assignment late

A Few Ideas for Dealing with Late Work

August 4, 2019

Can't find what you are looking for? Contact Us

Listen to this post as a podcast:

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

Most of my 9-week grading periods ended the same way: Me and one or two students, sitting in my quiet, empty classroom together, with me sitting at the computer, the students nearby in desks, methodically working through piles of make-up assignments. They would be focused, more focused than I’d seen them in months, and the speed with which they got through the piles was stunning. 

As they finished each assignment I took it, checked it for accuracy, then entered their scores—taking 50 percent off for being late—into my grading program. With every entry, I’d watch as their class grade went up and up: from a 37 percent to a 41, then to 45, then to 51, and eventually to something in the 60s or even low 70s, a number that constituted passing, at which point the process would end and we’d part ways, full of resolve that next marking period would be different.

And the whole time I thought to myself, This is pointless . They aren’t learning anything at all. But I wasn’t sure what else to do.

For as long as teachers have assigned tasks in exchange for grades, late work has been a problem. What do we do when a student turns in work late? Do we give some kind of consequence or accept assignments at any time with no penalty? Do we set up some kind of system that keeps students motivated while still holding them accountable? Is there a way to manage all of this without driving ourselves crazy?

To find answers, I went to Twitter and asked teachers to share what works for them. What follows is a summary of their responses. I wish I could give individual credit to each person who offered ideas, but that would take way too long, and I really want you to get these suggestions now! If you’ve been unsatisfied with your own approach to late work, you should find some fresh ideas here.

First, a Few Questions About Your Grades

Before we get into the ways teachers manage late work, let’s back up a bit and consider whether your overall program of assignments and grading is in a healthy place. Here are some questions to think about:  

• What do your grades represent? How much of your grades are truly based on academic growth, and how much are based mostly on compliance? If they lean more toward compliance, then what you’re doing when you try to manage late work is basically a lot of administrative paper pushing, rather than teaching your content. Although it’s important for kids to learn how to manage deadlines, do you really want an A in your course to primarily reflect the ability to follow instructions? If your grades are too compliance-based, consider how you might shift things so they more accurately represent learning. (For a deeper discussion of this issue, read How Accurate Are Your Grades? )
• Are you grading too many things? If you spend a lot of time chasing down missing assignments in order to get more scores in your gradebook, it could be that you’re grading too much. Some teachers only enter grades for major, summative tasks, like projects, major writing assignments, or exams. Everything else is considered formative and is either ungraded or given a very low point value for completion, not graded for accuracy; it’s practice . For teachers who are used to collecting lots of grades over a marking period, this will be a big shift, and if you work in a school where you’re expected to enter grades into your system frequently, that shift will be even more difficult. Convincing your students that ungraded practice is worthwhile because it will help their performance on the big things will be another hurdle. With all of that said, reducing the number of scored items will make your grades more meaningful and cut way down on the time you spend grading and managing late work.
• What assumptions do you make when students don’t turn in work? I’m embarrassed to admit that when I first started teaching, I assumed most students with missing work were just unmotivated. Although this might be true for a small portion of students, I no longer see this as the most likely reason. Students may have issues with executive function and could use some help developing systems for managing their time and responsibilities. They may struggle with anxiety. Or they may not have the resources—like time, space, and technology—to consistently complete work at home. More attention has been paid lately to the fact that homework is an equity issue , and our policies around homework should reflect an understanding that all students don’t have access to the same resources once they leave school for the day. Punitive policies that are meant to “motivate” students don’t take any of these other issues into consideration, so if your late work penalties don’t seem to be working, it’s likely that the root cause is something other than a lack of motivation.
• What kind of grading system is realistic for you ? Any system you put in place requires YOU to stay on top of grading. It would be much harder to assign penalties, send home reminders, or track lateness if you are behind on marking papers by a week, two weeks, even a month. So whatever you do, create a plan that you can actually keep up with.

Possible Solutions

1. penalties.

Many teachers give some sort of penalty to students for late work. The thinking behind this is that without some sort of negative consequence, too many students would wait until the end of the marking period to turn work in, or in some cases, not turn it in at all. When work is turned in weeks or even months late, it can lose its value as a learning opportunity because it is no longer aligned with what’s happening in class. On top of that, teachers can end up with massive piles of assignments to grade in the last few days of a marking period. This not only places a heavy burden on teachers, it is far from an ideal condition for giving students the good quality feedback they should be getting on these assignments.

Several types of penalties are most common:

Point Deductions In many cases, teachers simply reduce the grade as a result of the lateness. Some teachers will take off a certain number of points per day until they reach a cutoff date after which the work will no longer be accepted. One teacher who responded said he takes off 10 percent for up to three days late, then 30 percent for work submitted up to a week late; he says most students turn their work in before the first three days are over. Others have a standard amount that comes off for any late work (like 10 percent), regardless of when it is turned in. This policy still rewards students for on-time work without completely de-motivating those who are late, builds in some accountability for lateness, and prevents the teacher from having to do a lot of mathematical juggling with a more complex system. 

Parent Contact Some teachers keep track of late work and contact parents if it is not turned in. This treats the late work as more of a conduct issue; the parent contact may be in addition to or instead of taking points away. 

No Feedback, No Re-Dos The real value of homework and other smaller assignments should be the opportunity for feedback: Students do an assignment, they get timely teacher feedback, and they use that feedback to improve. In many cases, teachers allow students to re-do and resubmit assignments based on that feedback. So a logical consequence of late work could be the loss of that opportunity: Several teachers mentioned that their policy is to accept late work for full credit, but only students who submit work on time will receive feedback or the chance to re-do it for a higher grade. Those who hand in late work must accept whatever score they get the first time around. 

2. A Separate Work Habits Grade

In a lot of schools, especially those that use standards-based grading, a student’s grade on an assignment is a pure representation of their academic mastery; it does not reflect compliance in any way. So in these classrooms, if a student turns in good work, it’s going to get a good grade even if it’s handed in a month late. 

But students still need to learn how to manage their time. For that reason, many schools assign a separate grade for work habits. This might measure factors like adherence to deadlines, neatness, and following non-academic guidelines like font sizes or using the correct heading on a paper. 

• Although most teachers whose schools use this type of system will admit that students and parents don’t take the work habits grade as seriously as the academic grade, they report being satisfied that student grades only reflect mastery of the content.
• One school calls their work habits grade a “behavior” grade, and although it doesn’t impact GPA, students who don’t have a certain behavior grade can’t make honor roll, despite their actual GPA.
• Several teachers mentioned looking for patterns and using the separate grade as a basis for conferences with parents, counselors, or other stakeholders. For most students, there’s probably a strong correlation between work habits and academic achievement, so separating the two could help students see that connection.
• Some learning management systems will flag assignments as late without necessarily taking points off. Although this does not automatically translate to a work habits grade, it indicates the lateness to students and parents without misrepresenting the academic achievement.

3. Homework Passes

Because things happen in real life that can throw anyone off course every now and then, some teachers offer passes students can use to replace a missed assignment.

• Most teachers only offer these passes to replace low-point assignments, not major ones, and they generally only offer 1 to 3 passes per marking period. Homework passes can usually only recover 5 to 10 percent of a student’s overall course grade. 
• Other teachers have a policy of allowing students to drop one or two of their lowest scores in the gradebook. Again, this is typically done for smaller assignments and has the same net effect as a homework pass by allowing everyone to have a bad day or two.
• One teacher gives “Next Class Passes” which allow students one extra day to turn in work. At the end of every marking period she gives extra credit points to students who still have unused passes. She says that since she started doing this, she has had the lowest rate ever of late work. 

4. Extension Requests

Quite a few teachers require students to submit a written request for a deadline extension rather than taking points off. With a system like this, every student turns something in on the due date, whether it’s the assignment itself or an extension request.

• Most extension requests ask students to explain why they were unable to complete the assignment on time. This not only gives the students a chance to reflect on their habits, it also invites the teacher to help students solve larger problems that might be getting in the way of their academic success. 
• Having students submit their requests via Google Forms reduces the need for paper and routes all requests to a single spreadsheet, which makes it easier for teachers to keep track of work that is late or needs to be regraded.  
• Other teachers use a similar system for times when students want to resubmit work for a new grade. 

5. Floating Deadlines

Rather than choosing a single deadline for an assignment, some teachers assign a range of dates for students to submit work. This flexibility allows students to plan their work around other life activities and responsibilities.

• Some teachers offer an incentive to turn in work in the early part of the time frame, such as extra credit or faster feedback, and this helps to spread out the submissions more evenly. 
• Another variation on this approach is to assign a batch of work for a whole week and ask students to get it in by Friday. This way, students get to manage when they get it done. 
• Other names mentioned for this strategy were flexible deadlines , soft deadlines , and due windows .

6. Let Students Submit Work in Progress

Some digital platforms, like Google Classroom, allow students to “submit” assignments while they are still working on them. This allows teachers to see how far the student has gotten and address any problems that might be coming up. If your classroom is mostly paper-based, it’s certainly possible to do this kind of thing with paper as well, letting students turn in partially completed work to demonstrate that an effort has been made and show you where they might be stuck.

7. Give Late Work Full Credit

Some teachers accept all late work with no penalty. Most of them agree that if the work is important, and if we want students to do it, we should let them hand it in whenever they get it done. 

• Some teachers fear this approach will cause more students to stop doing the work or delay submission until the end of a marking period, but teachers who like this approach say they were surprised by how little things changed when they stopped giving penalties: Most students continued to turn work in more or less on time, and the same ones who were late under the old system were still late under the new one. The big difference was that the teacher no longer had to spend time calculating deductions or determining whether students had valid excuses; the work was simply graded for mastery.
• To give students an incentive to actually turn the work in before the marking period is over, some teachers will put a temporary zero in the gradebook as a placeholder until the assignment is turned in, at which point the zero is replaced with a grade.
• Here’s a twist on the “no penalty” option: Some teachers don’t take points off for late work, but they limit the time frame when students can turn it in. Some will not accept late work after they have graded and returned an assignment; at that point it would be too easy for students to copy off of the returned papers. Others will only accept late work up until the assessment for the unit, because the work leading up to that is meant to prepare for that assessment. 

8. Other Preventative Measures

These strategies aren’t necessarily a way to manage late work as much as they are meant to prevent it in the first place.

• Include students in setting deadlines. When it comes to major assignments, have students help you determine due dates. They may have a better idea than you do about other big events that are happening and assignments that have been given in other classes.
• Stop assigning homework. Some teachers have stopped assigning homework entirely, recognizing that disparities at home make it an unfair measurement of academic mastery. Instead, all meaningful work is done in class, where the teacher can monitor progress and give feedback as needed. Long-term projects are done in class as well, so the teacher is aware of which students need more time and why. 
• Make homework optional or self-selected. Not all students need the same amount of practice. You may be able to get your students to assess their own need for additional practice and assign that practice to themselves. Although this may sound far-fetched, in some classes, like this self-paced classroom , it actually works, because students know they will be graded on a final assessment, they get good at determining when they need extra practice.

With so many different approaches to late work, what’s clear is that there are a lot of different schools of thought on grading and assessment, so it’s not a surprise that we don’t always land on the best solution on the first try. Experiment with different systems, talk to your colleagues, and be willing to try something new until you find something that works for you. 

Further Reading

20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half This free e-book is full of ideas that can help with grading in general.

On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting Thomas R. Guskey This book came highly recommended by a number of teachers.

Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School Starr Sackstein

Come back for more. Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You’ll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half , the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined—come on in.

What to Read Next

Categories: Classroom Management , Instruction , Podcast

Tags: assessment , organization

53 Comments

I teach high school science (mine is a course that does not have an “end of course” test so the stakes are not as high) and I teach mostly juniors and seniors. Last year I decided not to accept any late work whatsoever unless a student is absent the day it is assigned or due (or if they have an accomodation in a 504 or IEP – and I may have had one or two students with real/documented emergencies that I let turn in late.) This makes it so much easier on me because I don’t have to keep up with how many days/points to deduct – that’s a nightmare. It also forces them to be more responsible. They usually have had time to do it in class so there’s no reason for it to be late. Also, I was very frustrated with homework not being completed and I hated having to grade it and keep up with absent work. So I don’t “require” homework (and rarely assign it any more) but if students do ALL (no partial credit) of it they get a 100% (small point value grade), if they are absent or they don’t do it they are exempt. So it ends up being a sort of extra credit grade but it does not really penalize students who don’t do it. When students ask me for extra credit (which I don’t usually give), the first thing I ask is if they’ve done all the homework assigned. That usually shuts down any further discussion. I’ve decided I’m not going to spend tons of time chasing and calculating grades on small point values that do not make a big difference in an overall grade. 🙂

Do I understand correctly….

Homework is not required. If a student fully completes the HW, they will earn full points. If the student is absent or doesn’t do it, they are excused. Students who do complete the HW will benefit a little bit in their overall grade, but students who don’t compete the work will not be penalized. Did I understand it correctly?

Do you stipulate that a student must earn a certain % on the assignment to get the full points? What about a student who completed an assignment but completes the entire thing incorrectly? Still full credit? Or an opportunity to re-do?

Thank you in advance.

From reading this blog post I was thinking the same thing. When not penalizing students for homework do you have students who do turn it in getting extra points in class?

From what I have seen, if there is a benefit for turning in homework and students see this benefit more will try to accomplish what the homework is asking. So avoid penalization is okay, but make sure the ones turning it in are getting rewarded in some way.

The other question regarding what to do with students who may not be completing the assignments correctly, you could use this almost as a formative assessment. You could still give them the credit but use this as a time for you to focus on that student a little more and see where he/she isn’t understanding the content.

Our school has a system called Catch Up Cafe. Students with missing work report to a specific teacher during the first 15 minutes of lunch to work on missing work. Students upgrade to a Wednesday after school time if they have accumulated 4 or more missing assignments on any Monday. They do not have to serve if they can clear ALL missing work by the end of the day Wednesday. Since work is not dragging out for a long period of time, most teachers do not take off points.

How do you manage the logistics of who has missing and how many assignments are needed to be completed-to make sure they are attending the Catch up Cafe or Wednesday after school? How do you manage the communication with parents?

When a student has missing work it can be very difficult to see what he/she is missing. I always keep a running record of all of their assignments that quarter and if they miss that assigement I keep it blank to remind myself there was never a submission. Once I know that this student is missing this assignment I give them their own copy and write at the top late. So once they do turn it in I know that it’s late and makes grading it easier.

There are a lot of different programs that schools use but I’ve always kept a paper copy so I have a back-up.

I find that the worst part of tracking make-up work is keeping tabs on who was absent for a school activity, illness or other excused absence, and who just didn’t turn in the assignment. I obviously have to accept work turned in “late” due to an excused absence, but I can handle the truly late work however I wish. Any advice on simplifying tracking for this?

I tell my students to simply write “Absent (day/s)” at the top of the paper. I remind them of this fairly regularly. That way, if they were absent, it’s their responsibility to notify me, and it’s all together. If you create your own worksheets, etc., you could add a line to the top as an additional reminder.

It might be worth checking out Evernote .

In order to keep track of what type of missing assignments, I put a 0 in as a grade so students and parents know an assignment was never submitted. If a student was here on the due date and day assignment was given then it is a 0 in the grade book. If a student was absent the day the assignment was given or when it was due, I put a 00 in the grade book. This way I know if it was because of an absence or actual no work completed.

This is exactly what I do. Homework can only count 10% in our district. Claims that kids fail due to zeros for homework are specious.

This is SUCH a difficult issue and I have tried a few of the suggested ways in years past. My questions is… how do we properly prepare kids for college while still being mindful of the inequities at home? We need to be sure that we are giving kids opportunity, resources, and support, but at the same time if we don’t introduce them to some of the challenges they will be faced with in college (hours of studying and research and writing regardless of the hours you might have to spend working to pay that tuition), are we truly preparing them? I get the idea of mastery of content without penalty for late work and honestly that is typically what I go with, but I constantly struggle with this and now that I will be moving from middle to high school, I worry even more about the right way to handle late work and homework. I don’t want to hold students back in my class by being too much of a stickler about seemingly little things, but I don’t want to send them to college unprepared to experience a slap in the face, either. I don’t want to provide extra hurdles, but how do I best help them learn how to push through the hurdles and rigor if they aren’t held accountable? I always provide extra time after school, at lunch, etc., and have also experienced that end of term box checking of assignments in place of a true learning experience, but how do we teach them the importance of using resources, asking for help, allowing for mistakes while holding them to standards and learning work habits that will be helpful to them when they will be on their own? I just don’t know where the line is between helping students learn the value of good work habits and keeping them from experiencing certain challenges they need to understand in order to truly get ahead.

Thanks for sharing – I can tell how much you care for your students, wanting them to be confident independent learners. What I think I’m hearing is perhaps the struggle between that fine line of enabling and supporting. When supporting kids, whether academically or behaviorally, we’re doing something that assists or facilitates their growth. So, for example, a student that has anxiety or who doesn’t have the resources at home to complete an assignment, we can assist by giving that student extra time or an alternative place to complete the assignment. This doesn’t lower expectations, it just offers support to help them succeed.

Enabling on the other hand, puts systems in place that don’t involve consequences, which in turn allow the behaviors to continue. It involves excuses and solving problems for others. It may be about lowering expectations and letting people get by with patterns of behavior.

Late work is tricky. The article does mention the importance of time management, which is why separating academic grades from work habits is something a lot of schools are doing. Sometimes real life happens and kids need a “pass.” If whatever you’re doing seems to be helping to support a student rather than enabling patterns, then that might help you distinguish between that fine line. Hope this helps!

Thank you again for such a great post. Always high-quality, relevant, and helpful. I so appreciate you and the work you do!

So glad to hear you enjoyed the post, Liz! I’ll make sure Jenn sees this.

I thought that these points brought up about receiving late work were extremely helpful and I hope that every classroom understands how beneficial these strategies could be.

When reading the penalties section under point deductions it brought up the idea of taking points off slowly as time goes by. Currently in my classroom the only point deduction I take off is 30% of the total grade after it is received late. No matter how much time has gone by in that grading period it will have 30% off the total.

I’m curious if changing this technique to something that would increase the percentage off as time goes by will make students turn in their work on time.

My question to everyone is which grading technique would be more beneficial for the students? Do you believe that just taking off 30% for late work would help students more when turning in their work or do you think that as time goes by penalizing their final score will have students turn in their work more?

If anyone has any answers it would be extremely beneficial.

Thank you, Kirby

When I was in school my school did 1/3 of a grade each day it was like. So 1 day late A >A-. Two days late: A->>B+ so on and so forth. This worked really well for me because I knew that I could still receive a good grade if I worked hard on an assignment, even if it was a day or two late.

I dread it when I have missing work or unsubmitted work. I would try to get a last-minute effort to chase those needed pieces of work which could be done from those students housed in dorms on campus. It is better than not failing them for lacking to turn in graded submissions or taking scheduled quizzes. I dread this not for the students, sadly, but for likely call to explain why I did not keep physical evidence of students’ supposed learning. In my part of the globe, we have a yearly “quality assurance” audit by the country’s educational authorities or their representatives.

I am a pre-service teacher and I am in the process of developing my personal philosophies in education, including the topic of late work. I will be certified as a secondary social studies teacher and would like to teach in a high school. Your post brought my attention to some important insights about the subject. For example, before this post I had not thought to use feedback as a way to incentivize homework submission on time. This action coupled with the ability to re-do assignments is a great way to emphasize the importance of turning work in on time. I do have a follow-up question, how do you adequately manage grading re-do’s and feedback on all assignments? What kinds of organizational and time-management strategies do you use as a teacher? Further, how much homework do you assign when providing this as an option?

Additionally, have you administered or seen the no penalty and homework acceptance time limit in practice (for example, all homework must be turned in by the unit test)? I was curious if providing a deadline to accept all homework until the unit test may result in an access of papers I need to grade. From your experience, what practice(s) have you seen work well in the classroom?

My goal is to prepare students for life beyond high school and to support their intellectual, social, and emotional development during their high school learning experience. Similar to a previous commenter (Kate), I am also trying to define a balance between holding students accountable in order to best prepare them for their future lives and providing opportunities to raise their grade if they are willing to do the work.

Hey Jessica, you have some great questions. I’d recommend checking out the following blog posts from Jenn that will help you learn more about keeping track of assessments, differentiation, and other aspects of grading: Kiddom: Standards-based Grading Made Wonderful , Could You Teach Without Grades , Boost Your Assessment Power with GradeCam , and Four Research-Based Strategies Every Teacher Should be Using . I hope this helps you find answers to your questions!

Overall I found this article extremely helpful and it actually reinforced many ideas I already had about homework and deadlines. One of my favorite teachers I had in high school was always asking for our input on when we felt assignments should be due based on what extra curricular activities were taking place in a given time period. We were all extremely grateful for his consideration and worked that much harder on the given assignments.

While it is important to think about our own well-being when grading papers, I think it is just as important (if not more) to be conscious of how much work students might have in other classes or what students schedules are like outside of school. If we really want students to do their best work, we need to give them enough time to do the work. This will in turn, help them care more about the subject matter and help them dive deeper. Obviously there still needs to be deadlines, but it does not hurt to give students some autonomy and say in the classroom.

Thanks for your comment Zach. I appreciate your point about considering students’ involvement in extracurricular activities and other responsibilities they may have outside the school day. It’s definitely an important consideration. The only homework my son seemed to have in 8th grade was for his history class. I agree that there’s a need for teachers to maintain more of a balance across classes when it comes to the amount of homework they give to students.

Thank you for an important, thought-provoking post! As a veteran teacher of 20+ years, I have some strong opinions about this topic. I have always questioned the model of ‘taking points off’ for late work. I do not see how this presents an accurate picture of what the student knows or can do. Shouldn’t he be able to prove his knowledge regardless of WHEN? Why does WHEN he shows you what he knows determine WHAT he knows?

Putting kids up against a common calendar with due dates and timelines, regardless of their ability to learn the material at the same rate is perhaps not fair. There are so many different situations facing our students – some students have challenges and difficulty with deadlines for a plethora of potential reasons, and some have nothing but support, structure, and time. When it comes to deadlines – Some students need more time. Other students may need less time. Shouldn’t all students have a chance to learn at a pace that is right for them? Shouldn’t we measure student success by demonstrations of learning instead of how much time it takes to turn in work? Shouldn’t students feel comfortable when it is time to show me what they’ve learned, and when they can demonstrate they’ve learned it, I want their grade to reflect that.

Of course we want to teach students how to manage their time. I am not advocating for a lax wishy-washy system that allows for students to ‘get to it when they get to it’. I do believe in promoting work-study habits, and using a separate system to assign a grade for responsibility, respect, management, etc is a potential solution. I understand that when introducing this type of system, it may be tough to get buy-in from parents and older students who have traditionally only looked at an academic grade because it is the only piece of the puzzle that impacts GPA. Adopting a separate work-study grading system would involve encouraging the entire school community – starting at the youngest level – to see its value. It would be crucial for the school to promote the importance of high level work-study habits right along side academic grades.

I teach a specials course to inner city middle schoolers at a charter school. All students have to take my class since it is one of the core pillars of the school’s culture and mission. Therefore it is a double edge sword. Some students and parents think it is irrelevant like an art or music class but will get upset to find out it isn’t just an easy A class. Other students and parents love it because they come to our charter school just to be in this class that isn’t offered anywhere else in the state, except at the college level.

As you may have already guessed, I see a lot of students who don’t do the work. So much that I no longer assign homework, which the majority would not be able to do independently anyways or may develop the wrong way of learning the material, due to the nature of the subject. So everything is done in the classroom together as a class. And then we grade together to reinforce the learning. This is why I absolutely do not accept missing work and there is no reason for late work. Absent students make up the work by staying after school upon their return or they can print it off of Google classroom at home and turn in by the end of the day of their return. Late and missing work is a big issue at our school. I’ve had whole classrooms not do the work even as I implemented the new routine. Students will sit there and mark their papers as we do it in the classroom but by the end they are not handing it in because they claim not to have anything to hand in. Or when they do it appears they were doing very little. I’d have to micromanage all 32 students every 5 minutes to make sure they were actually doing the work, which I believe core teachers do. But that sets a very bad precedent because I noticed our students expect to be handheld every minute or they claim they can’t do the work. I know this to be the case since before this class I was teaching a computer class and the students expected me to sit right next to them and give them step-by-step instructions of where to click on the screen. They simply could not follow along as I demonstrated on the Aquos board. So I do think part of the problem is the administrators’ encouraging poor work ethics. They’re too focused on meeting proficient standard to the point they want teachers to handhold students. They also want teachers to accept late and missing work all the way until the end of each quarter. Well that’s easy if you only have a few students but when you have classrooms full of them, that means trying to grade 300+ students multiplied by “x” amount of late/missing work the week before report card rolls out – to which we still have to write comments for C- or below students. Some of us teach all the grade levels 6-8th. And that has actually had negative effects because students no longer hold themselves accountable.

To be honest, I really do think this is why there is such a high turnover rate and teachers who started giving busy work only. In the inner city, administrators only care about putting out the illusion of proficiency while students and parents don’t want any accountability for their performance. As soon as a student fails because they have to actually try to learn (which is a risk for failing), the parent comes in screaming.

Yea, being an Art teacher you lost me at “ irrelevant like an art or music .”

I teach middle school in the inner city where missing and late work is a chronic issue so the suggestions and ideas above do not work. Students and parents have become complacent with failing grades so penalizing work isn’t going to motivate them to do better the next time. The secret to teaching in the inner city is to give them a way out without it becoming massive work for you. Because trust me, if you give them an inch they will always want a mile at your expense. Depending on which subject you teach, it might be easier to just do everything in class. That way it becomes an all or nothing grade. They either did or didn’t do the work. No excuses, no chasing down half the school through number of calls to disconnected phone numbers and out of date emails, no explaining to parents why Johnny has to stay after school to finish assignments when mom needs him home to babysit or because she works second shift and can’t pick him up, etc. Students have no reason for late work or for missing work when they were supposed to do it right there in class. Absent students can catch up with work when they return.

Milton, I agree with all of what you are saying and have experienced. Not to say that that is for all students I have had, but it is a slow progression as to what is happening with students and parents as years go by. I understand that there are areas outside of the classroom we cannot control and some students do not have certain necessities needed to help them but they need to start learning what can they do to help themselves. I make sure the students know they can come and talk to me if needing help or extra time, tutor after school and even a phone number to contact along with email if needing to ask questions or get help. But parents and students do not use these opportunities given until the week before school ends and are now wanting their student to pass and what can be done. It is frustrating and sad. I let students and parents know my expectation up front and if they do not take the opportunity to talk to me then the grade they earned is the result.

I am a special education resource teacher and late work/missing work happens quite a lot. After reading this article, I want to try a few different things to help minimize this issue. However, I am not the one making the grades or putting the grades in. I am just giving the work to the students in small group settings and giving them more access to the resources they need to help them be successful on these assignments based on their current IEP. I use a make-up folder, and usually I will pull these students to work on their work during a different time than when I regularly pull them. That way they do not miss the delivery of instruction they get from me and it does not punish my other students either if there is make-up work that needs to be completed. I try to give my students ample time to complete their work, so there is no excuse for them not to complete it. If they are absent, then I pull them at a time that they can make it up.

I too agree with that there’s a need for teachers to maintain more of a balance across classes when it comes to the amount of homework they give to students.

I had a few teachers who were willing to tolerate lateness in favor of getting it/understanding the material. Lastly, my favorite teacher was the one who gave me many chances to do rewrites of a ‘bad essay’ and gave me as much time as needed (of course still within like the semester or even month but I never took more than two weeks) because he wanted me to do well. I ended up with a 4 in AP exam though so that’s good.

Late work has a whole new meaning with virtual learning. I am drowning in late work (via Google Classroom). I don’t want to penalize students for late work as every home situation is different. I grade and provide feedback timely (to those who submitted on time). However, I am being penalized every weekend and evening as I try to grade and provide feedback during this time. I would love some ideas.

Hi Susan! I’m in the same place–I have students who (after numerous reminders) still haven’t submitted work due days…weeks ago, and I’m either taking time to remind them again or give feedback on “old” work over my nights and weekends. So, while it’s not specific to online learning, Jenn’s A Few Ideas for Dealing with Late Work is a post I’ve been trying to put into practice the last few days. I hope this helps!

Graded assignment flexibility is essential to the process of learning in general but especially in our new world of digital divide

It is difficult to determine who is doing the work at home. Follow up videos on seesaw help to see if the student has gained the knowledge or is being given the answers.

This is some good information. This is a difficult subject.

I love the idea of a catch-up cafe! I think I will try to implement this in my school. It’s in the same place every day, yes? And the teachers take turns monitoring? I’m just trying to get a handle on the logistics – I know those will be the first questions I get.

I really enjoyed this post. I think it provides a lot of perspective on a topic that teachers get way too strict about. I just wonder: wouldn’t it be inevitable for students to become lazy and care less about their understanding if there wasn’t any homework (or even if it was optional)? I know students don’t like it, and it can get redundant if they understand the content, but it truly is good practice.

Hi Shannon,

Glad the post helped! Homework is one of those hot educational topics, but I can’t say I’ve personally come across a situation or found any research where kids become lazy or unmotivated if not assigned homework. In fact, research indicates that homework doesn’t really have much impact on learning until high school. I just think that if homework is going to be assigned, it needs to be intentional and purposeful. (If students have already mastered a skill, I’m not sure how homework would provide them much benefit.) Here’s an article that I think is worth checking out. See what you think.

I like how you brought up how homework needs to be given with the understanding that not all kids have the same resources at home. Some kids don’t have computers or their parents won’t let them use it. There is no way of knowing this so teachers should give homework that requires barely any utensils or technology.

I think having students help determine the due dates for major assignments is a great idea. This works well with online schools too. Remote jobs are the future so helping students learn how to set their own due dates and to get homework done from home will prepare them for the future.

This year I am trying something new. After reading this article, I noticed that I have used a combination of some of these strategies to combat late work and encourage students to turn work in on time. I only record a letter grade in the grade book: A, B, C, D, F. If a student turns in an assignment late, I flag it as late, but it does not affect their “grade”.

If a student wants to redo an assignment, they must turn something in. If they miss the due date, they can still turn it in, but lose the opportunity to redo the assignment. Students will meet with me one last time before they turn it in to get final feedback.

At the end of the grading period, I conference with the student about their final grade, looking at how many times they have handed work in on-time or late. This will determine if the student has earned an A or an A+ .

I really appreciate how your post incorporates a lot of suggestions for the way that teachers can think about and grade homework. Thank you for mentioning how different students have different resources available as well. As teachers, we need to be aware of the different resources our students have and tailor our approach to homework to match. I like the idea of grading homework based on completion and accepting late work for full credit at any time (substituting a zero in the grade book until it is turned in). This is definitely a strategy that I’ll be using!

So glad the article was helpful for you! I will be sure to pass on your comments to Jenn.

I also have been teaching for a long time and I have found that providing an END OF WEEK (Friday at 11:59) due date for assignments allows students to get the work completed by that time. It helps with athletes, and others involved in extra curricular activities. I feel this is fair. I give my tests/quizzes on the days assigned and the supplemental work on Fridays.

I personally, as a special education teach, would allow my SPED students extra time to complete the work they have missed. This is in alignment with their IEP accommodations. I would work with each one independently and have remediation with the content that they are having difficulty. This setting would be in a small group and separate classroom.

I really like the idea of a work habits grade. I struggle with students who turn things in late regularly earning the same grade as those who always turn things in on time. A work habits grade could really motivate some learners.

I’ve been in education for 37 years and in all manner of positions. I share this only to also say that things have changed quite a bit. When I started teaching I only had one, maybe two students in a class of 34 elementary students that would not have homework or classwork finished. Now, I have two classes of about 15 each. One group is often half the class on a regular basis not having homework or not finishing classwork on a regular basis- so far. Additionally parents will pull students out to go to amusement parks, etc and expect all work to be made up and at full credit. I believe that the idea of homework is clearly twofold- to teach accountability and to reengage a learner. Classwork is critical to working with the content and, learning objective. We can all grade various ways; however, at some point, the learner has to step up. Learning is not passive, nor is it all on the teacher. I have been called “mean” because I make students do their work in class, refocusing them, etc. I find that is my duty. Late work should be simply dealt with consistently and with understanding to circumstance IMO. You were out or it was late because mom and dad were upset, ok versus we went to Disney for three days and I was too tired. hmm- used to be easy with excused/unexcused absences, now there is no difference. Late with no absence? That can be a problem and I reach out to home and handle it individually at my level.

Hi Jennifer! I really like your sharing about this topic! Late work is a problem that every teacher encounters. Thank you for your consideration of this issue and the many wise ideas you have provided. Your ideas also remind me to reflect on whether my overall program of assignments and grading is in a healthy place. I was inspired by the preventative measures you listed in this post. I want to try to include my students in setting deadlines, especially for some big projects. Students will feel respected by teachers and will be more willing to complete the assignments before deadlines! As you mentioned, some teachers have made homework optional or self-selected, or even stopped assigning homework. I partially agree with that opinion. I indeed try to reduce the amount of students’ homework or even stop assigning homework sometime, but doing related practice in class instead. I believe that the purpose of homework is to aid pupils in mastering the knowledge; it is not a necessary thing.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Yang. Jenn will be glad to know that you found the post inspiring!

Thanks so much for all your insights on giving assignments or homework. All are very helpful as I prepare to return to work after an extended medical leave. It is good to refresh! Anything we require of our students should be purposeful and meaningful to them, so they will give their best to meet whatever deadlines we set. I also like asking our students when is the best time they can turn work in; this is meeting them halfway. And if one strategy does not work, there are more to try; just read this post. Thanks a bunch!!

Jenn will be glad to know the post was helpful for you, Jo!

My colleagues and I at Sand Creek International in Colorado Springs, Colorado, enjoyed reading your post “A Few Ideas for Dealing with Late Work.” It gave us a lot to think about. We are the middle school teachers in a K-8 school and our district policy has been to accept late work all the way to the end of each quarter with no more than a 10% penalty for being late. We decided to examine this policy and discuss the pros and cons of it. Spending the time discussing these pros and cons really helped us examine our own philosophies on the point of student work and ultimately led to some changes we are empowered to make as well as a request for a change only our district level personnel can approve.

Pros of a Lenient Late Work Policy -More students eventually complete the work we want all students to complete This led us to be more intentional about work we are assigning for a grade and being more selective about what is counted towards a student’s grade. As was mentioned in your post, this was about a shift from “compliance” to “student growth” in what we were choosing to grade. -More students passing classes Students heading into high school don’t need to already be labeled as “failing” students and adopting a view of themselves that sets them up for struggle in high school. Students playing a sport also have the pressure of remaining eligible for their competitions. If they got zeros for late works, many would lose the ability to play their sport, which we think would be a detriment to their mental health. -Allows a focus on equity in grading policies We are aware many students face challenges outside of the classroom that make focusing on schoolwork difficult. A lenient late work policy doesn’t punish students who are facing these sorts of challenges.

Cons of a Lenient Late Work Policy -Teachers aren’t able to give timely feedback or adjust instruction When assignments are turned in late, often the topic of the assignment has already appeared on a test and if the student didn’t understand it, the opportunity to help that student before a test has already passed. -Students are learning bad habits when they aren’t taught that deadlines have importance As students head into high school and beyond, and eventually the workforce, we worry we are setting them up for failure if they haven’t learned that not meeting a deadline has consequences. Middle school is an ideal time to help students learn how to prioritize their time, organize their work, and develop a strong work ethic. Instead, the message they are sent with an overly lenient late work policy is that there are no real consequences to not meeting your obligations.

Changes We Have the Power to Make at the School Level -Be selective in what counts as a grade — make it more about growth than compliance -Guide students in developing executive function skills, like prioritizing work, creating their time management systems, task trackers, etc. -Require students to turn in something on the due date — even if that “something” is a request for a deadline extension -Be explicit with students about why turning in work on time is important for them to be able to get timely feedback on assignments that will help them prepare for assessments -Possibly offer extra credit for work turned in on time or other positive incentives -Possibly offer one “free” pass on an assignment per class per quarter or a drop the lowest grade pass -Required attendance at Yeti Den (after school work time) for missing work

Changes that Would Need District Approval -10% penalty for up to a certain number of days and then 25% off and then at some point, district’s policy of 50% minimum on work turned in kicks in — no more full credit for really late work. -Missing work considered in athletics eligibility -Missing work triggers automatic emails to parents from Infinite Campus gradebook just like unexcused absences do

Mary, thanks for taking the time to share your thinking! Jenn will be so glad to know that the post helped spark this conversation among your colleagues.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Late Assignments: Tips From Educators on Managing Them

• Share article

Today’s post finishes up a two-part series on how different teachers handle late student work.

‘Taking Late Work Can Be Challenging’

Ann Stiltner is a high school special education and reading teacher in Connecticut with more than 20 years of experience in education. She shares her passion and love for working in the classroom at her blog from Room A212 (www.annstiltner.com/blog). Follow her on Twitter @fromrooma212:

Being a special education teacher means most of my students have the IEP modification of extra time, which generally translates to time and a half. For a test a teacher gives a class one hour to do, my student would have 1½ hours. For a project the class had one week to complete, my student would have 11 days. However, even with this extra time, some of my spec. ed. students are not able to complete the work. With diagnoses such as ADHD, LD (Learning Disabilities), or anxiety, they find maintaining focus and accessing one-on-one support difficult to fit into these time constraints. Their motivation is unpredictable based on their mood, family challenges, or social drama.

Due to these factors, I have adopted a policy where I accept work from both regular and special education students at any time for full credit or I take points off for each day late depending on the circumstances and if that will motivate a student to finish.

I realize that taking late work can be challenging for teachers of 100-plus students. It means constantly updating your grade book and keeping track of papers. Some teachers don’t accept late work because they think a firm cutoff teaches students the importance of meeting deadlines. Even though I agree this is an important skill, I fear that some students won’t learn that lesson from a policy of not accepting work late. These students prefer to give up and forget about the assignment in order to feel a sense of control and protect themselves from failure. Getting a zero on an assignment does not make them rethink their decision to not do the work, since a zero to them doesn’t mean the same as it does to us teachers. To them, a zero is the grade they think they deserve based on their past experiences.

I have found a time limit gives students a reason to give up and not try. This is learned helplessness in action. My working definition of learned helplessness is a person’s lack of effort due to previous experiences which have taught them that making even the smallest effort won’t make a difference.

For many students, trying involves a large investment of cognitive effort and a huge risk to put themselves out there. They are not ready to set themselves up for what, they are sure, will make them feel like a failure and especially not in a setting where they might be bullied, yelled at, or insulted. If they do not feel safe and supported, they will not risk being teased by their classmates. This is the thinking behind my policy to accept late work at any time. I do not want my conditions and requirements to be used as an excuse for why they do not engage in my lesson and do the work.

This same philosophy explains why I provide supplies like writing utensils or computer chargers. I consciously decide not to create barriers for a student to complete work. I do not want to rob them of a chance to engage with the material, learn something new, experience deep thinking and feed their curiosity by dictating conditions that they can blame for not engaging in the work. Accepting an assignment late gives them time to get motivated or set up one-to-one support so they can focus on the work when they are ready. I do not want to distract students with rules concerning time limits, pen vs. pencil, or on paper vs. on computer.

Don’t get me wrong: I do have classroom rules and expectations. I want the focus in my class to be on what is most essential—learning. This approach means the student—and their parents—will have a hard time holding me responsible for their grade. The responsibility falls on the student and their choices. This open policy allows me to create rapport when I explain my belief in their ability to do the work and my dedication to provide them the support and necessary modifications to be successful. If and when a student is ready to engage in the work, make an effort and take a risk, I am ready.

‘A Balanced Approach’

Ruth Okoye, Ed.D., is a 30-year veteran educator. She has taught in private and public school settings and is passionate about literacy, educational technology, and ed-tech coaching. She currently serves as the K-12 director at a nonprofit organization:

As an ed-tech coach working with fellow educators in their journey of professional growth, handling assignment submissions beyond the designated due date is a nuanced process that reflects both practicality and a deep understanding of individual circumstances. The approach I adopt recognizes the unique challenges that my learners who are teachers face in their daily lives, and it aims to create an inclusive learning environment that supports their development while acknowledging the diverse contexts in which they operate.

My policy on due dates is rooted in the realization that a one-size-fits-all approach fails to account for the myriad of responsibilities and situations that learners encounter. Rather than rigidly adhering to stringent deadlines, I advocate a balanced approach that considers the academic integrity of assignments and the need for flexibility.

To strike this balance, I establish a preferred due date for assignments, considering the majority of learners and allowing them ample time to complete their work. This desired deadline also has a more concrete counterpart—a hard deadline—that offers a reasonable time frame for those genuinely committed to finishing their tasks. This dual-deadline structure allows proactive learners to demonstrate their dedication while acknowledging the potential challenges others may face.

For example, in a book study, there would be weekly assignments. The posted due dates would give the learners three weeks to get each assignment done. I would establish a hard deadline for all assignments two weeks after the study is completed. I’ve found that for a six- to eight-week book study, that allows ample time for a learner to deal with an external complication and then get back on track.

Of course, the purpose of the assignment plays a significant role in determining the flexibility of the due date. For instance, tasks geared toward in-class reflection, like exit tickets, maintain their original deadline as they serve an immediate and time-sensitive purpose. On the other hand, assignments designed to assess learners’ application of covered material need a more lenient approach, allowing participants the time to digest the content and apply it effectively.

I also believe in allowing learners ample time to attempt tasks and even granting multiple opportunities for submission. This practice is grounded in the understanding that the learning process is not linear, and different individuals require varying duration to internalize and implement new concepts. By granting extensions and multiple tries, I encourage a growth mindset and empower learners to engage more deeply with the subject.

One of the cornerstones of my policy is the recognition that external factors beyond the learning experience can impact a learner’s ability to meet deadlines. Illness, family emergencies, or resource constraints can hinder progress, and rigid due dates should not serve as barriers to measuring their ability to apply course concepts. Instead of penalizing them for circumstances beyond their control, I aim to evaluate their understanding of the material and capacity to use it effectively, irrespective of external hindrances.

So you can see, my approach to handling late submissions from learners revolves around flexibility, empathy, and practicality. By acknowledging the diverse challenges teachers face and tailoring due dates to the purpose of assignments, I create an environment that fosters deep learning, personal growth, and a commitment to the subject matter. This policy recognizes the unique circumstances of each learner. It underscores the overarching goal of professional learning—to nurture and support the development of capable and resilient professionals in education.

What Is the Goal?

Jessica Fernandez is a full-time high school teacher and instructional coach near Chicago who specializes in teaching multilingual English learners and in supporting colleagues to make small language shifts that will benefit all learners:

Fortunately, my high school freshman English PLC has decided to have two categories: formative (anything at all that is practice), which is weighted 10 percent, and summative, which is weighted 90 percent. Since the purpose of formative tasks is to practice a skill they will later demonstrate, late work is accepted until we complete the summative demonstration for that skill. Afterward, there’s not so much of a point, plus it would drive us crazy and make work-life balance tough.

The goal, after all, is to give frequent and prompt feedback so kids can improve before their final summative demonstration. Late points are more of what we used to call “habits of work”; important soft skills, yes, but for our purposes, if the kid practiced for their summative skill demonstration, I’m happy, and I’m not scoring them on timeliness. Who knows what they had going on? I’ve gotten grace, and 10 percent won’t make or break their grade anyway.

Thanks to Ann, Ruth, and Jessica for contributing their thoughts!

Today’s post responded to this question:

How do you handle students turning in work after the due date, and why do you apply that policy?

In Part One , Chandra Shaw, Stephen Katzel, and Kelly Owens contributed their ideas.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email . And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 12 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list here .

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo 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.

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Computers and Electronics
• Online Communications
• Writing Emails

How to Email Professor About Late Work

Last Updated: April 12, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. and by wikiHow staff writer, Caroline Heiderscheit . Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 181,149 times.

With deadlines, jobs, activities, and relationships to juggle, managing your schedule as a student can be tough. If you’ve realized you’re going to miss a deadline (we’ve all been there), you might be wondering how to email your professor for an extension, to apologize, or to limit any late penalties. Don't worry, we've got you covered. Below, we'll walk you through how to email your professor, plus we'll give you some sample emails to inspire you, too. To learn how to email your professor about late work, read on!

Example Emails to Professors for a Late Assignment

Every now and then, it’s okay to miss a deadline. When this happens, send an email immediately and say something along the lines of, “I apologize for turning in this assignment late. Know that I take my work seriously, and I'll do my best to avoid this in the future. I would greatly appreciate an extension on this paper if possible.”

Tips For Late Work Emails

• Don’t say: “I’m just genuinely so, so sorry. I can’t believe I turned this in late, and you have no idea how long I prepped for this assignment. I really am so sorry that I missed the deadline, and you should know that I will do my best in the future, even when I have tech issues, to not let this happen again.”
• Instead say: “I apologize for turning in this assignment late. Know that I take my work seriously and I’ll do my best to avoid this in the future.”

• Don’t say: “Message from a student in Psych 104,” “Need an extension,” or “Hello from Randy Bernard!”
• Instead say: “Extension Request for Psych104, Paper 2: Randy Bernard”

• Use a formal greeting. “Dear Professor James,” and “Professor James,” are perfect. “Hey,” and “Hi,” are too informal and should be avoided.
• Same goes for your signoff—choose a formal phrase. “Best,” and “Sincerely,” are great picks.
• If you’re asking your professor for something, be sure to ask, not demand. Instead of saying “I need” an extension, say that an extension would be extremely helpful to you.
• Remember to use “Please” and “Thank you," too!

• This could hurt your relationship and increase penalties on your assignment.
• So instead, say you're sorry: “I apologize for my late assignment. I know you're busy, and I don’t want to waste your time.”
• “I’m sorry for this late paper, especially because it communicates a lack of care and concern for my grades that I don't feel is accurate.”

• “If I had an extra 48 hours to complete this assignment, I’d be able to fully explore and structure my insights for this term paper.”
• “I would greatly appreciate an extension on this project. With a little more time, I could turn in my very best work and learn even more from this assignment."

• “Last night, my dog had a bar of chocolate without me realizing. I’ve spent the entire evening with her at the vet.”
• "To be entirely honest, I've been dealing with some mental health issues that are seriously affecting my schoolwork."
• If you can, avoid lying. If you're granted an extension and the truth comes out later on, you could face major consequences.

• Don’t say: “Honestly, it was out of my hands entirely. I’m a victim of circumstance, and that’s why my assignment is late.”
• Instead say: “It's true that I didn’t plan for this to happen. That being said, if I’d started earlier, this wouldn’t have been an issue. So I know, ultimately, this is my fault. I take full responsibility.”

• “This isn’t like me, and in the future, I promise to do better.”
• “I take my schoolwork very seriously. If it weren’t for my dog’s illness, I would have made getting this assignment in my top priority.”

Sample Emails

Why You Should Email Your Professor About Late Work

• Policies around extensions differ from school to school, but by writing an A+ email, you can only help your chances.
• Generally, professors only give you an extension under extenuating circumstances, like a major accident. They're going to be less inclined to extend an assignment if you had competing priorities, like work.
• Professors are people too, and they want to help! Especially if you don’t have a history of late work, when you plead your case, they may be more forgiving than you’d expect.

• Especially if you had a major, unforeseen factor pop up in the final moments before submitting your assignment, you may be able to explain and limit your punishment.

• By offering a respectful and honest apology for your late assignment, you can improve your relationship with your professor, earn their respect, and possibly limit your late assignment’s penalties.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://dean.williams.edu/files/2010/09/Guide-to-Emailing-Professors-1.pdf
• ↑ https://advising.yalecollege.yale.edu/how-write-email-your-instructor
• ↑ https://studentaffairs.loyno.edu/health-counseling/university-counseling-center/news-ucc/emailing-your-professor-tips-tricks-health
• ↑ https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/how-to-ask-for-an-extension/
• ↑ https://www.makemyassignments.com/blog/how-to-complete-your-assignments-before-the-deadline/
• ↑ https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2019/09/23/tips-handling-missed-deadline-opinion

About This Article

• Send fan mail to authors

Is this article up to date?

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help:

Tech troubles got you down? We've got the tips you need

How to manage the 11:59 PM Deadline Comfortably

If you have ever had trouble submitting an assignment or received a penalty for minutes late submission, you understand how strict some professors can be. From losing an entire grade to losing a specific percentage of the grade or re-sitting a paper submitting an assignment (essay, discussion post, online quiz, homework, or research paper) can affect you as a student.

Late assignment submissions, albeit controversial, aim to make students learn the aspect of time management. Unfortunately, the immutable deadlines are sometimes biting lazy students, pushing them to begin working early and avoid even 1-minute late submissions.

Even though some educators might offer a grace period for a minimal time, some will apply a sliding scale late policy where they deduct a percentage of the score for each hour or day you are late with your assignments.

From the perspective of the professors, such policies ensure fairness for students who submitted their assignments earlier. We have tips and tricks to help you understand and manage minute late submissions to avoid being on the wrong side of the zero-tolerance late policy of your university.

What causes students to submit assignments late?

Different reasons can cause you to submit assignments late. We are addressing them here so that you are in the know and so that you can devise various strategies to avoid the associated late submission penalties.

Here are the top nine reasons students submit assignments late (you can use some when requesting a late submission from your professor or instructor):

1. Procrastination

Students sometimes find themselves missing submission due dates due to procrastination. Sometimes, procrastination can occur with the rigorous nature of studies and the fact that some students work and study. Furthermore, life outside of class, such as parties, festivals, movies, and meeting with friends, leaves one with little time to complete assignments on time. Having commitments and deciding to complete an assignment later can cause you actually to miss the deadline. Common ground is if you later learn that the assignment is demanding or complex or do not know what to write or hate writing essays.

2. Waiting for a response from a professor

Another reason students find themselves unable to meet submission deadlines is due to the late response from a professor. In most cases, especially when assignments are complicated, you can seek clarifications from your lecturer or professor. However, if your professor responds to your email late, the chances are that you will also submit the assignment late. We will see shortly how to manage such situations and avoid submitting your assignments late.

3. Lack of proper planning and time management

This happens mostly for working students. They often find themselves having too much on their schedule that they probably forget to complete and submit a school assignment early. For instance, if you are an undergraduate or MBA student working and studying, having assignments that require time at work can hamper your completion date for the assignments from school.

4. Writer's Block

Sometimes it is not about did I get the question right? or inadequate time management. Even with the right skills, time, and resources, you might still feel lazy to complete an assignment. With the fast-paced world around us, we get fatigued faster. Suppose you are one of those that like completing assignments last-minute; writers' block has probably messed you up before. We have tips to address this, as we shall see shortly.

5. Lack of knowledge about the assignment

Finally, lacking the knowledge to complete an assignment can make you submit it late. Sometimes, you will end up submitting a late assignment that is incomplete : two wrongs at a go. In addition, many classmates might not be willing to assist you with understanding the assignment.

6. Using shitty assignment help websites

Today, almost seven out of ten students use an assignment writing service. However, without choosing a reliable and legit service, you might run into problems with your submission deadlines. Mainly, this occurs due to the late submission of assignments by writers. Rogue writers are everywhere online, from Twitter to Reddit and now Facebook; they will approach you with sweet deals, and once you assign them to your homework and pay them to do it, they disappear on the internet. Putting too much trust in another person without a legit website to write your essay or assignment can mess you. We had a case where a client wanted to use our write my late assignment ASAP service because a previous writer from Twitter had held their paper ransom and requested more payment or expose them to their school and professor. Well, you can manage this by working with our custom assignment help website.

7. You just hate writing assignments

The assignment writing process is tedious and rigorous. For instance, when writing an essay, you begin by researching, then drafting an outline, and going all the way to proofreading and editing. As a result, if you hate writing homework, you might be slow and find yourself submitting an assignment late.

8. Unforeseeable Circumstances

Deadline violation often occurs when you face nasty circumstances that you cannot foresee as a human being. These circumstances include disasters, sickness, death, accidents, or injuries. Professors have a soft spot for accepting minutes late submissions if you face these issues, so you need not worry as long as you have proof. Sometimes it is your laptop that got either rained on, attacked by a virus, or stolen. Whatever happens to your computer or laptop, you probably do not have time to complete the assignment or begin doing it over and beat the deadline unless you are very fast.

9. Poor Internet

We have cases when you travel for the weekend, visit with others (friends or family), which can cause you to either forget submitting or, because you are in a hurry, to save the assignment on your laptop or phone and submit it later.

If you run into slow internet issues or poor coverage, you might find yourself turning in an assignment later than the 11:59 PM deadline or the deadline set by your professor.

Tips and Tricks to use to avoid minute-late submissions

To avoid submitting assignments after the deadline, missing full marks due to lateness, or earning a bad reputation, it is necessary to take precautions. Here are some tips and tricks that you can use to avoid turning in assignments later than the due date and time.

Do your assignment early enough

Even with one-minute lateness, submitting an assignment later incurs some loss as a student. Expressly, professors and lecturers set the dates on Canvas and Turnitin and set an automatic deduction once your work is late.

If you know that your deadline for a ten or 5-page paper is 11:59 Sunday or Wednesday, and you have been assigned the paper 3-5 days before the deadline, the best thing is to begin earlier.

Students who draft a research paper or essay plan often find it easier to complete assignments within the deadlines than those who do not. As soon as you are assigned a paper, make it a point to clarify anything unclear with the professor. This leaves you plenty of time to research, decide on a topic, write the first draft, edit, and submit the paper on time.

Write the fast draft early enough, then edit later as the deadline nears. Sometimes, submitting an assignment too early might be judged by the professor as a result of rushing the paper. Therefore, before you hit the submit button, ensure that everything is addressed per the instructions and the rubric.

Set your deadline early before the actual submission deadline

Apart from just beginning the paper early, another excellent strategy is to set your personal deadline for completing the paper early than the actual deadline. If an assignment is due in 5 days, set your deadline to 3 or 4 days. You can use the rest of the deadline to do other stuff or equally edit the paper thoroughly.

There is some deep joy and peace that comes with completing a paper. However, you can only experience the moment when you complete the paper.

Do not procrastinate editing and submitting the final draft.

Sometimes, students write the papers early enough and procrastinate editing and proofreading. Nevertheless, doing so might land you in trouble because you might experience unforeseeable circumstances. For instance, your laptop might crash, or you can fall too ill to complete the paper. However, if you have an unrefined paper, you can hire a proofreader or editor to paraphrase, edit, and polish your essay. It is, however, a great practice to completely do away with a paper before committing your time elsewhere. Instead, plan your time, have adequate rest, and allocate the time you have the highest concentration to completing your paper.

Have an accountability partner, group, or study buddy

Another great way to ensure that you complete assignments before deadlines entails having an accountability partner, study group, or a study buddy.

An accountability partner is an effective strategy that helps you set and achieve goals. It also helps you maintain the zeal to complete assignments, read course materials, and hone your writing/reading/research skills.

With a study group, you will have members who share interests. They will likely remind you about your unsubmitted assignments and keep you in check. They can also be helpful with research and sharing insights on how to approach an assignment.

Finally, a study buddy (a friend, classmate, or roommate) can help you maintain the morale of reading, studying, and completing assignments.

Having either of the three can help you begin working on your assignments early enough to avoid the last-minute rush.

Email your professor for a deadline extension

If you are very sure you have done your best to complete a paper, but due to unavoidable circumstances, you cannot complete the paper on time, you can request your professor to accept a late submission. Note that with such a request, you must have proof. For instance, if your excuse is being sick or a family member died or fell ill, you should produce credible hospital evidence. In most cases, if the email is not answered soon enough, proceed to call your professor.

If you have already submitted an assignment later than the set deadline, email your professor to convince them not to hit you with the 10-25% deadline violation penalty. You should apologize and then explain the reasons for submitting the assignment late. Also, suggest how being rated poorly might affect your GPA and convince your professor that you will never submit a paper late again.

Play around with Turnitin Settings

If you want to make your professor not penalize you for late submission, you can tweak some settings on the Turnitin website. First, you can modify the assignment link from the control panel. First, select the Course Tools, then pick the assignment whose link you wish to edit. Next, select the link to the assignment and then select Edit Assignment. You can then comfortably change the deadline so that your submission deadline is within the deadline.

Another common trick you can use is submitting a corrupted Word or PDF file of the assignment. In this case, since your professor cannot open the file, they will write to you requesting the original uncorrupted file. You can use the time in between to complete your paper and wait for their call or email request.

Finally, you can also find a way to edit the submitted assignment by editing the content folder. In the case of Turnitin, you will find the link to the assignment and click on the Action Link tab to make the change.

Since these are not guaranteed tips to work because of ongoing updates, you should contact your professor because they are a person who has emotions. Alternatively, complete your papers early enough.

Work with a last-minute assignment service.

The ultimate trick to avoid minutes-late submission is hiring a fast essay writing service to write your last-minute paper. Gradecrest has experts who can write your last-minute essay faster. Our writers are experienced enough to write two pages within an hour or ten pages in 6-8 hours. Therefore, if you realize that the deadline is very close and you cannot complete your assignment, you can use our affordable academic writing services.

When someone is working on your paper, keep them on your toes, ask for progress, and involve yourself so that the final paper has much of your input and matches your writing style. Also, work with credible writing websites to avoid having papers that are traceable through Turnitin.

Understanding the 11:59 PM assignment submission deadline

11:59 PM, mainly on Sunday nights, is a dreaded time by many students. It is when all the discussion posts, assignments, essays, and most homework are due.

For Canvas, SafeAssign, and Turnitin, it is common to see the submission deadline set at 11:59 PM- a minute to midnight. If you do not take the precautions, we have highlighted above, the chances are that your 1-minute lateness might cost you a grade.

Submitting assignments at 11:59 means, you can submit your assignment at 11:59:59 PM. After the deadline, Turnitin, SafeAssign, or Canva automatically marks the submission as late.

Such lateness could be why you miss an A or B and get a poor grade for an otherwise easy paper. Therefore, complete your assignments on time, use writing services, plan your time, and consult with your instructor early enough to avoid late submission penalties.

You might incur risks when you submit an assignment later than 11:59 PM. First, you will face the consequences of being late. One of the consequences includes being undermarked. You can as well be requested to take a re-sit of the paper or lose the marks altogether. Either way, your final grade will be impacted by otherwise avoidable circumstances.

Note that 12-, 24-, or 1-hour late submissions are treated the same as 1-minute late submissions in terms of consequences.

Another risk of submitting an assignment late is facing technical hitches with the system. For example, your internet might act up, and also, because everyone is rushing to submit at the last minute, the chances are that the system gets overloaded and slow.

Before you close this Tab, ...

We have looked at some of the best strategies to avoid submitting your assignments late. However, if you are a frequent late assignment submitter, these tips and tricks can work well in your favor.

Related Reading: 

• What is the acceptable Turnitin similarity percentage for essays and assignments?

Above all, you can always spare some cash to hire an assignment writer to assist if you have little time on your hands. However, if you have adequate time, avoid procrastination and writer's block by planning early, setting your own deadlines, and consulting with your instructor early enough.

We have experts if you have an online exam and want someone who can write your short answers in real time. They can save you from violating the exam deadlines.

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

Connect on WhatsApp: +91 74786 38563 , Uninterrupted Access, 24x7 Availability, 100% Confidential. Connect Now

International Students Guide

Late assignment submission excuses that don’t fail.

June 27, 2023 • 10 min read

Academic success depends on completing assignments on time, but occasionally unexpected obstacles arise in life. Although it's always best to plan ahead and manage your time well, late submission excuses have become a common part of student life. In these situations, we need to be resourceful. In this article, we examine a few original and creative justifications for late assignment submissions. 

But before you do anything, take a deep breath and think about your options. There are some good excuses for turning in an assignment late, and there are some that are just plain bad.

Good Excuses for Late Assignment Submission:

Although it is typically not advisable to give justifications for late assignment submissions because it is crucial to prioritize responsibility and time management, there might be occasions when unavoidable circumstances arise. Here are a few valid justifications for submitting an assignment after the deadline:

• Personal Illness or Injury: If you had a sudden illness or injury that made it difficult for you to finish the assignment on time, that is a good reason to ask for a deadline extension. To prove your claim, offer the necessary proof, such as a medical certificate.
• Family Emergency: It might be necessary to ask for an extension for your assignment if there is a serious family emergency, such as the hospitalization of a close relative or the occurrence of a natural disaster.
• Technical Problems: There may occasionally be technical issues that are beyond your control, such as a computer crash, an internet outage, or a software malfunction. These problems may make it difficult for you to finish and turn in the assignment on time. Inform your professor right away, and if you can, include proof like screenshots or error messages.
• Unforeseen Events: Unexpected situations, like a last-minute work commitment, transportation problems, or a personal crisis, may make it difficult for you to finish an assignment on time. If such circumstances occur, be open and honest with your professor about them.
• Academic Overload: It can occasionally be difficult to meet all the deadlines if you find yourself overwhelmed with numerous assignments and coursework. In these circumstances, proactive communication with your professor is preferable.

Bad Excuses for Late Assignment Submission:

While it's critical to be open and truthful about legitimate justifications for late assignment submissions, it's equally crucial to identify and refrain from offering lame justifications that lack veracity or show a lack of accountability. Examples of justifications that are typically viewed as inappropriate or unconvincing include the following:

• Procrastination: Blaming procrastination or poor time management for the delay will have a negative impact on your ability to prioritize your obligations. Taking responsibility for your actions is always preferable to using procrastination as a justification.
• Social Events or Partying: Saying that you were unable to finish the assignment because you were out having fun or attending social events, parties, or other entertainment-related activities suggests that you value your leisure time more than your academic responsibilities.
• Internet or Power Outage: Although technical difficulties can occasionally happen, using an internet or power outage as a justification without supporting evidence or documentation may be considered a weak defense. It is a good idea to have backup plans, like local power or alternative internet sources.
• Forgetting the Due Date: Forgetting the due date for an assignment is not a good justification because it shows a lack of planning and focus. It's critical to remember due dates and use calendars, reminders, and other organizational tools to stay on top of things.
• Personal Relationship Problems: It may come across as unprofessional and unconvincing to blame a late submission on relationship issues or disagreements with friends, family, or romantic partners. It is best to keep personal matters separate from academic obligations and seek assistance or support if needed.
• Lack of Resources: It may not be acceptable to claim that you were unable to complete the assignment because you lacked the necessary books or materials. Planning ahead and making prompt use of the resources at hand are crucial.

How to Write an Excuse for a Late Assignment:

If you do have a legitimate reason for turning in an assignment late, it's important to write a clear and concise excuse. Here are some tips:

• Be honest. Don't try to lie or make up excuses. Your professor will be able to tell if you're not being truthful.
• Be specific. Explain exactly what happened and why it prevented you from turning in your assignment on time.
• Be apologetic. Express your sincere apologies for turning in your assignment late.
• Be respectful. Address your professor by their title and last name.

How to ask a professor to accept a late assignment by mail:  

You can use the following example of an email to ask your professor to accept a late assignment:

Dear Professor [Name of the Professor],

I'm writing to ask for a delay in the due date for my [course name and number] assignment, [name of assignment]. The assignment was supposed to be turned in on [original due date], but I need it by [new due date].

I apologize for the submission's tardiness. I am aware that this is not an excuse, but a few unforeseen events kept me from finishing the assignment on time.

I had a family emergency that needed to be attended to first. I had to travel to be with my [relationship to family member] because they were in the hospital. This consumed a substantial amount of time.

Second, my computer was having some technical issues. My files were completely lost when my hard drive crashed. I lost a few days as a result of having to start the assignment from scratch.

Even though I am aware that the circumstances are not ideal, I am determined to do my very best to complete the task. The finished assignment is attached to this email.

I would appreciate it if you would give my request for a delay some thought. I am sure I can finish the assignment by the new due date.

I appreciate your consideration and time.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Final Thoughts:

While excuses for late assignment submissions can be amusing and humorous, it's important to keep in mind that accountability and time management should always come first. These ingenious justifications ought to be used sparingly and shouldn't serve to reinforce dishonesty or procrastination as bad habits. It's best to be open with your professors, ask for extra time when you need it, and make an effort to turn in assignments on time. Always keep in mind that education is a journey towards growth and development on both a personal and academic level. If you follow these tips, you will increase your chances of having your request granted.

If you need any help, we will give you the best Online Assignment Help  and Our experts are available 24/7.

Stuck With Your Homework? Get Your Homework Done From Our Expert Writers

Is there any desired work length (in words)?

No. of pages (1 page = 250 words)

Fill Your Mobile Number & Get 5$

I accept the T&C and other policies of the website and agree to receive offers and updates.

Useful Links:

• Homework Help
• Assignment Help
• Live Session Help
• Lab Report Writing
• Project Report Writing
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Case Study Writing
• Essay Writing
• Coursework Writing

Related Articles

12 Tips How To Improve Your Grades?

Nov. 8, 2022 • 5 min read

• Learning Tips
• Exam Guides
• School Life

Late Assignment Email: Examples and Professor Escape Tips

• by Joseph Kenas
• January 18, 2024
• Professors and Faculty

Late assignment emails are ways that students use to communicate to their professors on issues of late assignments. Here are top late assignment examples and tips to get away with a late assignment

Students getting late with assignments is a common thing in school today, and it is good to find a way to save face and earn a grade. And nothing hacks the situation better than an email to the professor.

These are not just normal emails and there are specifications that students need to follow when communicating to the lecturer on late assignments.

Be intentional when writing to your instructor. Therefore, before we delve into the examples of emails you can write to your professor when you are late, let us first check some of the reasons that may necessitate such action.

Why Write a Late Assignment Email to your Professor?

The following are some of the reasons why students write late assignment emails to their professors:

1. To Inform the Professor That you Will Submit the Assignment Late

Students who are unable to finish their assignments on time write to professors to inform them that their assignments will be late.

It is important to inform professors in advance that you will not submit your assignment as per the deadline rather than submitting it with no notice. 

2. Explaining why you will be Late

Some students are held up by unavoidable circumstances that hinder them from completing their assignments on time.

When the student is ill or his parents or guardians are, balancing time between taking care of parents, doing household chores, and doing their assignments is hard.

These students write to their instructors informing them that they may miss the assignment deadline

3. Requesting for An Extension

Students who can’t finish their assignments on time write to their instructors requesting additional time to complete their assignments.

This email should explain the reasons as to why they were unable to meet the set deadline, their assignment progress, and the time that they need to complete the assignment.

Students who request deadlines to have more time for conducting research and eventually submitting quality work are mostly known by professors and get their requests granted. 

4. Apologizing for Late Assignments

Professors hate it when students hand in their work late. It is, therefore, good if students write emails to their professors apologizing for late assignment submissions.

An apology email should be written in a sincere most manner. This can help avoid harsh penalties and earn leniency from your professor.

Professors are always understanding and will listen to your concerns provided you don’t have a record of being irresponsible. An apology email should have believable reasons as to why your assignment is late.

It should also have the apology directed to the instructor and a promise that you made a mistake and it will never be repeated. 

How to Write a Late Assignment Email

In our guide on how to write an email to a professor , we guided you on the steps to take and the reasons that can necessitate it. However, emails on lateness are different.

Late assignment emails have become common among students today. Most people are familiar with emails but not very good with writing late emails.

Below is how one should write a late assignment email to your professor.

On the “To” part write the email address of your professor.

Always confirm that you have the correct email address to avoid sending your email to a different person. 

On the subject part of the email write the reason why you are sending the email. The reasons can be?

• Application letter for late assignment submission. This can be due to the need for more time for research or if the student forgot submitting homework or did not remember when the assignment was due.
• Apology letter for late assignment submission. This is a direct apology to the professor for late assignment submissions, a regret for any inconvenience caused, and a promise to change.
• Request for a deadline extension. This is mostly written by students who have not done the assignment due to unavoidable circumstances.

Still, on the subject part, include your name and personal information that will help the professor identify you.

On the body part of your email explain why you are writing the email. Begin with a salutation that is “Dear sir/madam.”

Now explain yourself in simple terms and make the professor understand why you are submitting your assignment late. You can borrow an example from a list of excuses for a late assignment that I have created from my interactions with students.

End it with a polite closure. Most students use “sincere apologies and regards.” Insert your name or your school registration number at the end.

Examples of Late Assignment Emails

1. an example of a late submission apology.

2. Deadline Extension Email example

Tips when Writing a Late Assignment Email

There are several things you should do and not do when writing a late assignment email.

Keep it brief

Never write a long letter. Go straight to the point. Explain yourself in 6-7 sentences. Anything more than that will be too big. Remember the professor has limited time.

Use the Correct Email

Make sure that the email of your professor is correct. You can check it on the syllabus where they provide it or on the official website of the institution.

This is very crucial. You have done a mistake and you should address the professor in the right manner. Use the full name of the professor.

Also, use Dear sir/madam at the beginning. Mind the tome of the language you use. Be sorry. End your email with a complimentary close too.

Fill in the subject part of the email correctly

This is where you write what your email is all about. Use statements such as “late assignment submission” or “missed paper deadline. Write your name too and your personal information too for easy identification. 

• If you need a deadline extension, ask for permission to meet up and set another due date for your assignment.
• Always apologize for your lateness and express regrets for not completing your assignment on time. 

The Don’ts

Avoid a friendly language.

Even if you are friends with the professor write your email in an official language. If you use too much informal language, the teacher may ignore your email and this becomes a waste of time.

Avoid Long Emails

Do not write a lot of information. You are likely to distort the message. Some professors do not like such long emails because, in the first place, they know the disadvantages of late homework to the rest of the class.

When you lie and investigations reveal you lied, you will be in for severe penalties. Always be sincere with your explanation of what led to late submission.

Do not Shift Blames

Take responsibility for submitting the assignment late. Don’t blame the professor or the institution. 

What to Write to your Professor

In most cases, instructors provide you with a guide for sending assignments through emails. In these cases, follow the instructions fully.

When there are no instructions provided, on the subject part write the course name, course code, the title of the assignment, and your details.

On the body part of the professor begin with a proper email greeting and explain briefly what you have sent. Attach the assignment file and send.

Joseph is a freelance journalist and a part-time writer with a particular interest in the gig economy. He writes about schooling, college life, and changing trends in education. When not writing, Joseph is hiking or playing chess.

• Professional
• International

Select a product below:

• Connect Math Hosted by ALEKS
• My Bookshelf (eBook Access)

Sign in to Shop:

My Account Details

• My Information
• Security & Login
• Order History
• My Digital Products

Log In to My PreK-12 Platform

• AP/Honors & Electives
• my.mheducation.com
• Open Learning Platform

Log In to My Higher Ed Platform

• Connect Math Hosted by Aleks

Business and Economics

Accounting Business Communication Business Law Business Mathematics Business Statistics & Analytics Computer & Information Technology Decision Sciences & Operations Management Economics Finance Keyboarding Introduction to Business Insurance & Real Estate Management Information Systems Management Marketing

Humanities, Social Science and Language

American Government Anthropology Art Career Development Communication Criminal Justice Developmental English Education Film Composition Health and Human Performance

History Humanities Music Philosophy and Religion Psychology Sociology Student Success Theater World Languages

Science, Engineering and Math

Agriculture & Forestry Anatomy & Physiology Astronomy & Physical Science Biology - Majors Biology - Non-Majors Chemistry Cell/Molecular Biology & Genetics Earth & Environmental Science Ecology Engineering/Computer Science Engineering Technologies - Trade & Tech Health Professions Mathematics Microbiology Nutrition Physics Plants & Animals

Digital Products

Connect® Course management ,  reporting , and  student learning  tools backed by  great support .

McGraw Hill GO Greenlight learning with the new eBook+

ALEKS® Personalize learning and assessment

ALEKS® Placement, Preparation, and Learning Achieve accurate math placement

SIMnet Ignite mastery of MS Office and IT skills

McGraw Hill eBook & ReadAnywhere App Get learning that fits anytime, anywhere

Sharpen: Study App A reliable study app for students

Virtual Labs Flexible, realistic science simulations

Inclusive Access Reduce costs and increase success

LMS Integration Log in and sync up

Math Placement Achieve accurate math placement

Content Collections powered by Create® Curate and deliver your ideal content

Custom Courseware Solutions Teach your course your way

Professional Services Collaborate to optimize outcomes

Remote Proctoring Validate online exams even offsite

Institutional Solutions Increase engagement, lower costs, and improve access for your students

General Help & Support Info Customer Service & Tech Support contact information

Online Technical Support Center FAQs, articles, chat, email or phone support

Support At Every Step Instructor tools, training and resources for ALEKS , Connect & SIMnet

Instructor Sample Requests Get step by step instructions for requesting an evaluation, exam, or desk copy

Platform System Check System status in real time

How strict should you be? A guide to assignment due dates.

Be consistent in your approach to deadline flexibility, whether you never accept late work or are always willing to make an exception..

Colleges typically require instructors to include a calendar of assignment due dates in every course syllabus. But most syllabi also include a disclaimer that assignment deadlines are subject to change.  

So, how flexible should deadlines really be in a college course? 

Be Flexible, or be Rigid, but Always be Consistent 

Be consistent in your approach to deadline flexibility, whether you never accept late work or are always willing to make an exception. Nothing irritates strong students more than their instructor announcing, “Since so many of you asked for more time on the assignment that was due today, I’m extending its deadline to next week.”  

Syllabi should always include a clearly stated policy about the circumstances under which late work might be accepted, if at all.  

But should this policy be applied equally to low-stakes and high-stakes assignments? 

Low-Stakes Assessments  

If a course has many low-stakes assessments, like quizzes or homework problems, those assignments are usually due on the same day each week.  

For example, if class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there might a reading quiz due every Monday, to ensure that students are prepared for the week’s in-class discussions, and a homework problem due every Friday, to verify understanding of the week’s concepts. 

Here are three solid approaches to deadline flexibility for low-stakes assessments: 

1. Not flexible: Late work is never accepted  

If a student misses a deadline, they receive zero points on that assignment. 

This approach works best in courses that have many low-stakes assignments, such as reading quizzes on every textbook chapter, where missing one or two deadlines will not jeopardize a student’s understanding of the core concepts nor greatly impact their final letter grade. 

2. Somewhat flexible: Late work is accepted, at a penalty  

If a student misses a deadline, they can submit the assignment late, but their score will be penalized a specified amount (e.g. -5 points). 

This approach works best in courses where content acquisition is scaffolded such that missing one assignment will negatively impact a student’s understanding of core concepts and successful completion of future assignments. In this case, students who miss deadlines should be permitted to complete the missed assignments, but with a small scoring penalty to encourage on-time submissions in future weeks. 

3. Very flexible: Late work is made up, with instructor permission 

If a student misses a deadline, they must contact the instructor and arrange an alternate way to complete the assignment (e.g. by taking a make-up quiz during the instructor’s office hours). 

This approach works best in courses where low-stakes assessments are considered part of a student’s participation grade. In this case, missing a deadline is like missing a class meeting. Students should be encouraged to initiate contact with the instructor to arrange a way to verify their understanding of the missed assignment’s concepts.  

High-Stakes Assessments  

Every course has one or more high-stakes assessments, such as exams or research papers. These assessments are weighted more heavily (worth more of the overall course grade) than lower-stakes assessments because these are higher-level demonstrations of students’ proficiency in the course outcomes. Failure to successfully complete high-stakes assessments generally leads to failure of the entire course. 

What kind of flexibility is appropriate then for key, high-stakes course assessments? 

1. Not flexible: Deadlines do not change, under any circumstances  

If a student misses a deadline, they receive zero points on that assessment. 

This is the most common approach to deadlines for high-stakes assessments. It is rare for a college instructor to permit students to make up a missed midterm or final exam because students making up an exam would receive the unfair advantage of more time to prepare for the exam. Also, many final exams are scheduled for the very end of term, when there is no time remaining for make-up testing before instructors must report course grades to the college. 

2. Somewhat flexible: Deadlines are extended, at a penalty 

If a student misses a deadline, they can submit the assessment late, but their score will be penalized a specified amount (e.g. one letter grade per day). 

This approach is more common for midterm assessments, or for courses with single high-stakes assessments, such as a research paper that students work on throughout the term. If students who miss the deadline for a high-stakes assessment can still submit their work, but their score is heavily penalized, the course grades will accurately reflect the students’ term-long proficiency in the course outcomes. For example, a student who earned “A” scores all term but submitted their final paper one day late could still finish the course with a “B” grade. 

Remember, flexibility around assignments should be geared towards what makes sense in your course and for your students. While there are a lot of possible variations in regards to policy, the most critical element is to be clear and upfront with your students early in the term. This will help avoid confusion and complaints – and help you keep your sanity at the end of the term when students come looking for extra chances to make up missed work! 

Anna Johnson is an award-winning instructor at Mt Hood Community College in Oregon where she has worn many hats since 2005. Joining the faculty as an instruction librarian, Anna then spent 10 years as a career-technical instructor, preparing students for living-wage jobs as administrative assistants and front-end web developers, and now leads the college’s Business transfer degree program. Anna enjoys using problem-based learning and flipped classroom methodologies to prepare students for future workplace challenges. When she's not teaching, Anna is an avid cook, formidable fantasy football player, National Park enthusiast, and volunteer usher and tour guide for Portland's performing arts center. Anna has supported other instructors in their use of SIMnet as an MHE Digital Faculty Consultant since 2015.

9 Reasons Why Teachers Should Accept Late Work: Balancing Discipline and Flexibility in Education

Who says I’m not? I never said all teachers need to accept late work for good reasons either. I’m just saying that there could be reasons why students turn in late assignments besides “they’re lazy”. I wasn’t trying to have a debate about what teachers should and shouldn’t do. — Danielle™️ (@_D_Eazyy) May 3, 2021

When Should a Teacher Accept Overdue Assignments?

In instances where a student presents a valid, documented excuse, such as a medical condition confirmed by a doctor’s note, extending the deadline without penalizing the student is a fair approach. This consideration should also extend to emergencies communicated by the student’s family, like bereavement or urgent travel, recognizing these as legitimate reasons for the delay.

Reasons Why Teachers Should Accept Late Work

1. encourages high-quality work.

This not only benefits the students in terms of grades but also enhances their learning experience and overall educational journey. High-quality work is a more accurate measure of a student’s understanding and skills, which is essential for their academic development and long-term success. Hence, allowing for late submissions can be an effective strategy for educators to encourage deeper engagement with course material, promote higher academic standards, and foster a more conducive learning environment.

2. Fosters a Supportive Learning Environment

This approach helps in reducing anxiety and stress associated with deadlines, which can often hinder learning. It also encourages students to continue working on assignments even after the deadline, fostering a growth mindset and resilience. Students in supportive environments are more likely to seek help, engage in class activities, and show improved academic performance. Additionally, a nurturing atmosphere helps in developing key soft skills like communication and time management, as students learn to negotiate deadlines and articulate their challenges.

3. Shows Compassion and Understanding

Demonstrating compassion and understanding in educational settings has a profound impact on student well-being and academic performance. The research underscores the importance of teacher empathy in student success. A study from the University of Cambridge found that students who felt understood and supported by their teachers had higher motivation and better academic outcomes. Accepting late work is a practical way to show empathy. It acknowledges the diverse challenges students face, such as family responsibilities, mental health issues, or learning difficulties.

4. Strengthens Student-Teacher Relationships

This increased communication leads to more personalized learning experiences, as teachers can better understand and cater to individual student needs. Moreover, when students see their teachers as allies in their educational journey, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their studies. This positive relationship not only improves academic outcomes but also enhances students’ self-esteem and social skills, which are critical for their overall development. As a result, fostering open and supportive teacher-student relationships contributes significantly to a holistic and effective educational experience.

Watch this insightful video on how fostering positive student-teacher relationships can significantly enhance student engagement and success, both academically and personally.

5. Teaches Flexibility and Adaptability

6. encourages creativity and new ideas.

Creativity and innovation are highly valued in both academic and professional settings. A study from Adobe titled “Creativity and Education: Why it Matters” reveals that 85% of educators believe that creativity is critical to students’ future career success. Strict deadlines can sometimes hinder the creative process, as students may not have enough time to explore and develop their ideas fully.

Allowing for late submissions can give students the space they need to think more deeply and creatively about their assignments. This flexibility encourages them to take risks and experiment with new concepts, leading to more original and thoughtful work. When students know they have more time, they are more likely to delve into research, consider different perspectives, and refine their ideas.

This process not only results in higher-quality work but also fosters a culture of innovation and critical thinking in the classroom. By nurturing creativity through flexible deadlines, educators can help students develop the skills and confidence needed to generate unique ideas and solutions, which are essential in today’s dynamic world. This approach empowers students to become adaptable, creative thinkers, better prepared to navigate the challenges of the modern workforce, and contribute meaningfully to their communities and beyond.

7. Promotes Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving is a critical skill for academic and life success. The “Problem Solving in 21st Century Schools” report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights that students who excel in problem-solving are more likely to achieve higher academic results.

Enhance your problem-solving skills for university success by watching this video on understanding the problem and developing effective strategies.

By navigating these challenges, students enhance their problem-solving abilities, becoming more self-reliant and capable of handling complex situations. This skill is invaluable not only in academic settings but also in personal and professional life, as it enables individuals to approach problems systematically and find effective solutions.

8. Ensures Continued Participation

Academic participation and engagement are crucial for student learning and achievement. Research from the National Education Association shows that student engagement is directly linked to higher academic achievement and better school attendance. Denying late submissions can negatively impact student motivation and participation, potentially leading to disengagement from the learning process.

When students are allowed to submit work late, it helps maintain their interest and involvement in the course. This approach also ensures that students do not miss out on essential learning experiences connected to the assignment. For instance, if a student is unable to submit an assignment on time due to personal issues, accepting the late work allows them to stay on track with the class and continue learning. It prevents them from feeling excluded or left behind, which is crucial for maintaining their confidence and motivation.

Boost student engagement by watching this video, which demonstrates effective active participation techniques that can transform your classroom into an interactive and dynamic learning environment.

9. Avoids Potential Tension with Parents and Administrators

For instance, a survey conducted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals found that one of the top sources of teacher-parent conflicts is related to student grades and assessment policies. By adopting a more flexible approach to late submissions, teachers can avoid potential disputes and maintain a positive relationship with both parents and administrators.

This perspective also recognizes potential limitations. It can be argued that awarding the same grade to students who meet deadlines and those who don’t could be seen as unfair and might send an inappropriate message about responsibility. Moreover, there are additional arguments supporting the stance against accepting late work. In certain situations, upholding strict deadlines may be more beneficial, balancing the need to teach time management and accountability.

Reasons Why Teachers Should Not Accept Late Work

The question of whether to accept late work is a matter of debate among educators. Some argue against it for several reasons, emphasizing the importance of adhering to deadlines, teaching responsibility, and maintaining fairness and consistency in classroom management.

1. Deadlines Promote Self-Management Skills

The ability to plan and execute tasks within a set timeframe fosters responsibility and prepares students for the realities of a professional environment, where deadlines are often rigid and critical for success. Moreover, the practice of meeting deadlines instills a work ethic that values efficiency and productivity, qualities highly sought after in many fields.

However, flexibility in deadlines can accommodate diverse learning styles and personal challenges, promoting inclusivity and understanding.

2. Avoid Developing a Bad Habit

Procrastination not only impacts the quality of work but also increases stress levels, as students rush to complete assignments at the last minute. By enforcing deadlines, educators encourage students to develop healthier study habits and a proactive approach to their tasks. This strict approach teaches students the importance of planning and working consistently towards goals, rather than relying on last-minute efforts. Cultivating these positive habits early on is crucial for their future success in higher education and professional life, where time management is key.

3. Fairness and Consistency

This perception can negatively impact the learning environment, leading to decreased motivation and engagement among students who adhere to the rules. Consistent enforcement of deadlines also helps in establishing clear expectations for all students, providing them with a structured and predictable learning environment. Such consistency in rules and expectations is crucial for effective classroom management and helps in building a positive teacher-student relationship. It reinforces the idea that rules are to be taken seriously, preparing students for real-world scenarios where rules and deadlines are often non-negotiable.

4. Prepares Students for the Real World

The real world often requires adaptability and the ability to negotiate deadlines, skills also worth developing.

5. Inconvenience for the Teacher

Accepting late work can create significant logistical challenges for teachers. Teachers typically have a structured schedule for grading and providing feedback, which is disrupted when students submit work late. This disruption can lead to a backlog of ungraded assignments, making it difficult for teachers to manage their workload efficiently. Additionally, late submissions can hinder the teacher’s ability to assess students’ progress accurately and provide timely feedback, which is crucial for the learning process.

Effective Strategies for Managing Late Student Work in the Classroom

In this section of the article, various strategies for handling late submissions are discussed, offering a blend of discipline and flexibility. Strategies include penalty systems with homework passes, engaging parents through notification of late submissions, and the option for students to request extensions. It also covers the acceptance of late work without feedback for a limited time, assigning a separate grade for work habits, and implementing floating deadlines or accepting work in progress. Each method aims to support student learning while maintaining classroom management.

Adopting these methods can create a learning environment that values time management while also accommodating individual student needs.

Useful Resources

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Methods for Managing Late Work

Examining the reasoning behind your assessments can help shape your approach to tardy work, says Jennifer Gonzalez.

Your content has been saved!

When she was teaching, Jennifer Gonzalez used to plod through a “pointless” exercise at the end of the term: allowing a few students to complete late assignments and then docking their scores by 50 percent for tardiness. In her recent blog post , she reflects on why that practice didn’t help her students and offers suggestions from other educators on how cope with late work. 

The first step, Gonzalez says, is to examine your assessment procedures as a whole. Ask, “What do your grades represent?” The emphasis should be on learning and growth, not compliance. “If your grades are too compliance-based,” Gonzalez says, “consider how you might shift things so they more accurately represent learning.” Look also at the quantity of what you grade, she advises. Many assignments function as practice, not assessment. Shift to fewer graded assignments, she says, even if it is a challenge to “convince your students that ungraded practice is worthwhile because it will help their performance on the big things.” 

The final step for evaluating your grading system is asking yourself, “What do I assume late work means?” Gonzalez confesses, “I’m embarrassed to admit that when I first started teaching, I assumed most students with missing work were just unmotivated.” But lack of motivation is rarely the cause; many students don’t complete homework because they don’t have the resources of their peers. 

The most important factor in your grading system? Creating a plan you can actually keep up with, Gonzalez says. Once you establish a system, you can develop a strategy for late work. She offers a range of possible options, curated from other teachers through social media, ranging from penalties to the elimination of deadlines. 

Many teachers still opt for penalties, and there’s a reason: “When work is turned in weeks or even months late, it can lose its value as a learning opportunity because it is no longer aligned with what’s happening in class.” If you choose penalization for tardy assignments, a reduction in points can motivate students to complete the work, even if it is late. “This policy still rewards students for on-time work without completely de-motivating those who are late, builds in some accountability for lateness, and prevents the teacher from having to do a lot of mathematical juggling with a more complex system.”

Other teachers implement a policy that rewards students who turn things in on time by allowing them to resubmit their assignments for improved grades; if the work is late the student can’t retake the assessment for more points or receive feedback. 

Punitive policies don't always work as motivators, Gonzalez says, because sometimes the reason for late work isn't related to a lack of motivation. As a result, many teachers are abandoning the practice. "Students may have issues with executive function and could use some help developing systems for managing their time and responsibilities. They may struggle with anxiety. Or they may not have the resources—like time, space, and technology—to consistently complete work at home," she writes. 

Separate Mastery From Deadlines

Some teachers use a separate assessment  to “measure factors like adherence to deadlines, neatness, and following non-academic guidelines like font sizes or using the correct heading on a paper.” Completing assignments on-time, in other words, is part of a separate evaluation from the mastery assessment--and students receive grades for both. 

“Although most teachers whose schools use this type of system will admit that students and parents don’t take the work habits grade as seriously as the academic grade,” Gonzalez writes, “they report being satisfied that student grades only reflect mastery of the content.” Because better work habits can yield better academic results, having this type of “work habits” score can be used to show students the importance of staying on top of deadlines.

Issue Selective ‘Passes’ or Use Floating Deadlines

Another popular option for late work is to anticipate it and offer a pass the student can elect to use instead. “Most teachers only offer these passes to replace low-point assignments, not major ones, and they generally only offer 1 to 3 passes per marking period.” A “next day pass” serves a similar purpose; students can use them to extend the deadline by a day. One teacher reports that the introduction of the pass gave her “the lowest rate ever of late work.” Some teachers use extension requests so students can anticipate when they might be late and write a proposal about why their tardiness should be excused. 

A floating deadline can help avoid the question of how to address late work altogether. Giving students a flexible range of dates when they can submit work allows them to take ownership in their work. “Some teachers offer an incentive to turn in work in the early part of the time frame, such as extra credit or faster feedback, and this helps to spread out the submissions more evenly,” Gonzalez writes. A variation on the flexible deadline allows students to turn in work that’s in process. Teachers then have the chance to review work and give feedback before the final grade. Students can also take responsibility by weighing in on when work should be due. “They may have a better idea than you do about other big events that are happening and assignments that have been given in other classes.”

What is the best policy on late work? The system that actually works for you. Gonzalez encourages teachers to experiment with different approaches and settle on the process that suits you and your students.

The Blue Jay

Why it is NEVER a good idea to turn in late work

Courtney McQuay , Staff Writer | October 19, 2016

It is not uncommon for students to be overwhelmed by the amount of work assigned to them in their classes. Having too much work can make them stressed and more likely to procrastinate. That big pile of homework seems intimidating, but your grade is in jeopardy if you let it sit there. Students often feel that it is okay to do a little bit of their work at a time and take a break in-between assignments, except for when those breaks last longer than it takes for you to complete the assignment. This mindset can end in work not being completed by its deadline, while the student’s workload does not decrease. It does not work like that. Sometimes students feel that it’s okay to turn in an assignment late since one late assignment won’t affect their grade all that much.

But that’s where they’re wrong. One assignment might not impact a grade that much, but when the student turns in the work late, it really impacts the teacher. Instead of having your paper to grade at the same time as everyone else, a teacher must now grade your paper separately, well after they’ve read everyone else’s, and must now go back through the requirements of the assignment and must look back through the answer key, instead of knowing exactly what they are looking for when they grade everybody else’s work at the same time. This causes it to take much longer to grade the assignment than when the assignment is turned in on time, plus most teachers deduct points for being late.

“There comes a point when an assignment loses its value.” says Mrs. Hartman, an English teacher, “it’s not worth turning in.”

Assignments have deadlines for a reason. To get you to do it. If you learn and get into the habit of good time management, then you are set for life past high school. No boss will want an employee that constantly misses a deadline. Plus, missing deadlines puts stress on you, especially if you didn’t do that speech due today. When you turn work in on time, that means you also have less work to do later instead of it piling up. Your grade is also saved. You might actually get a hundred on that assignment.

“Turning in something undone is better than not turning it in.” says Mrs. Hartman, “partial credit is better than no credit. If it’s late, the most you can get is a 60%. That’s the English department’s late work policy.”

Missing due dates in school can impact your learning too. If you don’t do the work, then you won’t understand what is going on in class. If your class is having a discussion over last night’s assignment and you didn’t do it, then you won’t have a clue what’s going on. If the teacher calls on you to summarize what the assignment was over and you didn’t do it, then it can be quite embarrassing for you, and distract the rest of the class.

“Assignments won’t get graded as quickly.” Says Mrs. Hartman, “If you aren’t worried about your grade then I won’t be.”

Turning in work on time also shows that your responsible and well organized. You’re more likely to get a good reputation if you turn in things before their deadline. If you plan how to do your assignments so that they are turned in on time, then you will likely be able to actually do it. Don’t ever leave assignments unfinished and thinking that you will just “do them later” because there likely won’t be a later and you will forget about them. Set reminders if you need to about due dates, and bring the completed assignment to class on that day it’s due.

Do not think that this means that you won’t ever have time for yourself. Finishing things early just lets you relax later knowing that you have everything done. Always schedule time for you to relax between assignments, just remember that you have to come back to them later.“It becomes a cycle.” Says Mrs. Hartman, “college doesn’t accept late work. It’s better to figure it out now, not later.”

“It becomes a cycle.” Says Mrs. Hartman, “college doesn’t accept late work. It’s better to figure it out now, not later.”

• assignments
• missing work

Courtney McQuay is a senior. She considers Junction City, Kansas, her home. Courtney enjoys drawing and writing in her free time. She would like to become...

New Year in the Nest

Student Spotlights

Junction City Highschool Hosts Car Show for the Community

Staff Spotlight: Dana Weigand

JCHS Staff Member Competes on The Voice

Staff spotlight: donna miller.

Many students appear to dislike their math class; however, it can help to have a great teacher. One such teacher is Donna Miller. She has been teachin...

Senior Elyse Nguyen is accepted to Yale University

FFA stays busy amidst Covid cancelations

State Wrestling 2020

Comments (0).

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

When will professors take late work? (How to ask)

Do colleges take late work.

Either way, you just don’t know if your professor is going to even care about your circumstances, and allow you to turn in your assignment in late any way.

Should professors allow late work?

I will further explain. If you have a class that builds upon previous information, and students don’t complete their work on time, it is VERY likely that students will get behind. It’s just impossible in some classes to keep up with the material if you aren’t submitting assignments on time.

Why professors should allow late work?

Professors should allow late work if students have a student related activity or something serious, like a hospitalization .

These types of situations don’t happen often though but when they do, I bet your professor will make an exception.

Why late work should NOT be accepted

When you turn in assignments on time, and follow a strict schedule, you are learning job skills for your future career. So, while it may seem silly that your professor won’t accept late work, it’s a hard lesson to learn for your future.

How do I get my professor to accept late work

Email template asking professor to submit late work.

Dear Professor Smith, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your class. I have loved learning about the anatomy of the human body. I plan on majoring in this field and know that I will use this information in my future career. Recently we had an assignment due and I failed to submit it. I apologize, and I understand how getting behind in the course can impact my overall performance in the class. I understand that your time is impacted by grading late assignments too. I read your late policy and I understand that you do not accept late work. For this assignment, I was unable to submit it because I had a family emergency. I have the documentation attached to this email and it helps explain my situation more. I understand that you don’t have to accept the late work, but I would love the opportunity to complete it late so that I can learn the material and get your feedback on my progress in the course. Thank you. Your student.

Let’s look at this email. You started off with a positive compliment . Then you followed it up with an explanation of your career goals to let them know how this class will impact your future career. You provided documentation. If you don’t have documentation, provide them with details that explain why your excuse is valid. Then you discussed why you want to submit it late (feedback and progress).

Turning in assignments late as a college student

So, if you are going to turn in late work, it better be your BEST work so the points deducted don’t effect you too much.

Another thing to remember is that your professor will likely remember that you did not submit work on time and if you want to ask for a letter of recommendation or want to ask your professor for a favor later , they will likely take this into consideration.

My professor won’t accept late work

I taught college students for about 15 years. I have experience teaching online and in-person. I have a graduate degree. I have a passion for education. But I’ve also worked in the professional world (outside of education) too. And with my teaching and educational experience, I want to help students answer their most pressing questions. I want to give my wealth of knowledge to college students to help make their life easier.

Do professors teach on the first day (PROF answers)

Do professors want to fail you you’ll be surprised by their answer.

You're signed out

Sign in to ask questions, follow content, and engage with the Community

• Canvas Instructor
• Instructor Guide
• What is the difference between assignment due date...
• Subscribe to RSS Feed
• Printer Friendly Page
• Report Inappropriate Content

What is the difference between assignment due dates and availability dates?

in Instructor Guide

Note: You can only embed guides in Canvas courses. Embedding on other sites is not supported.

Community Help

View our top guides and resources:.

To participate in the Instructure Community, you need to sign up or log in:

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

I submitted an assignment late. Should I email the professor to explain my situation?

I submitted an assignment 1 day late. Should I email the professor to explain my situation? He has a pretty loose policy on deadlines but we should definitely submit the assignment before the answer is posted.

I dropped the assignment in his mailbox so if he does not check on Sunday and posts the answer keys on the same day, he might be suspicious of me submitting the assignment after the answer key is posted, which is way less acceptable.

• 1 Do you have a good reason for the late submission? Otherwise it could just draw unwanted attention to you. –  J-Kun Commented Feb 25, 2018 at 7:18

2 Answers 2

Tell him, he may or may not accept your submission, but if he wants to accept it and needs proof that it was before the answers came out then telling him provides that.

Don't provide a 16 page opera about why it was late, an apology, a (short) reason : medical etc and close.

• 1 This. The longer the excuse e-mails I get, the less likely I am to (1) read them and (2) believe them. –  lemontwist Commented Feb 25, 2018 at 14:40
• @lemontwist I find true reasons always seem to sound true for some reason... –  Solar Mike Commented Feb 25, 2018 at 14:44

By all means, tell your professor why the assignment was late. Your professor may interpret your silence as a sign that you either don't care that your work is late or that you have no reason to explain your lateness. Most teachers, even if they have a lenient policy on late assignments, expect assignments to be turned in on the due date, and if your assignment is late, your professor may interpret the lateness as a sign of disrespect, which, in many circumstances, it is.

If you have an acceptable reason for your lateness, your professor will at least see your explanation as a polite attempt to justify yourself. If you have no good reason, then couch your explanation in something like this: "Although I don't have a good excuse for turning my assignment in late, I do have a reason to explain my tardiness. . . ." And then briefly explain the cause of the lateness.

In almost all cases, more, rather than less, communication with your teachers is a good idea.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged etiquette email deadlines homework ..

• Featured on Meta
• Join Stack Overflow’s CEO and me for the first Stack IRL Community Event in...
• User activation: Learnings and opportunities

Hot Network Questions

• Can this phrase "the Conservatives opposite" be regarded as apposition structure?
• Using a Compass to Detect Islands in the Sky
• Some of them "have no hair"
• How to assign a definition locally?
• Are There U.S. Laws or Presidential Actions That Cannot Be Overturned by Successor Presidents?
• When is due diligence enough when attempting to contact a copyright holder?
• A function to convert numbers from scientific notation to plain decimal
• How to apply a Hadamard gate to the first qubit and then measure that first qubit in the computational basis
• Is there a "hard problem of aesthetics?"
• Do 'avoid' notes depend on register?
• How am I supposed to solder this tiny component with pads UNDER it?
• Removing undermount sink
• Analytic continuation gives a covering space (and not just a local homeomorphism)
• What is the correct pipeline to process redirection logic
• Nonparametric test for means?
• bash scripting: Saving and then processing file contents as a bash variable
• My one-liner 'delete old files' command finds the right files but will not delete them
• meaning of a sentence from Agatha Christie (Murder of Roger Ackroyd)
• Why Doesn't the cooling system on a rocket engine burn the fuel?
• Futuristic/Dystopian teen book trilogy with people that can breathe underwater
• Determining Entropy in PHP
• How much would you trust a pre-sales inspection from a "captured" mechanic?
• Disable Firefox feature to choose its own DNS
• Why did early pulps make use of “house names” where multiple authors wrote under the same pseudonym?

• Help Center
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Submit feedback
• Announcements

Turn in an assignment

This article is for students.

You turn in your work online in Classroom. Depending on the type of assignment and attachments, you’ll find  Turn in or Mark as Done .

Any assignment turned in or marked done after the due date is recorded as late.

Important: 

• You can only submit an assignment before the due date.
• If you need to edit an assignment you submitted, unsubmit the assignment before the due date, make your changes, and resubmit.
• Attach one or more files to your assignment.
• Upload photos from a camera roll.
• Open and work on files you own in Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drawings and then attach them to your assignment.

Turn in an Assignment Using Google Classroom (Web)

Go to classroom.google.com  and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example,  [email protected] or [email protected] .  Learn more .

• Select the attachment or enter the URL for a link and click Add .

• Click the file and enter your information.

The status of the assignment changes to Turned in .

Important : If you get an error message when you click Turn in , let your instructor know.

Turn in a quiz

• Click the form and answer the questions.
• Click Submit . If the form is the only work for the assignment, the status of the assignment changes to Turned in .
• If there's more work to do for the assignment, click Open assignment .

Turn in an assignment with an assigned doc

If your teacher attached a document with your name in the title, it’s your personal copy to review and edit. As you work, your teacher can review your progress before you click Turn in . 

• Click the image with your name to open the assigned file.
• Enter your work.
• On the document or in Classroom, click Turn in and confirm.

Important: If you get an error message when you click Turn in , let your instructor know.

Mark an assignment as done

Important: Any assignment turned in or marked done after the due date is recorded as late, even if you previously submitted the work before the due date.

Unsubmit an assignment

Want to make changes to an assignment that you already turned in? Just unsubmit the work, make the changes, and turn it in again.

Important: Any assignment turned in or marked done after the due date is marked late, even if you previously submitted the work before the due date. If you unsubmit an assignment, be sure to resubmit it before the due date.

• Click Unsubmit and confirm. Note : This assignment is now unsubmitted. Turn it in again before the due date.

Related articles

• Find your work for a class
• How attachments are shared in Classroom
• Work with a doc assigned to you
• Google Docs Help Center
• Use a screen reader with Classroom on your computer

Was this helpful?

Need more help, try these next steps:.

Howard Aldrich

Kenan professor of sociology, dept of sociology @ unc chapel hill.

Assignments: better late than never?

A few days ago, a colleague came to me for teaching advice. On his syllabus, he had written that he did not accept late assignments. One of the students, a young woman who was struggling in the class, had turned in a paper that was woefully incomplete and he told her that it did not meet the assignment requirements. However, rather than rejecting it outright, he took account of her struggles and accepted that she hadn’t decided to order essay online cheap to get it finished, telling her that if she turned in a finished version by the end of the week that completely met the basic requirements of the assignment, he would give her partial credit. At the end of the week, she turned the paper in again, but it was still well short of what he would accept as meeting minimal requirements.

Get that assignment in on time or else!

He asked what I thought he should do. He told me that the assignment counted 15% of her grade, and thus giving her a zero on the assignment would immediately knock her down at least a grade and a half, before taking account of her other less-than-stellar work in the course. But, because he had announced that he didn’t accept late papers and then had recanted on that rule by inviting her to submit a revised version, he felt he had to give her some credit.

After suggesting that yes, it made sense to give her some credit, under the circumstances, I went on to make a more general point about putting strict rules and regulations in a syllabus. At least this way, it would be printed for all the world to see, and nothing beats having it in a hard copy when you want to make a point. An old colleague of mine, who loved using a syllabus for his classes, told me that I should consider using a printing service like Printivity to display all of the information when it came to the year and what the students would be expecting. It’s one of the only ways to make sure that they have been sent a clear message. So, I should definitely consider putting rules and regulations in this type of format. I reminded him that in my syllabi, I never say that I will not accept late assignments. I have no list of punishments or points that will be taken off if assignments are turned in late. My friend, Joe Lowman, and I have had many conversations about this & I’ve benefited greatly from his wisdom. Indeed, when it comes to such matters, I usually find myself asking, “what would Joe do?”

On the first day of class, students often ask me, what are your penalties for late assignments? I tell them I don’t expect late assignments, as all the due dates for assignments are in the syllabus they’ve just been handed. In that case, why would any assignments be late? I find this logic impeccable, but some aren’t satisfied with this answer and persist in questioning me. All I will say is that if they find themselves having difficulty, prior to an assignment being due, they need to talk with me and I will try to help them. I never speculate about what I might do with the late assignment, preferring to deal with each of them on its own merits.

I do this to avoid being put in the situation of my colleague: announcing a hard and fast rule which extenuating circumstances may well require me to break. Over my 45 years of teaching, I have heard about plenty of emergencies, some of which were devastating to the students involved. What would I do if a student told me about a family emergency which gave them no choice but to rush home? I would feel really heartless in telling a student that I was very sorry about the accident and I hoped the victims would recover, but I stood firmly by my policy.

My colleagues are typically astonished when I tell them about this policy. Typically, they raise two objections. First, won’t I get a lot of late assignments? Second, if I do accept late assignments, isn’t that unfair to the students who turn their assignments on time? My answer is “no” to both objections, as I will explain.

First , in my syllabus and on my webpage, every assignment is clearly described with its due date. I use Sakai, which sends out automated notices, reminding students of due dates. The assignment is also noted on the website’s course calendar. For larger assignments, such as term papers, I have multiple milestones that students must meet: reporting their chosen topic, submitting a one paragraph description of their theme, a preliminary listing of references, a rough draft, and so forth. These milestones give me many opportunities to intervene when students show signs of falling behind. I also take a very active role in keeping track of how students are doing, sending emails to students who miss class and asking students to come in and talk with me about assignments, if they have difficulties.

When students approach me about the possibility of a late assignment, and what I would do, the first thing I always say is, “What is interfering with your turning in an assignment on time?” I don’t say, “Remember the penalties.” If, after working with them, it is clear that they will not get the assignment in on time, the next conversation I have with them goes something like this:

Student: “okay, when can I turn the paper in?”

Me: “when do you think you will have it finished?”

Student: “well, will I be penalized?”

Me: “you realize that the reason I ask for assignments to be turned in on time is so I have enough time to read them properly, so I can be sure that I will give each assignment its proper due. Late assignments make that more difficult. However, I will grade it as fairly as I can.”

Student: “okay, I’ll turn it in on Monday.” [ Students almost always pick a date earlier than I would have chosen, if I had picked the date! ]

Cooperative learning means you’re always coming up roses!

One of the consequences of this approach is that I almost never get late assignments! And, my syllabus is not cluttered up with pointless draconian rules that I have no intention of enforcing.

Second , what about the “fairness” issue? Isn’t it unfair to the conscientious students, who get their work in on time, to allow some students to turn assignments in late? I have three responses to this alleged violation of some perceived moral principle. (In what philosophical system is taking account of extenuating circumstances equivalent to a moral failure?)

(1) for students having problems getting assignments in on time, extra time almost never makes a difference in the quality of what they do. The best students in a class are not the ones asking for extensions.

(2) students who get assignments in on time can put that assignment behind them and get on with their lives. By contrast, students who are struggling to complete a late assignment will find they have to forgo other things that they would’ve enjoyed doing, with their assignment-free peers, but instead they are stuck indoors, completing an assignment. Being allowed to turn something in late is no free pass to scholastic heaven. It is a burden.

(3) my goal in assessing my student’s work is to try to figure out what they have learned in my class, and knocking off points from a student’s score because a paper was a day or two late completely muddies the meaning of a grade. I’m not teaching “discipline,” I’m teaching sociology. I want to give students every opportunity to show me what they’ve learned, and if this requires me, every few semesters, to accept a late assignment, I’m quite willing to do so.

Interested in learning more about what to do about late assignments? See this post.

Share this:

42 thoughts on “ assignments: better late than never ”.

I’ve been teaching at four-year colleges in the New York area for more than 20 years. I tell students they may hand in assignments late, but if they do, I may not read them and I may not grade them. I tell students I will only possibly read and grade late assignments if I feel I need them to assign a final grade to the student. I don’t believe in “penalizing” a student by downgrading a late assignment….I believe an “A” paper is an “A” paper whether it’s handed in on time or a month late. The opposite is like saying a grilled bronzino with vegetables is “worth” !8.00 if served during the “early-bird” time, but it’s worth 28.00 if served after. Makes no sense!

More accurately, it’s like not having my bronzino served after waiting at the table for an hour, at which point I would leave, taking my appetite and my money to another restaurant. After enough tardy bronzinos, that restaurant would struggle to stay in business.

John, I wonder if that’s the right analogy. Are instructors the ‘customers’ who are waiting for a tasty dish we order but has been prepared by someone else? Maybe George should have used a less fragile example — a cold sandwich? But I guess you’d still want it when you were hungry. However, here is where the analogy really breaks down. As instructors, we’re co-producers of the assignment b/c we provided the initial resources, including the recipe, and the prep instructions. We’re not just sitting back & waiting for 3rd parties we don’t know to serve us. We’re much more actively involved. Thanks for the thought-provoking comment!

That sounds so logical. I still got penalised as a student, for missing the deadline because I was horribly sick from chemotherapy and brain surgery. Lol teacher did not want to be unfair to other students… well, get brain cancer first and then let’s talk about fair.

I wanted to submit my final essay at school today which is going to be due in 2 business day.however the whole campus is claused because of thinks giving. I didn’t know that the campus would be claused the day after thanksgiving and all my documents are saved on the campus’s computers. Is there any way to help me out ?

In planning ahead, think of this motto: “something is either early or it’s late.” No such thing as “on time.” If you plan your life as if you can always submit stuff “on time,” bad stuff will happen, sooner or later. In this case, you’ll have to throw yourself on the mercy of your instructor, claiming ignorance of school policy. Good luck.

My attitude toward late penalties has changed considerably since I first started teaching nearly 20 years ago. After taking some workshops on learner diversity and First Peoples Principles of Learning ( http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11×17.pdf ), this last semester I finally eliminated all mention of late penalties from my syllabi. I wanted to see what would happen. And you know what happened? Exactly what you described! I’m done with late penalties.

Thank you for articulating all this so well in your post.

Melinda, I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks for having the courage to drop the late penalty clause. Glad to hear it made no difference.

what about? Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions. ( http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11×17.pdf ),

It is true that people must learn that their actions have consequences, but that is a very generic kind of learning. People must also learn to recognize the contingencies that affect the conditions under which they apply one rule rather than another. For instructors, I would say that “actions have consequences” is something that parents should teach their children, rather than waiting until the kids get to college. By then, they know that general rule. What instructors need to consider are the conditions under which a harsh penalty is appropriate & when it is not.

I think many students (like myself) face appropriate consequences as the panic over their late assignments. I know that asking for an extension is always my last resort, regardless of the course policy on late work.

I’m working on my masters degree, I’m a family nurse practitioner student. One of my classmates and I turned our papers about 20-30 minutes after deadline (midnight). I simply thought that my instructor is not going to read this paper at midnight anyway and my classmate couldn’t do it because her computer was updating. We both got zeros on our papers. I want to talk to my instructor about giving us at least some credit, but I don’t know how I can convince her. I would appreciate an advice from you.

Yulia, sorry to hear of your troubles. First and most important: what is your instructors stated policy? Was it written in the syllabus that late papers were not accepted? If that is the case, then your instructor will argue that you knew the rules and she can’t make an exception. That’s when you can use the arguments that I raise in my blog post. Second, if there was no stated policy, then I think you have a stronger case for at least having the instructor accept the paper and grade it and then perhaps deduct something from the grade because it was “late.” There’s a big difference between getting a zero on a paper and a C or even a B.in the case of no stated policy, I would make the argument that you did the assignment and the instructor should grade it, for otherwise you’re in the same boat as somebody who didn’t do the assignment at all. That doesn’t seem fair. Third, you could send the link for my blog post to your instructor, to give them advance warning of the argument you will make.

Here is an excellent post on getting rid of late assignment penalties from Tom Schimmer: “Enough with the Late Penalties.” https://tomschimmer.com/2011/02/21/enough-with-the-late-penalties/

I read your article with great interest, but from my experience, I must disagree with a lot of your points.

I teach college English composition courses. My syllabus is ironclad and I thoroughly cover everything in the syllabus on the first day of the semester. I don’t accept late work unless there is a death in the family, or they have a medical reason for missing class. Students are required to upload their assignments via Sakai. They are always given a fair amount of time for each writing assignment, so they’re never rushed to finish a project.

I don’t budge on not taking late work for several reasons. Deadlines are deadlines. Students are supposed to learn the responsibility of becoming an adult and part of that is getting tasks done on time. Punctuality shows initiative, and what so many fail to teach students at the college level these days is time management. Yes, being a college student is a major adjustment. It’s a balancing act. They need to learn how to schedule the proper amount of time for each project. Most don’t. We should not reward procrastination, which is what most students minor in. =)

Deadlines are important in the real world. To apply for graduate school, a student must submit an application on time, as well as get letters of recommendation, apply for grants, etc. After graduation, the same holds true. If submitting an application for a particular job is expected by a certain date, the student needs to realize that the “day after” is too late. Often, for employers, they are looking for future workers who are punctual and have the ability to get their work done by the deadline.

Allowing a student X number of days beyond the deadline is unfair to those who did their work on time. What’s the point of even giving a due date, if it’s going to be dismissed afterwards? I’ve also discovered that students hold a higher level of respect for the instructors/professors who set standards and keep them.

Point 2, you state: “By contrast, students who are struggling to complete a late assignment will find they have to forgo other things that they would’ve enjoyed doing, with their assignment-free peers, but instead they are stuck indoors, completing an assignment.” Most students I have are never ‘assignment-free peers’. They start working on another assignment. The ones who turned their work in on time had to forgo other things they would’ve enjoyed, and from my experience, the ‘struggling’ students forwent doing their assignments by doing something they enjoyed instead. Procrastination is commonplace, and cellphone addiction is a conversation for another day. Sadly, the distractions prevent students from focusing on the more important objectives.

Again, I enjoyed reading your article and your view. Very enlightening to see a different perspective. For me, it would never work. Keep up the great work!

Sam, thank you for your thoughtful disagreement with my points. Your comments reminded me that I probably didn’t put enough context into my argument so that him readers could see the setting in which I was able to use these techniques.

My policy regarding late assignments is not a stand-alone policy, divorced from the overall framework in which the course is organized. The course is embedded in a much bigger philosophy of teaching and learning that enables me to use this specific policy, along with many others. The larger perspective can be glimpsed, I think, by looking at my other blog posts and the many papers and postings I’ve made on teaching and learning over the past decades. (See my “Teaching Resources” webpage.)

The first thing to note is that I get almost no requests for permission to turn in assignments late. From day one, I behave as if I don’t expect late assignments and I emphasize ways in which students can complete their assignments on time. (For those sociologists reading this, I truly believe in the “social construction of reality.”) If, early in the semester a question ever does come up about late assignments – – which is extremely rare – – my reaction always is to say that the course is organized so as to make it possible for people to do their work on time. I ask people to let me know as soon as possible if they are having difficulties and to come and see me. If students persist and ask “yes, but what penalties will I get if I’m late?” I just reply, in mock surprise, “Are you aware today that you’ll be late for something a month or two from now?” And then, in so many words, I tell them that will cross that bridge when we come to it. And the path almost all students follow hardly ever takes them across that bridge.

Second, my now retired colleague, Joe Lowman, who wrote a very good book on college teaching(Mastering the Techniques of Teaching), used the same policy during his 40 years of teaching in the Psychology Department here, and with the same results that I have experienced.

Third, you make an excellent point regarding students needing to learn about deadlines and time management, and I spend time on that in class. My syllabus and calendar, on Sakai, are structured to emphasize punctuality and timeliness. For example, see my blog post on using small wins in creating milestones for students.

Fourth, I take the deadlines extremely seriously, which is why I spend so much time creating milestones to make certain that students will be prepared to meet the deadlines.

Fifth, in almost 50 years of teaching, I don’t recall a student ever saying to me that they felt cheated or treated unfairly because another student received a little extra time to complete an assignment. (Recall again that in my classes, I almost never get late assignments, and so this may not be a very fair test.) I try to build a culture of trust in which I hope students assume that I will use my discretion in a just way.

Six, I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding cell phone addiction and the presence of other distractions in the lives of our undergraduates. I wish I had an answer to that question! I can tell you that I don’t allow cell phone use or laptop use in my classes. Students keep them off unless I direct them to be turned on for use in classroom assignments. Some students even seem relieved to be unburdened of that distraction for 50 or 75 minutes!

Thanks again for your thoughtful comments and for an alternative perspective on my proposals.

Repeat on of the learning principles Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions. When you create an assignment and you establish a deadline to complete the assignment, what is the consequence for not doing it on time? What if that student that has been trained that late papers are just fine becomes a doctor and it is late for an important surgery of your family member? What if that student that has been trained that late papers are just fine, is late in one maneuver and crashes the airplane with you inside or your family members? There are cases that are exceptional cases in which late assignments can be accepted without penalty, but to make that a rule is dangerous.

Actually, nothing I do is ever strictly rule-governed. Life is full of too many contingencies! Instructors have a huge amount of power over their students & they need to learn to exercise it in a nuanced & humane way.

I think even the laziest college students who truly take advantage of their ability to submit late work are capable of understanding that life and death scenarios should be treated more urgently than an essay.

Dear Anna: thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Yes, I agree: students are adults & should be allowed to weigh the life consequences of their decisions without being burdened by rigid rules.

In my experience, the working world, especially people working for the government, was comprised of painfully mediocre people whose best talent was being on time for everything.

Kimberly, not sure how to reply. Are you saying that some people are so obsessed with being on time that they neglect more important things?

Awesome read. Thank you for sharing.

I am in arts university as a sculptor major and nearly every assignment I have handed in to date has been late. I feel absolutely sick about it because I am here to do my best – it is not my first time at university and I take it very seriously. It makes me wonder if this is my best and if so, how can I ever succeed in life? Most of my profs are accommodating because I have a documented learning disability, I am respectful of them and do my best to take risks, utilize their feedback and submit the best piece of work I can. Others seem to think I think I’m too special to hand things in on time like everyone else. I guess my question is… If I would have failed without the willingness of my profs to accept late work thus far, is this then a message to me that I shouldn’t be here? What’s your stance on students who chronically fail to meet deadlines despite working flat out to meet them? Where do they belong? Any advice?

The same kinds of people who are accommmodating you in college will be there, in the world beyond college, and you should expect the same from them. Every person must find their niche in the world, or carve one out, and you are not more or less “special” than anyone else. I would say that if you feel you belong, you belong. It sounds like you have many people who see you as someone they want to work with & see succeed.

Just a lurker reading your compassionate response, and it honestly moved me to tears. I am a BScN nursing student, three quarters of the way through my degree, and working at full scope as an ESN. I have a previous degree in psychology, and completed IB in highschool at age 16. I have a struggled with late assignments throughout my academic career and I believe I probably will for the rest of my life when it comes to handing in written work. I, too, have a diagnosed learning disability as well as chronic health challenges that plague me. I suffer from PTSD, I struggle financially (I survive off of Canada’s student loan program), and many of my friends and family are dead. For those reasons I miss half of my lectures and I do much of my learning on my own through textbooks and recorded lectures from other universities. I am a gifted student, I can at least recognize that now, and my papers and exams are always in the 90s despite my poor attendance (though now I’m in a highly competitive program they’re more often in the 80s). I know that I am a passionate learner with a lot to offer in the real world and my clinical work with patients is impeccable. However, I don’t think I’ve handed a paper/assignment in on time once this entire program. I lose an average of 15% per course based solely on missed deadlines despite my genuine grades being quite high. I believe that’s fair, because it speaks to my weaknesses overall. But what you said about “if you feel you belong, then you belong” really struck a chord with me. I’ve always felt like a black sheep among impossibly functional academic elites. It took me so many years to recognize my strengths for what they were and to be able to envision a future for myself where I could meaningfully contribute to society. It’s professors like you, who saw beyond my organizational difficulties and gave me opportunities to really shine and showcase my talents, that have allowed me to grow with confidence into the competent professional that I feel I am now. Thank you so, so much!

Alexandra, thanks so much for taking the time to write such a full response! I appreciate your affirmation of the approach I suggested. Good luck in your chosen profession.

I stumbled here as a student feeling discouraged about failing to complete an assignment on time — again. I chronically rely on the mercy of professors. As a person who is eager to learn, does the reading, shows up every day and pays careful attention, I appreciate what your philosophy. I can attest that pushing to get work done while knowing most others were able to complete it on time does not feel like a “free pass.” It feels terrible.

I can’t help posting a response to the comments regarding teaching students about the “real world.” I am 35, with 18 years behind me as a punctual and hardworking employee. Students are not employees, and we come to college with different levels of preparation and difficulties to overcome. And unlike a job, when I fall behind in school the only person who suffers is me.

This week I blew it on two papers (after spending far too much time struggling with the first one, I had little time left for the second). I was granted an extension on the first, and turned in an excellent (per the professor) paper three days late. For the second, I obeyed the strict policy in the syllabus and turned in a dreadfully incomplete paper after a desperate all-nighter. My grade is likely destroyed, and I feel humiliated and dejected.

As a grown-up, I know I am responsible for running out of time. I accept the consequences, but I don’t feel I or anyone else gained anything by them.

Jess, your last sentence points to what I see as the hollow reasoning behind penalizing late papers: what lesson is being taught? Who benefits from the penalty? Surely not other students, as they have never told me that my accepting “late” papers is unfair.

Same boat as you. I am now 37 in a masters program. Would be an A+ student in my undergrad except for handing things in late. But I am still doing it. Been in therapy for over 10 years. Working through my issues but it isn’t easy and it just feels so shitty to be asking for professors mercy constantly. The author really has it correct when he describes the burden of being a late submitter.

I am another student in their 30’s, returning to work after over a decade in the “real world”. One of the biggest issues I’ve seen is that professors assume the worst of their students while also relying on them to support their ego.

As an adult, I have real world issues that sometimes need to be prioritized over my assignments because I am simply not the most important thing in my world and sometimes need to show up for other people. Despite my best efforts I do sometimes turn in assignments late or miss class. The few times I’ve tried to explain, professors stop me three sentences in and say “I don’t want to get involved”. I realized very quickly that they were expecting something silly and became very uncomfortable with basic, grown up issues that all adults should feel comfortable discussing.

By only offering flexibility with explanations, the professor holds all the power and can quickly close the lines of communication. I have had to accept zeros on exams and labs despite previous notice of a court summons (not even for something my fault!), and I’ve accepted that even though I’ve never gotten lower than a 93 on an exam, show up to class on time, and complete most assignments on time, I am simply not trusted as a competent adult by all of my professors.

The culture of mistrust towards undergraduates needs to stop. The slippery slopes in the comments above simply aren’t true, and having come from the “real world” into academia, I can now see very clearly why my younger colleagues would often sit on tasks and not communicate if there was an issue or question. If I had gone to college first, I likely would have picked up the same work habits!

The truth is, the strict deadline clauses do not promote personal growth and is an exercise of power, not a lesson in accountability. The real world is harsh, but it is significantly more forgiving than academia.

Hi “Greenstick”! Thanks for yet another example of the absurdity of rigid rules regarding “late” assignments. Instructors can grow into better humans if they learn to recognize the importance of students as individuals, not as “the student who must follow the rules regardless.”

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I look forward to seeing more from you.

Pingback: Keeping Discussions Real: Use Genuine Examples, Not Simulated Ones | Howard Aldrich

And students should question it. We are not in class or attend school to only accept the status quo or not ask why – or what comes at us. We are to question and question some more. The “no late assignment rule” is inhumane and ableist.

Dear Gregory: Thanks for your note. Good point: question authority was what I was taught, back in the 1960s, and that is still a good motto to live by! Your point about the no late assignment rule being abelist is also well taken.

I’m generally a good student with decent grades, but sometimes (esp in the end of the semester when there’s 3 to 4 deadlines a week) I just get so burnt out and can’t write a word even I have a detailed outline ready. I hand in stuff late for perhaps 1 or 2 times and feel terrible about that because I tried my best but its not enough. It’s true that punishing student harshly for late submission won’t encourage punctuality. It would only make me feel worse and less motivated to hand in higher quality work. I would probably just submit whatever incomplete draft I happen to have next time after receiving a deduction in grade for late work.

Izzy, thanks for pointing out the emotional costs of penalties. I’m curious to learn: when you notice that you’ve going to be late, do you approach your instructor & explain the situation? Many instructors don’t realize the issues students are facing & are surprised when they learn about them. Sometimes, it is just a matter of opening up to your instructor & explaining what’s happening. You may not have to “request” an extension” — they may simply offer it to you. Try it!

It has been fascinating and educational to read your post and the thoughtful and divergent responses. I have a similar policy for substantial assignments — like papers and projects. However, I have a different type of assignment that I am dealing with now. One (though not the only) goal of this type of assignment is to ensure that students have done the reading and thought about it before class discussion. (The course is a freshman seminar that is a general education requirement.) In this case, not handing the assignment in on time means not being prepared for class, so it matters beyond the quality of the work or the individual student. To clarify, these are small, but not inconsequential, assignments that range from selecting quotations from the reading and posing questions about the reading to writing a first-attempt analysis of a quotation from the reading (~300 words). I would be interested to know how you or others treat this type of assignment.

What are your thoughts on someone who has a medical issue who asks the prof for extra time and it is granted and then loses points for the late submission – though this was never articulated and she tells the rest of the class they may submit late?

I would say that you should first find out what her reasons were, if any, and if you find them unsatisfactory, take the issue to the department chair & then to the Dean, if need be. If an instructor is going to impose a late penalty, that should be clear from the outset. It is unfair to give someone extra time & then penalize them for accepting the offer.

I’m on year three of teaching an online course for graduate students, most of whom are working as well. I originally used the same late assignment policy as the ground version of the course, which was No Late Assignments Accepted. Last year, I had multiple students with emergencies who reached out to me. Of course, I wanted to be compassionate and ended up accepting late assignments.

I’m updating my syllabus right now and found your post while searching for examples flexible due date policies. After reading your post, I’m thinking of just simplifying my late assignment policy to “due dates are posted. Contact me as soon as possible if there’s an issue.” Even with some version of flexible due dates, there’s still going to be emergencies and some students will ask, but others won’t think to do so and will just not turn in assignment or drop the course, and that doesn’t help anyone.

I’m going to think on this a bit more. Thank you for this perspective.

I like your new, simpler statement about assignments. You’re right: the ‘smart’ students ask about what to do if they can’t meet a date, but others just try to power through or don’t do the assignment. So, your new policy is a big improvement.

Comments are closed.

How to Send Email to the Professor About a Late Assignment

Table of contents

• 1.1 To show respect and inform the advisor that you will be late in returning the exercise
• 1.2 Apologizing for missing the deadline
• 1.3 Explaining the cause for tardiness
• 3 Late Assignment Letter Writing Tips
• 4 Examples of Late Assignment Letters

Convenient and easy time management is one of the students’ privileges. Meeting deadlines can be a headache, especially when you have a job, relationships, or a portion of new upcoming large tasks. At some point, you realize that 24 hours isn’t enough to deal with the planned schedule. If you feel like you’re going to miss a deadline, you might need to know some advice. Yet, there is no need to worry; reach out to your professor, clarify the situation, and notify him that you’ll be belated on some tasks. Even so, you might wonder how to compile the proper letter to your advisor, right? In the article, we’ll cover all the necessary aspects and teach you how to email a professor about a late assignment and beg pardon for being tardy. Don’t neglect it; it always comes in handy!

Why Do You Need to Write the Late Assignment Letter?

Often students don’t feel the urge to negotiate the issue and explain themselves. They are grown up and mature, so it seems unnecessary. However, there is a wide range of causes why you have to notify the teacher about being late on the task. Let’s revise some of them.

To show respect and inform the advisor that you will be late in returning the exercise

Writing to the teacher and explaining why you’ve missed the task might seem like an elementary school requirement. But, the need to apply to your lecturers is reasonable. Above all, it’s just a sign of intelligence and good manners. Also, it’s more rational to write to the advisor and inform him rather than miss the exercise without surplus notice.

Apologizing for missing the deadline

It is not a secret that professors get irritated by those learners who turn in their papers belated. Therefore, it would be an honorable intention to reach out by email to the professor about late assignment, apologizing for missing the due date. If you show your teacher that you’re sincerely sorry and provide a believable reason why it happened, the penalty might not be that harsh or absent at all. Don’t forget to mention that it was a one-time issue, and you won’t let it happen again.

Sometimes, you can’t predict whether the conditions will be pleasant for you and wonder how to email a professor about a late assignment. You may not have any chance to finish the given task, and the teacher won’t give you any extra time. In this case, you can pay for assignment to be done and turn it in before the deadline. The PapersOwl always creates unique papers, providing privacy and finishing the task exactly when you demand it. We all need a little help sometimes, so don’t be ashamed and apply to the website whenever you feel it’s necessary.

Explaining the cause for tardiness

We all are humans, after all, and tend to have complex life conditions. There are plenty of cases when something serious keeps learners from studying and completing exercises. At this rate, professors won’t be severe with you. They can listen and understand the conditions you’ve been through. You might get sick, or help your parents cure when they aren’t feeling well, etc. So, usually, those learners get in touch with their advisors and ask them to let them miss the specified date.

How to Write a Proper Late Assignment Email?

Making a late assignment email to professor seems complicated. You can’t predict if he will give you an extension for an assignment and let you finish with some extra time. Though, you must create a perfect letter by following certain steps to receive the best possible feedback.

The letter has to be written to your instructor. So, you need to start with the appeal. Consider that the tone of the letter is supposed to show respect, and the name of the advisor is mentioned properly, with the designation. If required, you can also copy the message and share it with the head of the faculty. Afterward, you need to come up with the subject; for example, use the “Apology for missed task submission”. Still, take into account that the topic depends on your particular issue.

Now you need to write the body of the letter. It is a helpful idea to start with an introduction and an apology. Then try to clarify the purpose of the appeal and quickly get to the point. Professors don’t like long reads with plenty of unnecessary words. Make sure you show that you’ve accepted your fault and will try your best not to repeat it.

Explain the causes to the teacher. Remember, you must be honest, and the circumstances of the missed deadline have to be valid. Don’t take the nice approach of the instructor for granted – he might turn your request down if he sees you deceiving him. There are some common problems that advisors are ready to consider and negotiate:

• family emergency
• unexpected Internet outage while online assignment writing saving
• laptop breakdown
• mixup with the time upon the due date
• not enough time to finish the work because of its complexity

If none of the proposed reasons worked out, you might apply to the Internet. There are a variety of websites that are ready to offer their help and do your assignment for you. Besides, if you choose a reliable service, the writers will do excellent research and get you a higher mark that will change your final results to the best.

If you or your family members have been through some health illness, you are free to attach any relevant proof. For example, medical reports or specific prescriptions. Those documents will confirm your inability to finish the tasks.

Come up with a conclusion. You can sincerely apologize again and assure the instructor that you’ll do your best not to repeat the same mistake in the future. Familiarizing yourself with time management for college students is a great way to ensure that. Remember that the closure of the writing is supposed to be delicate. You can also mention that you hope for the teacher’s understanding. In the end, indicate your name, signature, and other relevant data if necessary.

Late Assignment Letter Writing Tips

In addition to your appeal, you can use some advice. There is a chance that they would convince the instructor to agree to the extension and soften the penalties.

Be in charge of your actions. All of the teachers hate when students avoid the blame. The instructor has nothing to do with the fact that you couldn’t submit your papers on time. Moreover, accepting your fault will show them how mature and professional you are.

Be a bit more precise. Still, try not to overshare. If you’re dealing with any problems, such as mental issues or emergencies, indicate it in your letter. The truth will come up on the surface anyway, so it’s preferable to show that you were honest rather than always attending the lectures flashing from shame.

Remain polite. It’s highly recommended not to let your demons out. We all are allowed to feel emotions, but when apologizing, try not to be angry. Don’t forget to appeal with “Dear Professor Casey”, and use phrases like “Best regards” and “Sincerely”. Make sure you’re not demanding the extension, but kindly ask the teacher if he could let you have it.

Have a backup plan. Even if the advisor hasn’t answered you or you have no idea how to send an email about a late assignment, start doing the examination or thinking about the thesis.

Or put some effort into finding a professional service that provides the best accounting assignment help and specializes in various other topics so that you can use it as your backup plan. There you’ll find approachable rates and high-skilled writers. Besides, the teacher will be satisfied with the decently done homework.

Examples of Late Assignment Letters

Dear Professor (insert teacher’s name), I am (type your name), a student of the Faculty of (type the name of the faculty), of the Department of (type the name of the department). I’m emailing to express regret for missing the deadline for our weekly assignment. I value your time and care a lot about your class. The truth is, I have been extremely sick this week. My condition made it impossible to complete the work. I recognize that it is my fault that I haven’t notified you earlier, but I hoped I would get back on track within a few days and start focusing on homework when I’m feeling better. That was not clever of me, and I take full responsibility. You can see the note from my doctor in the attachments below. Again, I am so sorry for the discomfort. If you have any further questions for me, I will be glad to answer them. In case you would like to chat in person and discuss the issue, I’ll be available after classes starting next Monday. Sincere apology (indicate your name)

Readers also enjoyed

WHY WAIT? PLACE AN ORDER RIGHT NOW!

Just fill out the form, press the button, and have no worries!

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.

Anne Arundel County students to be held more accountable under new guidelines

The Arundel County School District has adopted new guidelines it hopes will increase “student responsibility” and allow more time for teacher instruction.

The updated grading regulations will be less lenient on when students can turn in work late and will reduce the number of assignments students can redo.

Joanna Bache Tobin, District 6 school board member and its past president, said the board considered new guidelines after feedback from teachers and some parents that the academic bar was not high enough for students.

“It was partially because during the COVID process, when we had such upheaval in schools, we had rolled back a few things to make sure that everything was as equitable as it could be,” Tobin said. “But as we came out of that, we realized that we needed to ensure that the standards were maintained as they needed to be.”

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

School district superintendent Mark Bedell said students have a responsibility to get their work done on time.

“Just as our teachers have a responsibility to deliver quality instruction, our students have a responsibility to get their work done on time,” Bedell said in a statement. “Our school system granted a great deal of leniency during the pandemic, but the pandemic is over, and we need to strengthen the regulations and allow teachers to focus on instruction and not as many re-dos of student work.”

Most of the updates apply to high school students. The number of allowed assignments that students can redo per class per marking period is reduced from three to two and must be listed as “assessments” in gradebooks. The school district defines assessments as “an evaluation of student knowledge or skills, including tests and quizzes.”

Late work is accepted with increasing penalties for each day late, but is not eligible to be redone. Limiting late work will help teachers focus more on instruction and not grading late assignments, the board believes.

“By limiting the timing as to when students can turn in late work, there’s less likely to be a lot of stuff hanging out there that suddenly, at the end of the session, the teachers have to have to grade in addition to the standard grading that would occur,” Tobin said.

Students with chronic absences may have course credit withheld, regardless of their grade. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

“I think the premise there is that if you miss that many days, you have probably missed enough that you’re not going to be in a position to pass that course and sort of have a meaningful understanding of what was taught,” Tobin said.

At both the middle and high school levels, the grading scale defines an E, or unsatisfactory, as 50% to 59%.

Students enrolled in advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses can opt out of the fourth marking period assessment if they are taking the AP or IB exam for that course.

This story will be updated.

Royale Bonds

[email protected]

Royale Bonds attended Southern Illinois University. Go Salukis! She previously worked as an affordable housing reporter in Greenville, South Carolina. Royale enjoys long naps, snacking and endless scrolling on social media. She looks forward to reporting on Anne Arundel County and covering the stories that matter.

More from Royale Bonds

Child fatally struck by truck in parking lot was tragic accident, annapolis police say, countywide rabies vaccine effort to resume in anne arundel this fall, more from the banner.

As deadline nears, a Baltimore County company seeks damages from Key Bridge collapse

BOPA runs out of money, calls ‘emergency’ board meeting

University of Maryland president’s research will be reviewed for plagiarism

Orioles designate Craig Kimbrel for assignment

Education hub.

• Early childhood
• K-12 schools
• Higher education
• Meet the team

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or [email protected] .

Sign in to add this item to your wishlist, follow it, or mark it as ignored

Coming soon

About this game, secondary school student haneko has forgotten her assigned homework, and they're due tomorrow. feeling she has no choice, she decides her only way to avoid failing the semester is to make a trip back to school at night and retrieve the assignments. but something's not right in the building... an anomaly lurks the halls, seeking the souls of disobedient students..

• A short, bite-sized, and retro-filled survival horror experience .
• Stunning low-poly effects, lighting, and 3D environments.
• Optional difficulty for a challenging run.
• Objective randomization and hidden unlockables for added replayability .
• Gamepad compatibility.
• Six language options to choose from.
• Cute character that nothing bad will happen to .

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

This Game may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be appropriate for viewing at work: Frequent Violence or Gore, General Mature Content

System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel i5 or equivalent
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: 1 GB VRam
• DirectX: Version 10
• Storage: 2 GB available space

Late Homework | 遅れた宿題 is © 2024 Raptorsoft Games & Ralf Corella (sodaraptor). All Rights Reserved.

You can write your own review for this product to share your experience with the community. Use the area above the purchase buttons on this page to write your review.

You can use this widget-maker to generate a bit of HTML that can be embedded in your website to easily allow customers to purchase this game on Steam.

Enter up to 375 characters to add a description to your widget:

Copy and paste the HTML below into your website to make the above widget appear

Popular user-defined tags for this product: (?)

Sign in to add your own tags to this product.