Staff Sounder
September 30, 2016
An Idea for Making Academic Deadlines Less Daunting
Strict deadlines for papers are a key pressure point for students, says Boucher, serving “to reproduce the inequalities of access and inclusion that universities are trying so hard to correct. Sociologists have shown that students from less-privileged backgrounds often have trouble understanding the unwritten rules of college life – the so-called hidden curriculum… [A]sking a professor for an extension doesn’t always come naturally. It might not even occur to them as an option.” Many educators punish students for missing deadlines out of a belief that it will force them to prioritize their academic work over less-important activities and teach them how to manage their time. “Trouble is,” says Boucher, “that assumes most students are irresponsible or lazy rather than overwhelmed or struggling.” It also ignores the fact that most adults learn to distinguish between deadlines that are non-negotiable and those that are lower stakes.
Boucher used to deduct a half-grade for each day past her deadline, so an A became an A- one day late, a B+ after two days, and so on. But she came to believe that this approach compounded students’ stress and resulted in shoddy work, panicked cheating, or dropping out of a course or the university. Her new policy: all students can elect to take a two-day grace period on any paper, with no questions asked. After that, if they’re still having trouble getting the paper done, they must meet with her in person to go over an outline of their ideas and commit to a schedule to get the paper done.
“The results have been amazing,” says Boucher. “Since changing my policy, I’ve seen higher-quality work, less anxiety, and fewer cases of burnout. Most of my students do take the grace period occasionally throughout the semester, but the great majority complete their assignments by the end of the two days. And when students are having serious difficulties, there is a support system in place to integrate them back into the classroom.”
“It’s Time to Ditch Deadlines” by Ellen Boucher in The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 16, 2016 (Vol. LXIII, #3, p. A28), http://bit.ly/2cC3VAo; Boucher can be reached at eboucher@amherst.edu.-Marshall Memo