Late Work Or Missing Exams
Communicating your policies regarding late or missing work with students is vital.
Policies regarding late work
- To be regarded on time, work must be completed by the beginning of the period on the day it is due.
- The due date for each assignment must be clearly indicated to students.
- When an assignment is submitted late due to an extenuating circumstances, the student must present a proof of its validity.
Policies regarding missing exams
- Spell out the Missed Exam Procedure in Course Policies within the syllabus.
- When an examination is missed due to extenuating circumstances, the student must present a proof of its validity.
- When an examination falls at a time that conflicts with observance of a holy day, instructors must accommodate a request for an alternate examination date.
Exercise flexibility when enforcing policies
- Whenever possible, consider providing the student with the option of taking a make-up exam. A make-up exam must be an alternate form of the same exam. It should not be more difficult than the original test.
- An essay make-up exam is not an appropriate substitute if the regular exam is multiple choice or short answer (or vice versa), since each type requires different study methods and may be more or less difficult. An oral exam may "punish" students who do not think well on their feet or are more socially anxious. or it may favor those who do better with this type of exam. [?]
- Scheduling make-up exams at times inconvenient or undesirable to the student may be merely an expression of your frustration.
- It may be inequitable to those students who have met all course requirements if you allow a few of their classmates to do extra credit or drop their lowest grade instead of making up a missed exam.
