Have you had a student contact you to say they missed class or need more time on assignments due to an illness or personal distress they’re experiencing? If so, did you find yourself wondering what the “right” response should be? A recent CTL workshop, co-hosted by the Dean of Students and Provost’s Office, shared the strategies for approaching disrupted learning found in the Boise State University Teaching Guide. Participants discussed their approaches to responding to student requests to miss class or turn in assignments late, and shared the policies they have implemented in their courses to address these situations, including:
- Late work policies
- give students the option of skipping a certain number of small assignments, or
- have submission windows for assignments, rather than fixed deadlines, or
- allow a limited “grace period” for assignments that is reasonably aligned with your grading schedule and needs.
- Class attendance
- allow students to miss two classes, no excuses needed, or
- allow students to replace attendance with an alternate assignment, such as a reflection on the material for that day, or
- don’t require attendance, but tell students you care about them being in class so they need to email you to let you know when they won’t be there.
As noted in the Teaching Guide, supporting a student’s request for flexibility is dependent on a host of factors, including the nature of the request, available technology, the course design and instructor pedagogy, and the cost-benefit analysis of carrying it out (e.g., what are the impacts on other students in the class, or the faculty member’s other professional commitments?). This analysis is the faculty member’s to conduct; faculty are empowered to use their judgment. If you’d like to talk with someone about how to address these kinds of requests in your course, please request a CTL consultation and we would be happy to talk with you!