Dispute Resolution with Professor

[SuperCat]

 

[phyzguy]

I don't think it is out of place at all. You should politely tell the professor that accepting late assignments with no penalty is unfair to those of you who turned in the assignments on time.

 

[S.G. Janssens]

It seems to me you can more or less just copy and paste what you wrote in your OP (minus the last paragraph, of course) and convert it into an email to her. Sometimes students have good reasons for turning in homework late, but without those reasons present, I do think you have a point.

 

[SuperCat]

Thank you both for your replies. I like to get the perspective of others before I proceed in matters where I have a large bias.

Would it be better to wait until I find out what my grade is (it is still possible I could receive the highest grade), or should I bring this to the attention of the professor before grades are distributed?

 

[S.G. Janssens]

Would it be better to wait until I find out what my grade is (it is still possible I could receive the highest grade), or should I bring this to the attention of the professor before grades are distributed?

Good question. I would tend to say that if I were your professor, I would appreciate it more if I were to know about your concerns before giving the final grades. This way, I could more easily take them into account, for example by being stricter when grading work that was turned in late and a bit more lenient when grading work that was turned in according to the deadlines.

It depends a bit on what kind of person she is, but if I would but myself in her shoes, I would prefer to know beforehand instead of receiving what may look like "complaints after the fact".

 

[Choppy]

If you're concerned about it, I would bring it up to the professor right away. I agree that it wouldn't be fair for her to award marks after the solutions have been published, but she may not do that.

Remember there are some unknowns involved. It sounds like you are relying on hearsay evidence that your professor is actually accepting this late homework. Has she said that she will accept it? Has she said that she will award full marks for it? She might just award part marks to keep some borderline students from failing. She could just ignore the work altogether.

 

[berkeman]

Would it be better to wait until I find out what my grade is (it is still possible I could receive the highest grade), or should I bring this to the attention of the professor before grades are distributed?

Please do it now. Waiting would not be a good thing. I agree that you should talk to your instructor about this.

 

[billy_joule]

You should also check official school policy on how late assignments are handled.
At my school of engineering it was a 5% reduction per working day to a maximum of 50%, unless a prior written extension had been granted.
Professors couldn't be more lenient than the policy but could be stricter, Some would give a zero for being a minute late.

 

[SuperCat]

Good question. I would tend to say that if I were your professor, I would appreciate it more if I were to know about your concerns before giving the final grades. This way, I could more easily take them into account, for example by being stricter when grading work that was turned in late and a bit more lenient when grading work that was turned in according to the deadlines.
It depends a bit on what kind of person she is, but if I would but myself in her shoes, I would prefer to know beforehand instead of receiving what may look like "complaints after the fact".

I will keep that in mind, thank you for your reply.

If you're concerned about it, I would bring it up to the professor right away. I agree that it wouldn't be fair for her to award marks after the solutions have been published, but she may not do that.
Remember there are some unknowns involved. It sounds like you are relying on hearsay evidence that your professor is actually accepting this late homework. Has she said that she will accept it? Has she said that she will award full marks for it? She might just award part marks to keep some borderline students from failing. She could just ignore the work altogether.

I’m not relying on hearsay. Our grades are published digitally, and while I can’t see who got what grade I can see the quantity of submissions and corresponding grades.

You should also check official school policy on how late assignments are handled.

At my school of engineering it was a 5% reduction per working day to a maximum of 50%, unless a prior written extension had been granted.

Professors couldn't be more lenient than the policy but could be stricter, Some would give a zero for being a minute late.

We don’t have a specify policy; it’s left to the professor to decide. Her policy was a deduction per week followed by zero credit. The zero credit time has passed for the majority of the assignments.

Please do it now. Waiting would not be a good thing. I agree that you should talk to your instructor about this.

I’m just a bit anxious about approaching her because in a past experience I had she came off as very stubborn. I was marked off an exam, and showed multiple other resources that demonstrated by approach was valid and I was brushed.
That being said, I don’t think I have anything to lose from trying. If she dismisses me, and I end up not getting the highest mark then I will consider contacting her superior.

 

[berkeman]

If she does not assure you that there will be no credit for late homework, I would take it to the head of the department. That's ridiculous that the instructor would give late credit against the published syllabus.

 

[OCR]

I'm just curious SuperCat... why is the first post you made an image, and how did you make it?
It seems to resemble a screen grab.

No need to reply if you're reluctant for any reason... as I said, " I'm just curious ".[COLOR=#black]...[/COLOR]

 

[Vanadium 50]

I would talk to her. I would also not assume facts not in evidence when talking - for example, just because a student got homework back with a grade on it does not mean that it will be included in the overall grade.

 

[SuperCat]

I'm just curious SuperCat... why is the first post you made an image, and how did you make it?
It seems to resemble a screen grab.

No need to reply if you're reluctant for any reason... as I said, " I'm just curious ".[COLOR=#black]...[/COLOR]

To avoid indexing. I have peers that use this website, and the last thing I want is my professor to hear that "XYZ" was complaining about you. In short, paranoia.

I would talk to her. I would also not assume facts not in evidence when talking - for example, just because a student got homework back with a grade on it does not mean that it will be included in the overall grade.

As I mentioned in another post, the grades are publicly available. Now I can't prove that anyone is cheating, but once the solutions have been released I believe the assignment should be closed or an alternate assignment should be available.

 

[Vanadium 50]

OK, assume whatever facts you want. But don't say I didn't warn you...

 

[russ_watters]

I would think hard about what you hope to accomplish and about your odds of success and potential consequences if it doesn't go the way you hoped. There are certain groups of people in this world who you have to take great care when complaining to/about:
1. People who can spit in your food.
2. People who can make you miss your flight.
3. People who can write you a ticket.
4. People who can alter your grades.

 

[Evo]

My Professor's syllabus clearly states that no late assignments will be accepted. Assignments (homework/projects) are worth 40% of the grade. the class is heavily dependent on a curve (the top 20% receive an A).

About 50% of the class has been turning in assignments on time. The other 50% had been informed by their friends that the late-policy isn't inforced. As the semester winds down, they are now submitting their homework assignments.

I feel that my professor accepting late work is unfair since it goes against her syllabus, and the solutions for those assignments have been released (when returning homework the correct answers are marked). This decision negatively impacts the half of the class that has been proactive in turning in work.

I don't think it would be wrong in bringing up your concerns, just do it in a non confrontative manner.

 

[Dishsoap]

I also had this problem in undergrad - a very frustrating one indeed. I went to the professor and let him know that it was common practice for students to wait until he had released the solutions to begin doing the homework. He didn't care, but I assume this is not generally the case. Definitely talk to the professor.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

I would bring it up with the professor. In issues where you are emotionally involved, it is often easier to maintain a respectful demeanor via email.

You can proofread an email to double check your language for clarity and respectfulness. If you come off as whiney or disrespectful or accusatory in person, there are no do-overs.

Asking for clarification is a better approach than claiming injustice.

 

[OCR]

Thank you for replying, SuperCat.

 

[CrunchBerries]

It is your decision whether you want to bring it up or not.. If people are waiting for the solutions to submit their assignments, it is simply detrimental to their learning experience. I don't put too much weight into grades, but more into my overall understanding of the material. Of course I prefer getting an A+, but usually that's simply because I understand the material.

A+ for something you already have the solutions to isn't much help at all. If your Prof allows this, then she does so knowingly. Maybe there is more to the story. If you would like to bring your concerns, then do so cautiously. In my life experience, the worst people to deal with are the ones who feel undermined. If you want to champion this cause and risk taking a hit on grades, then its your call.

This approach is best:

Asking for clarification is a better approach than claiming injustice.

Take comfort in the fact that there are other Profs and other courses which might align more with the traditional strict deadlines. This is why I like taking courses who are understood as the ones that "weed out" people who weren't serious / doing the work.

 

[Andy Resnick]

<snip>

Do you actually know that professor is accepting late work? What is your evidence? If the instructor is not applying the class rules equally to all students, and you have evidence that your course grade has been materially harmed by the selective rule enforcement, you have grounds for a complaint. Otherwise, you are engaging in gossip.