emerge unscratched. 

Key Takeaways

• By admitting to mistakes, students establish trust with educators and demonstrate maturity, which can lead to more lenient responses and a culture of integrity in educational settings.
• Accountability is crucial for personal development. It nshows maturity and helps students learn from their mistakes.
• Clear, respectful, and honest communication with educators after missing an exam or other mistake is important.

A college student found themselves in a tough spot when they missed a crucial final exam. They shared their story on Reddit, explaining how they accidentally slept through their English exam, mistakenly thinking it was scheduled for the next week.

“I’m freaking out right now, I had no idea there was going to be an exam today, I put it in my calendar for next week. So I overslept for my English class and missed the final exam, checked the website and boom i got a 0 on an exam I didn’t know was supposed to be happening”

Faced with the reality of a zero score and unsure of what to do, they turned to the Reddit community for advice. This post not only highlights a common predicament faced by students but also opens up a wider conversation about handling such stressful situations in college. 

The Power of Honesty

In education, where integrity is as important as knowledge, the impact of honesty cannot be overstated. This is vividly illustrated in a Reddit comment where a user advised the distressed student to admit the mistake of noting the wrong date for the exam.

Honesty is the best policy. You put the date on your calendar incorrectly and overslept.  It may not change anything and you may not get the retake, but taking accountability and owning up to what you did is important. It’s also time to start doublechecking other dates you’ve put on your calendar and setting a check for yourself to ensure you get up, like a second alarm about five minutes after the first.

Such an act of honesty, though seemingly small, can have far-reaching implications. 

✅ ARGUMENTS “FOR”

Firstly, it establishes a foundation of trust between students and educators. When a student is open about a mistake, it not only shows respect for the professor’s time and effort but also demonstrates a maturity that goes beyond the confines of a classroom. This level of sincerity can pave the way for more understanding and lenient responses from educators, who are often willing to accommodate genuine mistakes .

Moreover, embracing honesty promotes a culture of integrity. It sets a precedent for peers, showcasing that owning up to one’s errors is not only the right thing to do but is also valued in a learning environment. This practice of honesty builds character, preparing students for real-world scenarios where integrity is paramount.

In the long run, students who practice honesty cultivate a reputation for reliability and trustworthiness. These traits are highly sought after in professional settings, indicating that the lessons learned from such experiences extend well beyond academic achievements. By choosing honesty, students are investing in a future where their word holds weight, opening doors to opportunities grounded in mutual respect and ethical behavior.

❌ ARGUMENTS “AGAINST”

The Role of Accountability

The concept of taking responsibility for one’s actions, particularly in the context of academic mishaps, extends beyond the walls of a classroom. A Redditor’s comment on owning up to mistakes and being accountable resonates deeply with this principle.

“Time to grow up and take responsibility for the outcomes of things. Triple verify every final time and date every time, imagine you were working somewhere and you had an important presentation and you just ghosted it completely. Also attend your damn classes.”

Owning up to a mistake, such as missing an exam due to a personal oversight, is a profound exercise in accountability. It’s an acknowledgment that actions, or in this case, inactions, have consequences, and one is prepared to accept them. It demonstrates maturity and the capacity to learn from errors, turning potential failures into lessons for personal and professional development.

Moreover, self-responsibility is closely tied to self-awareness. By accepting responsibility, students learn to evaluate their actions critically, understand their shortcomings, and work towards improvement. 

In addition, embracing accountability can lead to more constructive outcomes in difficult situations. Professors and educators, who are often seen as mentors, are likely to appreciate a student’s willingness to admit their mistakes. 

Taking responsibility also empowers students. Instead of seeing themselves as passive victims of circumstances, they learn to see themselves as active agents in their lives. 

Arguments against rigidly sticking to the principle of taking full responsibility in a situation like missing an exam can be versatile and include considerations of practicality, emotional well-being, and contextual nuances:

Practical Solutions and Communication

Following an academic failure, such as skipping an exam, the method of communicating with teachers becomes critical. An efficient tactic is shown by the insight of a Reddit member who, in an email to the teacher, argued for open communication and complete accountability. 

“I missed my final too. What I did: Emailed the teacher immediately and took FULL accountability. I had the wrong time and got locked out of the test. I stated it was my fault entirely and I understand that I’ll prob lose points for my mistake but it’s very important I complete the final anyways and I would work my hardest on it. They opened it up no problem.”

The first step in this process is to compose a thoughtful and honest email. Such communication should be clear, concise, and respectful, acknowledging the missed exam and the student’s responsibility. This honesty shows a level of maturity and respect for the educator’s role and opens up a pathway for dialogue based on trust. 

Effective communication with teachers also involves a level of professionalism. The tone of the email should strike a balance between formality and personal expression. It’s crucial to articulate the situation factually, without resorting to emotional pleas or excuses, yet it’s equally important to convey a genuine sense of regret and a commitment to rectifying the situation. This can include a proposal for a solution, such as requesting a makeup exam or an alternative assignment. 

Furthermore, this approach reflects an understanding of the educator’s perspective. Teachers will appreciate a student who takes the initiative to address issues proactively.

Arguments against directly communicating with the teacher and taking full accountability, particularly in the context of missing an exam, can be based on various considerations:

Conclusion: Learning from Mistakes 

In wrapping up, the range of advice from Reddit users about missing an exam shows how tricky these situations can be. Some people suggest being totally honest about it, while others are more cautious, worried about the consequences.

However, the majority seem to agree that honesty is usually the best choice. It’s not just about fixing the problem now, but about being known as someone who’s honest and reliable. Even though it’s hard to admit when you’ve messed up, being honest can help you in the long run.

The bottom line is, every mistake you make, whether it’s big or small, is a chance to learn something important. These moments teach you about bouncing back, being honest, talking things out, and facing challenges. Remember, every time you’re in a tough spot like missing an exam, it’s not just a problem to solve. It’s an opportunity to grow and get better.

Follow us on Reddit for more insights and updates.

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What to Say (and Not Say) When Handing in Late Assignments, According to Professors

No matter how hard you try to manage your time, you will probably end up being late on an assignment at some point in your academic (or professional) career. In times of stress and panic, your initial reaction may be to lie or go one the defense. It might seem reasonable to claim you had an emergency or swear you sent in the required documents, and did they check the spam filter?  But professors and bosses can probably tell when you’re fibbing, especially if it isn’t the first time. Instead, it’s better to face the problem head-on. Be proactive, and ask for an extension—or at least explain your lateness in a way that won’t ruin their opinion of you. Here’s how to do it, according to college profs themselves.

Kim Crowley, PhD, who teaches English at Bismarck State College, said the first mistake a student can make when asking for an extension (or even reporting a planned absence) is not being respectful or professional in their communication. Don’t dash off a text or email. Choose your words carefully, and use correct capitalization, punctuation, and grammar when sending these messages, which will show you understand you’re asking for serious consideration. Authority figures aren’t your friends.

Keep in mind that while you’re stressing about this one class or assignment, the professor is overseeing any number of other students or coworkers who might be in similar situations, so “identifying [yourself] is a big plus,” Crowley said. Even if they recognize your name, they might not quite remember which section you’re in. Helping them out there will decrease the amount of work they have to do to help you solve your problem, which could earn you some points—or at least not cost you any.

Finally, check the syllabus to figure out what is missing. Don’t ask the professor a vague question, like whether you are missing “anything important” or what you still haven’t handed in. Open up that document they gave you at the beginning of the semester and check the assignment schedule. Skipping this step will definitely not impress them. Instead, be straightforward: “I’m missing [this specific assignment] because I missed class. I’m going to send it shortly, but is there anything we went over in person I need to know first?”

Know the professor’s penalties

Every professor has a different set of rules governing late work. You might even notice that older, more seasoned teachers are a little more chill after years in the business (but don’t count on it). Carl Coulanges, who teaches at Suffolk Community College, said he’s “gotten softer” over the years and doesn’t mind an assignment being a day or two late, but, “once it goes beyond a week it starts to impact the grade. Two weeks, then it’s an automatic 50%.”

Late work penalties are almost always noted in the syllabus, and it’s hard to fight a grade reduction when things are clearly laid out in writing well before the homework is due. You can try, though—and if you do, Coulanges recommends being honest, and avoiding “BS excuses.”

“I always tell my students, ‘Listen, if there’s a real-life situation and you need the extension, that’s fine and I’ll work with you. Let’s figure out what works, but when you don’t speak up and don’t say anything, then I can’t help,’” he explained.

While Crowley said giving a detailed explanation of why you’re missing work or class is optional, it might be beneficial to do so if you’re aiming for the honesty Coulanges recommends. If you miss a class because of a medical situation or even a stressful life event, you can relay that information without getting too personal. Try framing that references the event while avoiding the intimate details, which can come off as an attempt to engender their sympathy.

The straightforward approach—“Professor, I missed Wednesday’s class and wasn’t able to submit the homework because of a private health concern. I know from the syllabus that this will result in a 10% grade reduction, which I accept, but I wanted to let you know the assignment will be in next week”—might or might not earn you an assurance that they won’t dock your score, but you might be able to use the same approach to successfully ask for an extension.  

They’re not your friends , but professors are people. They know what it’s like to fall behind on work, and they may be willing to share resources that can help you out. If you fail their class, it reflects poorly on them, too, so they may consider it in their own best interests to show a degree of flexibility. Give them the opportunity to do that by making it easy for them to understand why you’re late, and empathize with you.

• Teaching Tips

Dealing With Students Missing Exams and In-Class Graded Assignments

Teachers often become more aware of students’ out-of-class activities than they might wish. Announcements and memos from the dean of students inform about sporting teams and their games and tournaments, forensics, service learning conferences, community-based work, and the like. And teachers quickly become familiar with student lifestyles and illnesses ¾ mono, strep throat, hangovers, the opening of deer and fishing seasons, quilting bees, family vacations, and their family mortality statistics. The relationship between exams and mandatory in-class work and the death of students’ cousins and grandparents is so high it should be a concern of the National Center for Disease Control. Given all this, it is a certainty that students will miss exams and other required activities. What is a teacher to do?

If you want to hear colleagues express frustration, ask them about make-up exams and assignments. Despite knowing intellectually that such absences will occur, teachers hope and pray, even in public institutions, that all of their students will take exams as scheduled. Alas, such prayers are rarely answered, and teachers are faced with the practical issues of keeping track of students who miss exams and assignments, as well as managing make-ups.

All of our advice, except that related to ethics, should be read through the filter of the type of institution where you teach, and the types of courses you teach and how large they are. For example, at a small liberal arts school, where teaching is a faculty member’s primary responsibility, more time may be spent with students who miss exams or assignments, and more creative (time consuming) alternatives may be practical as compared with someone teaching classes of 300 or 500 or more in a Research I institution.

Ethics Teachers are not to cause students harm; we must treat them fairly and equitably, and they must be allowed to maintain their dignity (Keith-Spiegel, Whitley, Balogh, Perkins, & Wittig, 2002). Whatever your procedures are for students who miss exams and required in-class work, they must be equitable, providing students equal chances to earn a good grade by demonstrating equal knowledge. The hard part may be balancing academic rigor and accountability for what students are to learn with a fair and manageable process for those who miss required exams and assignments.

Make-up Exams These should not be more difficult than the original test but must be, as best as you can design, alternate forms of the same exam. Exam banks that accompany texts make designing such alternate forms of multiple-choice tests relatively easy, and colleagues teaching two or more sections of the same course in a semester, who give alternate forms of exams, are often a good source of advice on this matter. Be thoughtful about the following:

• An essay make-up exam may be unethical if regular exams are multiple choice or short answer (or vice versa), since students must study differently and they may be more difficult.
• An oral exam may “punish” students who do not think well on their feet, or are more socially anxious.
• Scheduling make-up exams at inconvenient or undesirable times may express your frustration, but you or someone else will have to be there at the “inconvenient” time also, and such arrangements raise issues of foul play.
• It may be inequitable to students who meet all course requirements to allow their peers to do extra credit or drop their lowest grade instead of making up a missed exam.

In-class Assignments The same considerations exist for students who miss in-class required presentations, or other graded work. If possible, students who were to present should be given opportunities to make up the assignment using the same grading criteria.

Planning Ahead

Spell-out Missed Exam Procedure in Course Policies No matter how well you teach or what inducements or penalties you impose, some students will miss exams and required class activities. Good educational practice argues that you plan for this reality as you design your course, not two days before (or after) your first exam. You want as few surprises as possible once the course begins.

Put your policies in your syllabus. Have a section in your syllabus on exams and other graded work. Specify your policies and procedures if students know in advance they will be absent, or how to notify you if, for whatever reason, they were absent, and any effect, if any, absences will have on their grade.

Keep your policy clear and simple. Before finalizing your syllabus, ask a few students to read your make-up policy to determine if it can be easily understood. If your explanation of what students are to do in the case of missing an exam, and how their grade is affected, is not easily understood, revise it. In developing your policy, do you want students to:

• Notify you if they know they will miss, preferably at least 24 hours in advance, and give you the reason? Talking with you before or after class offers the best opportunity to provide feedback if the reason is questionable, to work out alternatives, and so forth. E-mail also can be useful.
• Notify you as soon as possible after missing an exam or required assignment and give the reason? Again, in person or e-mail work best.
• Present a letter from an authority (e.g., physician) documenting the reason? Keep in mind any student can “forge” such documentation or manipulate it in other ways, e.g., “Fred came to see me complaining of a severe headache.”
• Have their grades lowered if their absence is not “acceptable” (e.g., overslept versus seriously ill)? How will you decide what is acceptable? Our experience suggests that “legitimate” reasons for absence include, but are not limited to: illness of the student or a close relative, accident, court appearance, military duty, broken auto, hazardous weather, and university activities (e.g., athletics, forensics).

Policies should reflect the nature of the exam or graded assignment. If you are teaching an introductory course and each module largely stands alone, it may be appropriate for students to make up a missed exam late in the semester. But if you want students to demonstrate knowledge or competency on an exam or assignment because future course material builds on that which comes earlier, you want to give the students much less time to make up the missed work.

Common policies. A common procedure is for the teacher, teaching assistant, or departmental secretary to distribute and proctor make-up exams during prearranged times (Perlman&McCann, in press). You might also consider allowing students to take make-up exams during exam periods in other courses you are teaching.

Make your policies easy to implement. To maintain your sanity and keep your stress level manageable, you must be able to easily implement your policies. For example, even if you, a secretary, or a graduate student distribute and proctor make-up exams, problems can arise. For example:

• The secretary is ill or on vacation, or you are ill or have a conference to attend. You never want to change the time make-ups are available to students once these are listed in the course syllabus. Have backups available who know where make-up exams are stored, can access them, and can administer and proctor them.
• Too many students for the make-up space. Investigate room sizes and number of rooms available. You may need more than one room if some students have readers because of learning disabilities.
• Students often forget there is a common make-up the last week of the semester. Remind them often and announce this policy on class days when students are taking an exam, as this may be the only time some students who have missed a previous exam come to class.

Encourage appropriate, responsible, mature behaviors. Take the high road and let students know how they “should” behave. For example, one colleague includes this statement in the syllabus:

I expect students to make every effort to take required exams and make course presentations as scheduled. If you know in advance you will miss such a requirement, please notify me. If you are ill or other circumstances cause you to miss a required graded activity, notify me as soon as possible.

One of our colleagues states in her syllabus for a psychology of aging class, “It is very bad form to invent illnesses suffered by grandparents!” By giving students exemplars on how to behave appropriately, you can then thank them for their courtesy and maturity if they follow through, positively reinforcing such behaviors.

God lives in the details. Always err on the side of being “concrete.” If a make-up exam is at the university testing center, tell students where the testing center is. If you or a secretary hold make-up exams in an office, you may want to draw a map on how to get there. It is not uncommon for students to fail to find the office at the time of the exam, and wander around a large university building.

Students Who Miss Exams You have a variety of alternatives available on how to treat students who miss a scheduled exam. Select those that fit your course and the requirements of learning students must demonstrate.

Requiring make-up exams. If you collect all copies of your multiple choice or short answer exams, you may be able to use the same exam for make-ups. Our experience is that it is extremely rare that students deliberately miss an exam to have more time to study, whereas asking peers about specific exam questions more commonly occurs. Your experiences may be different. However, if you put exams on file at the university testing center, and students can take them weeks apart, you may want different forms. If you have concerns, you will need to prepare an equivalent, alternative form of the regular exam, as is often the case for essay tests.

Using procedures other than a make-up exam. Some faculty have students outline all text chapters required for an exam, use daily quiz scores to substitute for a missed exam, use the average of students’ exams to substitute for the one missed, score relevant questions on the comprehensive final to substitute for the missed test, or use a weighted score from the entire comprehensive final substituted for missed exam. Some teachers just drop one test grade without penalty (Buchanan&Rogers, 1990; Sleigh&Ritzer, 2001). Consider whether students will learn what you want from various alternatives and whether this work is equal to what students must demonstrate on exams before adopting such procedures. If your course contains numerous graded assignments of equal difficulty, and if it is equitable for students to choose to ignore a course module by not studying or taking the exam, you should consider this process.

Other teachers build extra credit into the course. They allow all students opportunities to raise their grades, offering a safety net of sorts for those who need to “make-up” a missed exam by doing “additional” assignments such as outlining unassigned chapters in the text.

Scheduling make-ups. Pick one or two times a week that are convenient for you, a department secretary, or teaching assistant, and schedule your make-ups then. Some faculty use a common time midway through the semester and at the end of the semester as an alternative.

Students Who Miss Other In-Class Assignments Allowing students to demonstrate learning on non-exam graded assignments can be tricky. Such assignments often measure different kinds of learning than exams: the ability to work in groups, critical thinking as demonstrated in a poster, or an oral presentation graded in part on professional use of language. But you do have some alternatives.

Keeping the required assignment the same. If the assignment is a large one and due near the end of the semester, consider using an “incomplete” grade for students who miss it. Alternatively, students can present their oral work or poster in another course you are teaching if the content is relevant and time allows it. The oral required assignment also can be delivered just to the teacher or videotaped or turned in on audiotape.

Alternative assignments. As with missed exams, you can weigh other assignments disproportionately to substitute for in-class graded work — by doubling a similar assignment if you have more than one during the semester, for example. The dilemma, of course, is not allowing students easy avenues to avoid a required module or assignment without penalty. For example, oral assignments can be turned in as written work, although this may negate some of the reasons for the assignment.

When we asked colleagues about alternatives for missed in-class graded assignments (as compared with exams), almost everyone cautioned against listing them in the course syllabus. They felt that students could then weigh the make-up assignment versus the original and choose the one that gave them the greatest chance of doing well, and also the least amount of anxiety (in-class presentations often make students nervous). They recommended simply telling students that arrangements would be made for those missing in-class required graded work on a case-by-case basis.

Students Who Miss the “Make-Up” On occasion, students will miss a scheduled make-up. Say something about this event in your syllabus, emphasizing the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor. We recommend that instructors reserve the right to lower a student’s grade by “x” number of points, or “x” letter grades. If you place exams at a university testing center, you may not find out the work has not been made up until the course is over, leaving you little choice but to give the student an “F” on that exam or assignment.

When the Whole Class Misses a Required Exam or Assignment On rare, but very memorable, occasions the entire class may miss an exam or assignment. For example, both authors have had the fire alarm go off during an exam. After a bomb threat cleared the building during his exam, the campus police actually contacted one author to identify whether a person caught on camera at a service station was a student calling in the bomb scare. (It was not.) The other author experienced the bomb squad closing a classroom building during finals week due to the discovery of old, potentially explosive, laboratory chemicals. Of course, the blizzard of the century or a flood might occur the night before your exam. What is a teacher to do?

The exam or graded assignment must be delayed. Prepare beforehand. Always build a make-up policy into your syllabus for the last exam or student presentation in a course. Talk with your department chair or dean about college or university policy. State that if weather or other circumstances force a make-up, it will occur at a certain time and place. This forethought is especially important if you teach at a northern institution where bad winter weather is not unusual. For exams and assignments during the semester, the policy that works best is to reschedule them (again, stating this in your syllabus) for the next regular class period. Call attention to this policy early in the semester, and post it on your course Web site. The last thing you want to do is call or e-mail everyone in the class to tell them an exam has been cancelled.

An exam or graded assignment is interrupted. Graded assignments such as oral presentations are easily handled. If time allows, continue after the interruption; if not, continue the next class period or during your designated “make-up” time.

If something interrupts an exam, ask students to leave their exams and answers on their desks or hand them in to you, take all personal materials, and leave immediately. A teacher can easily collect everything left in most classes in a few moments. Leave materials on desks if the class is large, or be the first person back to the room after the interruption. Fire alarms, bomb scares, and the like usually cause a lot of hubbub. Only if you have a lengthy two- or three-hour class, with time to allow students to collect themselves and refocus, and no concern about their comparing answers to questions during the delay, should the exam be continued that same day or evening.

If the interruption occurs late in the class period, you might tell students to turn in their work as they leave. You can then determine how you want to grade exams or the assignment, using pro-rated points or percentages, and assign grades accordingly.

If the interruption is earlier in the hour, the exam will have to be delayed, usually until the next class period. With a multiple-choice exam, we advise giving students the full (next) class period to finish their exams. If you are concerned about students comparing questions they have already answered, you will have to quickly develop an alternate exam.

A teacher’s decisions are more complicated if the exam is short answer or essay. Students may have skimmed all essay or short answer questions before an interruption. Will they prepare for those questions before the next class period? What if some students only read the first essay question but do not know the others they must answer? Preparing an alternate exam may be feasible, but students need to know you will do so, so they do not concentrate their studying on specific topics you will not ask about.

We know that such class interruptions are rare, but they can wreak havoc with students and teachers, be stressful, and raise issues of fairness that echo throughout the rest of the course. We advise teachers to talk with colleagues, and we have found a department brown bag on the topic fascinating. Your colleagues may have some creative and sound advice.

Summary A teacher needs to plan ahead. Take some time to think about what it means for you and students who miss required in-class work. A little preparation can save a lot of time and hassle later in the semester. Students deserve and will appreciate policies that are equitable and manageable.

Author’s Note: The authors are interested how teachers deal with missed or interrupted graded in-class work (and their horror stories). Contact us with your ideas and experiences at [email protected] .

References and Recommended Reading

• Buchanan, R. W., & Rogers, M. (1990). Innovative assessment in large classes. College Teaching, 38 , 69-74.
• Carper, S. W. (1995). Make-up exams: What’s a professor to do? Journal of Chemical Education, 72 , 883.
• Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for teaching . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Keith-Spiegel, P., Whitley, B.G. E. Jr., Balogh, D. W., Perkins, D. V., & Wittig, A. F. (2002). The ethics of teaching: A casebook (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• McKeachie, W. J. (2001). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (11th ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Nilson, L. B. (2003). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (2nd ed). Bolton, MA: Anker.
• Perlman, B., & McCann, L. I. (in press). Teacher evaluations of make-up exam procedures. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 3 (2).
• Sleigh, M. J., & Ritzer, D. R. (2001). Encouraging student attendance. APS Observer, 14 (9), pp. 19-20, 32.

Do you know of any research related to taking points off an exam for students who take a make-up for whatever reason? It is mentioned in this article but I’m interested in evidence to back up that it is fair and/or punitive in a college setting with adult learners. Thank you. Gerri Russell, MS, RN

I teach introductory nutrition and other biology classes. If a student can prove that they missed an exam or assignment for a verifiable reason, even if they let me know ahead of time (usually technology related reasons), I let them make it up without taking points off. If they can’t prove it I take off points as follows: 10% off per day late during the first week after the assignment is due. Half credit earned after that. Even if they know there are always students who just miss things for no apparent good reason. I feel like this is fair because it gives them the responsibility for making it up, and I’d rather people become familiar with the material, rather than just not do it at all.

I think that the mid semester tests must be abolished from all colleges/universities in order to let them prepare for the final exams without any pressure of getting grades,this will not give rise to any decompetition then,so I personally feel that my suggestion will be very useful I want everyone to obey that

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About the Author

BARON PERLMAN is editor of "Teaching Tips." A professor in the department of psychology, distinguished teacher, and University and Rosebush Professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in the department of psychology, he has taught psychology for 29 years. He continues to work to master the art and craft of teaching. LEE I. MCCANN is co-editor of "Teaching Tips." A professor in the department of psychology and a University and Rosebush Professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, he has taught psychology for 38 years. He has presented numerous workshops on teaching and psychology curricula, his current research interests.

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• Academic Success

What’s the big deal if I don’t do an assignment or lab?

• January 14, 2015

Taking an online course seems so much easier than trekking to campus every week to sit in class, but it isn’t! Without dedicated classroom time, you are always pressured to “carve out” time from your busy schedule to get your work done in each class that you are taking. Online students must have a lot of self-discipline to make sure that each week they set aside time to go online and get their work completed.

One area that can trip up even strong students is when an assignment is missed and you think “That’s no big deal, I have an A average already”. But missing even one assignment can wreck your grade average for that category. For example, in one online class we had a special project that involved recording a job interview. Some students completed it quickly, but others had delays due to finding time to meet with their interviewer, or they had issues with the technology. Those students got a zero on the assignment because they failed to turn anything in on time.

Three students with a high “A” average then had low “C” averages with the missing assignment. For example: before the missing assignment a student’s grade average was 95 for the assignment category, but with a zero for the missing assignment, the grade average dropped to 77. That is a two letter grade drop just from missing one assignment.

Assignments, labs, and discussion boards are things directly under your control – you pick the time to complete it, and you have resources to use to complete the work. It is important to maintain high averages in those areas you do control in order to give you a cushion for a quiz or exam score that may not be as great as you wish.

Discussion board postings are another category where students may not realize the impact of not doing the weekly work. In an online course, the discussion board postings are the equivalent to raising your hand and participating in class. Which means this category is time sensitive and if you miss it – you can’t make up the work.

So how much are those discussion board posts worth to your final grade? You can see the categories of grading by looking at the syllabus for the class. In the syllabus it will indicate what type of work will be graded and the “weight” of that category. For example, if a discussion board category is given a weight of 25% that means that all your work in discussion board postings will be averaged, and that final score then represents ¼ of your final grade! The larger the weighted percent, the bigger the impact that category will have on your final grade.

Patt Peterson, HIT Online Program Coordinator

What do you do when you forget about a college assignment/quiz?

<p>It’s not even halfway into the semester yet, and already I have forgotten about two college assignments. The first was when I forgot to bring my clicker for our quiz on the smartboard, but there was technical difficulties so I was very lucky that the professor just gave everybody full points for the quiz. The second time I forgot to do a short writing assignment, but the professor didn’t pick it up from everybody at the end of class.</p>

<p>I know college does not have a lot of assignments compared to high school and that everything counts, but what do you guys do when you legitimately forget about doing/bringing an assignment? I do use a planner, but even then sometimes I forget to check it thoroughly. I really don’t want to stress out already in my first semester of college…</p>

<p>Curse the world… and never forget again</p>

<p>some professors let you turn stuff in late, some for a lower grade of some sort, some with no penalty if theyre nice and its the first time. My advice, is to tell the truth (that you forgot) and ask if you can still turn it in. Most professors I have had will let you, and it doesnt hurt to ask</p>

<p>Use an electronic planner/calendar, then set it to alert/email you the day before somethings due. It makes it a lot easier, since the fewer assignments makes it harder to check your planner as often as you should.</p>

<p>Put your things in your backpack the night before…cliche as we’re told in high school to do it, but I still do it in college before I go to bed.</p>

• Student Life

How to Never Miss an Assignment Again

Never miss an assignment again.

That which you had been dreading has happened. You either completely forgot about an assignment that was due or wasn’t able to finish and turn it in on time. While missing an assignment is something most college students are bound to face in a certain point of their academic trajectory, it can be a very unpleasant experience which can result in several complications with your marks in a specific subject. The best thing would indeed be not having to go through it.

However, with so many things going on at the same time, so many tests to revise for and a ton of other assignments due as well, it may often seem like science-fiction to be able to have everything prepared on time. True, it may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. In this article, we will give you some useful tips to help you organize yourself better and, as we say in Spain, “not get caught by the bull”… again.

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Let’s state the most important thing first, and that is

Forgive yourself. Regardless of the circumstances why you weren’t able to hand in your assignment on time. Acknowledging you’ve made a mistake and that you need to correct it is the first step towards improvement. Come to terms with what has happened and then let go; after all, there’s no use in torturing yourself over what you could have done differently once you can’t do anything else about it.

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Speak to your professor

If you weren’t able to complete your assignment because you or someone in your family have had a health-related problem, teachers are more likely to put themselves in your place and give you a chance to compensate for the mishap. Also, if you or one of your relatives have been ill, ask the doctor for a medical letter to show to your professor and prove that you’re not just making up an excuse.

[Emailing Professors: Do’s And Don’ts]

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There’s (almost) nothing a good dialogue can’t solve

Even if you’ve missed your assignment deadline because you prioritized other things or simply because you procrastinated too much, talk to your lecturer if there’s anything else you could do in order not to fail the subject. Perhaps for this class, they’ll be taking the final exam’s marks more into account; or there are other assignments which would give you a good opportunity to make up for the incident. Keep in mind, however, that every professor is a world of their own. Just because Professor X told you that you could do a paper about tropical fish to compensate for the missed assignment doesn’t mean that Professor Y is willing to give you that chance. And furthermore, don’t try to have your way at all costs: if your professor says that there are no more opportunities, accept that no means no.

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Don’t let it happen again!

Whenever one of your professors proposes a new paper to turn in or a new project to present, take good note of it in your calendar or agenda so that you make sure not to forget about it and end up having the deadline catching up with you. Once you have the date in which your assignment is due in mind, you can start preparing it with enough anticipation.

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Get to work!

Go to your college or local library and start gathering the materials necessary for completing your project/assignment: read books, look up information online, take notes, write up some drafts… Of course, you don’t need to work yourself to death in a matter of a few days, on the contrary: dedicate every day a little time to your task, even if it isn’t more than an hour. If you start gathering up information and writing a couple of paragraphs since the very first day, you’ll see how you’ll have it done in time!

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“I’m stuck?! Help, please!”

Is your assignment topic too complicated? You don’t even know where to start? Are you at a total loss? Don’t worry we all have been there. If you see yourself struggling with your assignment, you can always ask your professor your doubts or request for a tutorship. If you address them in a polite manner and they see you truly interested in your work, they won’t refuse. Another tip that always helps is regularly attending your lectures: more often than not, your professors may drop little hints about what they’re looking for in an assignment… or even in the final exam! You can also resort to asking around your circle of college friends for some solidarity between partners. Keep in mind that at least two heads think more than one!

[Conquer Time Management in College and Get Your Best Results]

[The Best Guide to Getting Straight A’s in Your Exams]

If you follow these tips, you’ll see how you won’t miss another assignment again during your college years. But even if missing an assignment is not a very nice experience, think that you’re also a human after all and that it is impossible not to make a single mistake every now and then. Furthermore, there is always a valuable lesson to be learned from our slip-ups.

Do you think there are any other pieces of advice that should be taken into account for not missing your assignments’ and projects’ deadlines? If so, feel welcome to share them with us in the comment section.

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Missing Assignments--and the Real World

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It’s a story that every teacher has heard--and if they’ve been in the classroom for a couple of years, recognizes from personal experience:

The teacher is relatively new, and working hard to build an effective practice (in this case, a band program). She goes away for three days, to a conference, leaving behind sub plans which involve sending students to the computer lab to craft a PowerPoint on composers. Only five of her 67 students submit any work. Her question to the Band Directors Group professional network: How do I not freak out on Monday? How do I handle this?

The post hit a nerve--she has about 50 responses so far. What’s surprising to me is how many are bent on blame and punishment: What an incompetent sub! Give ‘em all zeros! Candy and a free day for the five compliant ones! Make sure your administrator backs you up, then nuke ‘em--that’s how they learn.

Just what they learn from these retaliatory strategies--or the impact on a young teacher trying to nurture enthusiasm and membership in a school music program--seems unimportant. Kids blew off an assignment--make sure their grades reflect that choice. (The words “choice” and “choose” appear frequently in the comments.) Get tough. They deserve it.

I once wrote a blog about a similar experience I had as a teacher. I assigned a big project, giving my students six weeks to complete it, and a lot of what teachers call scaffolding: things to read, ideas to help them select and shape their work, graphic organizers and outlines, the option of working singly or together. I had more than 300 students at the time, and over 90% turned the project in on time.

When the work was turned in, I realized it would take me weeks to read/listen to the projects, provide feedback and grade them. I offered the 25 or so students who hadn’t completed the project a grace period of a week to turn something in--since I wanted to make sure they engaged with the assignment’s materials and ideas. All but one or two of the original non-completers finished the work--and what was submitted was mostly of acceptable quality. A handful were top-notch. I also got a couple of thank-you messages from parents.

That blog also drew a lot of ire. From teachers. The word most teachers chose was “unfair"---unfair to the kids who did the work on time. Unfair to let students think they would get a reprieve in the (here it comes) real world. Unfair to other teachers, who insist on meeting deadlines and punish kids who don’t.

I’ve been musing about this. These are the questions that emerge for me:

• What were the teacher’s learning goals for this assignment? Were they communicated to the students? If the goal was “keep kids busy and out of the band room for three days,” then the outcome was predictable, even if not defensible.
• How do our students--all our students, from kindergarten to Chemistry--perceive classes taught by substitutes? What do teachers say to their students about subs and days when they must be absent? What do teachers say to their students about what can be accomplished with three days in a computer lab?
• What does it tell our students when compliance matters more than acquiring knowledge or skills? When getting a good grade becomes the only goal?
• How “unfair” is it to students who must work or mind siblings, that other students have long blocks of discretionary time available for schoolwork? Can we ever provide equitable opportunity for all students, equitable access to time and materials for optimum learning?

The two mega-issues that emerge whenever teachers talk about missing assignments and justifying their actions toward late work are grades--always grades--and the idea that we owe kids “real” experiences to prepare them for the big, bad world where they will be presumably be working in a few years. Paul Thomas , in an excellent piece on grading and late work has this to say:

In my 30-plus years as an educator at nearly every level possible, I witness daily teachers and professors who fail to meet deadlines (regularly); talk, do other things (grade papers), stare at their computers/smart phones, etc., during meetings; and behave in a number of ways that they do not tolerate by students in their classes, behaviors that negatively impact students' grades. I also drive daily with adult motorists who exceed the speed limit without any punishment--as most of us have come to realize a grace zone of staying less than ten mph over that limit. In other words, the real world of rules is much fuzzier than the rules of formal schooling.

My fellow Education Week Teacher blogger Starr Sackstein has been pushing educator thinking on grades for years. She also had a brilliant blog on late work last week, where she wrote this:

As I have moved away from grades, one things I've noticed is that learning takes time and for different children, it takes different amounts of time. Doesn't mean they aren't learning. Doesn't even mean they are purposely not working. It just means they have a different process. Students like this require more time and there is no reason not to give it to them. The goal is by the end of the year that he will have achieved mastery in the skills and standards of the class. Not necessarily right now when the teacher determines it should be ready.

In the case of the young music teacher and the chorus of “Off with their heads!” that followed her post--a lot the recommendations felt like habitual, unexamined teacher practice: I always give half-credit for one day late OR I wouldn’t waste important class time talking about it--just tell them to check the on-line gradebook.

The only upside I see is that the novice teacher who asked for help got it--and there was enough variety in the responses to prove that there is no one right way to address common problems. I wish her well. And I’m guessing she won’t use the assignment again.

The opinions expressed in Teacher in a Strange Land are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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Do Colleges Look At Missing Assignments?

The great philosopher Aristotle once said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” This quote highlights the importance of practice and application in the learning process. Similarly, in academic settings, assignments play a crucial role in applying the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. But what happens when a student misses an assignment? Do colleges look at missing assignments? In this article, we will explore the significance of assignments, the perks of doing them, and whether colleges consider missing assignments during the admission process.

The short answer is that colleges do not typically look at missing assignments directly. Instead, they focus on a student’s grades and overall academic performance. However, missing assignments can have an impact on a student’s grades, which are key factors in the college admissions process. Let’s take a closer look at the significance of assignments and how they can affect a student’s academic performance and college admissions prospects.

Characteristics of Assignments in Education

In terms of student behavior, assignments typically involve a range of activities such as reading, writing, problem-solving, researching, and critical thinking. Students are expected to complete these assignments independently and within a given timeframe, demonstrating their ability to manage their time effectively. They are also expected to submit assignments that are well-researched, well-written, and reflective of their understanding of the topic.

Assignments can sometimes lead to negative behaviors such as procrastination and cheating. Some students may wait until the last minute to complete an assignment, leading to poor-quality work or missed deadlines. Others may resort to cheating by copying or plagiarizing work from other sources. However, these negative behaviors can be addressed through proper guidance and support from teachers and parents, as well as through teaching students the importance of integrity and hard work.

Assignments and the Learning Process

Also, assignments assist students to enhance their critical thinking abilities. In assignments, students are required to evaluate material, synthesize ideas, and draw connections between various concepts. This sort of higher-order thinking is crucial for college and beyond success.

Additionally, assignments let students evaluate their comprehension of the course content. Students may evaluate their skills and shortcomings and seek assistance from professors or peers by completing assignments. In addition to assessing students’ progress and providing comments on their performance, instructors utilize assignments to evaluate progress and offer feedback on their performance.

The Perks of Doing Assignments:

Completing assignments has benefits. First, assignments aid learning. Actively learning via assignments rather than passively studying through lectures helps pupils remember information longer, according to studies. Assignments improve critical thinking. Coursework requires students to analyze, infer, and connect concepts. Hianalyzecation and the workforce need these skills.

Assignments may boost grades. On-time and well-done assignments may boost grades. Missing assignments might lower a student’s grade since many instructors weigh them heavily. Assignments may also help students prepare for careers. Several jobs need self-direction and punctuality. Assignments may help students develop job-ready skills.

Do Assignments Matter?

If a student consistently misses assignments and as a result, their grades suffer, this can be a red flag to colleges. It can suggest to admissions officers that the student may not have good time-management skills or may struggle with completing tasks on schedule, which could be a concern in a college setting. Additionally, if missing assignments are a pattern for a student, it could indicate that they are not fully engaged in their coursework or are not taking their academic responsibilities seriously. 

Conclusion:

Assignments are a means for students to apply their classroom learning, improve their problem-solving abilities and develop critical thinking skills. By completing assignments, students also practice time management and organizational skills, which are essential for success in their future professions. Although some colleges may not use missing assignments as a factor in the admission process, the ability to manage time and complete tasks independently is highly valued. Therefore, students need to complete assignments on time and to the best of their ability to prepare for their future success. Completing assignments is not only about earning good grades but also about developing the necessary skills that will serve students in their academic and professional lives. 

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How do you respond when students submit the wrong assignment, but you only notice after the deadline has passed?

I occasionally get students who submit their assignments, but I only notice that they've submitted the wrong assignment when I begin grading. I can think of three possibilities to explain this:

• They made an honest mistake
• They are trying to buy some time to submit their assignment by making it seem like an honest mistake
• They didn't do the assignment at all and are trying to get some kind of credit

Sometimes I allow students a few hours or 24 hours to resubmit the correct assignment (is 24 hours too long?). If they don't, then I usually assume they haven't actually completed it. Other times, I'm just tempted to give them a zero.

The student in question submitted an assignment that was submitted previously in the semester.

Is there a better way that you know of to confirm whether they're being honest or not?

By the way, I'm looking for a general answer that can apply across multiple situations. In this specific situation, due to many different factors, I decided to allow the student to resubmit. She resubmitted right away, which seems to demonstrate it was an honest mistake.

• Are the students submitting future assignments on the wrong date, but still showing that they have put in some work (i.e. they did the wrong assignment)? Or are they re-submitting old work, or completely unrelated work from another class (i.e. they submitted the wrong document)? I'd be more forgiving about the former if the student has clearly done some work (but the wrong work), rather than the latter scenario which might be a low-effort way to buy more time. –  Nuclear Hoagie Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 18:49
• 3 Does it happen often? Is it often the same student? –  user111388 Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 19:23
• If this is in person, there's not a good reason to be submitting the wrong assignment. If this is online, does the tech you're using allow students to check their submission? Mine does and my syllabus says it's on the student to check they submitted the correct thing. –  Kathy Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 21:23
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor –  Anonymous Physicist Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 23:17
• 1 When I was teaching we were required to use the Learning Management System even for face to face classes. My syllabus said, "Be careful what you upload. 'I uploaded the wrong thing' will not be accepted as an excuse." –  Bob Brown Commented Dec 2, 2020 at 0:10

4 Answers 4

The fact that you're left guessing at unknowable motivations suggests a deeper problem to me. I always found guessing games like this very frustrating when assignments are due; giving students the benefit of the doubt sounds harmless... unless you're a student who scrambled to meet the deadline, while your peers took advantage of the professor's good will. This is especially true if the class is curved.

The policy I use now leaves my opinions completely out of it:

• Give clear due dates and turn-in proceedures
• Give students a "budget" for late assignments. I like to give three 12-hour tokens they can use at their discretion, no questions asked. If they turn something in late, I automatically use whatever tokens they have left to cover the time.
• Anything beyond that requires an issue serious enough that we're probably involving academic affairs as well. Things like serious illnesses and hospitalizations, for example.
• Anything turned not turned in on time, or within the scope of one of their "late tokens", gets a daily penalty added onto the score.

That way you're never faced with trying to ascribe motivations to what students are doing, and the rules are laid out clearly for them, which I find students like.

• 2 This is a very clever idea (+1). I like the 12-hour tokens --- I think I might steal that idea. –  Ben Commented Nov 30, 2020 at 22:03
• 1 Great answer. I actually use a similar token system, which I call the Life Happens Card (I got the idea from my favourite professor while at school). In this case, the student had already submitted the assignment on time; it was only after that I realized the assignment was wrong. –  Genoah77 Commented Dec 2, 2020 at 0:00
• 1 @Ben I tried "late days" for a few years, using 24-hour tokens. As with Jeff, I gave the students a budget. Mine was more generous; I think it was five late days. However, I required students to notify me if they intended to use late days. That totally didn't work. –  Bob Brown Commented Dec 2, 2020 at 0:08
• 3 My Life Happens Cards work quite well. I allow a 48 hour extension. If students decide not to use theirs, at the end of the semester I cancel their lowest quiz mark. With this double incentive, students are quite happy; it has solved a lot of problems and conflict for me. –  Genoah77 Commented Dec 2, 2020 at 1:32
• 1 I like calling them "Life Happens" cards! I might use that instead of "tokens". Also I should note that my "three 12 hour tokens" are for masters students on a short quarter system, so obviously you should tweak the values. I could see undergrads on a full semester system having a bigger "budet". –  Jeff Commented Dec 2, 2020 at 15:09

I announce a policy at the beginning of the semester that the course staff will only grade the work that is actually submitted, before the deadline, for each assigned homework problem. So if a student submits a solution to the wrong problem, for any reason or no reason, they can expect a grade of zero , exactly as if they submitted nothing at all.

(Behind the scenes, I tell my graders that they are welcome to swap obviously misplaced assignments if it's easy, if they have time, and if they want to, but they are absolutely not required to.)

On the other hand, I also drop the lowest 25% of homework scores before computing final course grades. For example, in a class with 32 homework problems, only the highest 24 scores for each student would count toward their homework grade. (A majority of the grades in my classes are based on exams.) I also announce this policy at the beginning of the semester.

So in practice, if a student submits the wrong homework, they've burned one of their free drops, and they don't get feedback from the graders, but it has no significant impact on their overall course grade.

For similar reasons, I never give homework extensions. The deadline is the deadline is the deadline.

• It's really nice when someone is strict up front but lenient and understanding behind our backs! –  Aaron John Sabu Commented Jun 26, 2021 at 15:15

Personally I always just tell them to make sure it doesn't happen again and let it go at that unless I see a pattern.

I think to get to the right answer here (which I believe mine is) you have to ask yourself what the purpose of grading homework even is in the first place and why does it matter if they turn it in on time. I mean, unlike exams, homework isn't really a good measure of student ability and even if it was it's not like anyone is spending all the time between assignment and submission working on it.

In an ideal world (and in some grad school courses) student grades would purely be based on mastery as shown in exams or projects. Unfortunately, at the UG and lower level we need to assign and grade homework as an incentive to keep students from just leaving everything to the last minute and never learning the material. In other words I'd argue that graded homework is a necessary evil done to keep students from hurting themselves (and why I usually allow students course grade to be just their exam grade if it's better).

As such if a student goes to that kind of length to get more time on hw I figure they are mostly just hurting themselves (but I also give extensions liberally as long as it doesn't become a problem for keeping up).

Besides, from a fairness POV there is really not much harm if some students get some extra time. I mean that's just noise compared to the unfairness inherently present in time to work on homework between students who need to take jobs and who don't and besides that extra time comes out of the time needed for the next assignment.

• In a business English course like mine, exams are of very limited value. Students can't really learn how to write proper sentences on a timed exam, so assignments (not "homework") is essential. They are writing letters, emails, etc., so they need to practice and take the time to edit/revise their grammar, which exams do not afford. I much prefer many short quizzes to anxiety-inducing English exams. I do, however, agree that projects are helpful. Giving extra time might not be a big deal, but it can become a problem if other students find out, because it can be perceived as favouritism. –  Genoah77 Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 4:49
• Even in this case it's not the ability of students to respond in a certain number of days that one is trying to measure (can't since how much time students have in those days varies wildly anyway). So the size of the unfair advantage a student who fake submits gets is already less than the unfairness you are already willing to inflict by making assignments due knowing the huge variation in student time and outside commitments. The goal isn't uniformity for its own sake but minimal distance from the ideal grade assignment. –  Peter Gerdes Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 5:01
• Every student signs up for a course with advance knowledge of their outside commitments, so uniformity with due dates is fair. Uniformity establishes a clear standard for students, which minimizes conflict between students, as well as conflict with the instructor. In other words, uniformity's purpose is to prevent needless conflict. –  Genoah77 Commented Dec 4, 2020 at 0:10

I don't think anything but #1 is a reasonable assumption. They submit something and presumably that took time and effort to prepare.

Is there any reason not to be generous here? Especially since you say it is occasional.

The time you give them would depend on the assignment, of course. But I doubt that a day is too long.

It might be different if the same student does this repeatedly. Then you should explore more deeply into why it is happening. It is even possible in such a case they have something like dyslexia that makes it hard for a person to manage things accurately.

• "It might be different if the same student does this repeatedly..." You cannot treat students differently, not even based on past behavior. That's a ticket to an unpleasant meeting with the dean. –  Bob Brown Commented Dec 2, 2020 at 0:13
• I realized my previous comment was incomplete. Set rules that give you some maneuvering room, put the rules in the syllabus, and apply those rules consistently to all students. –  Bob Brown Commented Dec 2, 2020 at 0:19
• 2 @BobBrown: In all places I know, telling the dean "this student has done it once, so I won't allow it a second time" would be acceptable (and with an online system, you can even prove this). Many places even don't have so explicit rules in a syllabus (or even a syllabus). So your statement is not universally true. –  user111388 Commented Dec 3, 2020 at 19:41

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Time management with school and assignments

Hey Reddit, I’m gonna be going into my 4th semester at college and most of my semesters have been super difficult because I have a really difficult time with having time for all my classes as well as the homework for them and working. I work 40 ish hours a week and I try to drop it down to 30 during semesters, but I am a Assistant GM at my store and so I have a lot of responsibilities there especially Becuase the GM is a dumbass and I pick up a lot of his slack. What are some things you guys do to stay on top of everything and keep up on grades and class work?

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