Using Technology as an Excuse
I am going to be teaching an online course for the first time beginning at the end of this month. I have five years of in-classroom experience, and have heard many excuses as to why assignments are not ready on time, and I'm sure not all of them were completely truthful.
It's because of our technology that we are able to offer online courses. For those of you that have taught online in the past, how do you handle technology related excuses for late assignments?
In other words, do you often run into student issues such as "my internet connection went down", "my computer kept rebooting and I couldn't email my work on time", etc?
The only times I have had students use the excuse of technology issues is when our software system went down--and I received notification from the school that the system had gone down so I knew it wasn't an excuse. My school also makes sure, before a student signs up for an online class or program that they have the appropriate equipment to be successful.
However, if this did come up, I would give the student the benefit of the doubt the first time, and then begin counting the last assignments as late and deducting points as needed.
You are asking great questions Rick. You have been a teacher for five years--you will find you will be able to transfer that experience to the online environment relatively easily. Good luck Rick!
It is difficult for students who are balancing competing priorities to respond to computer difficulties. I believe it is important to clearly communicate consequences for delayed assignments. It is also important to work with students and be flexible in developing a successful experience. My experience is that students do have periodic challenges with technology - truthful challenges.
As this is only my first class, my wife is a seasoned on ground and online instructor. I think that the occasional issue is going to present itself and should be taken into consideration. Chronic technology issues are solved by utilizing free internet hot spots, library, friends/family, or just better planning.
Planning is always important as an instructor--regardless of whether you are teaching online, residential or hybrid.
Thanks for your comments Balys. Good luck teaching your first online class.
I agree that most students don't use technology as an excuse. One of the ways I make sure is to check the students activity level. I had a student tell me she couldn't access the system bet her activity level showed otherwise. She had looked at different areas of the course frequently. I sympathized with her plight before reminding her that having work in on time was important to achieving the best grade. i also told her of the many alternative ways to submit such as at the local library, a friend's computer, etc..
Mr. Kendrick:
I have had students who will at times use the excuse that they did not have Internet access and/or their Internet went down or various other issues.
I normally will give them the benefit of the doubt for the first two weeks worth of assignments as students get acclimated to the online environment.
I start accessing late penalties beginning with week 3 and also recommend that students visit their local library and/or local hot-spots for Internet access if they do not have access at home.
Good luck with your first class,
Kim Houck
Rick,
I try to address this challenge up front. In my welcome letter and during my opening chat, I tell the students that they should make prior arrangements with a friend or family member to use their PC in case the student has an issue with their PC or internet service provider. I also inform them that within the Microsoft suite they can turn on the document backup feature so that they can back up their assignments every minutes, every 2 minutes ect.
Plus I share with them that I also have a backup plan in case I have a PC related problem, to ensure I am available for the chat. I can use my cell phone as a router to gain access to CTU online if I had to do so in order to conduct a chat, grade papers ect.
In the textbook I use, a section about taking online classes says that before a student even starts the online course they should have several backup plans in place. The library in most towns has computers the students can use. They should contact said library to find out their hours of operation.
That is a great tip for online students. No matter how much we try and prevent it, technology does go down.
I too encourage students to have a backup method of internet access. Every session I have at least one student per class that wants special consideration due to loss of internet connection or computer issues. I tell these students that the nature of an online course leaves them with no alternative but to have means of accessing the internet. Without a backup plan, the will set themselves up to fail.
My bigger issue is when students will email their advisor to let them know of their internet connectivity issues to ask the advisor to email me on their behalf. Has this happened to anyone else? I still am not sure how they can email their advisor and not me for an issue like that.I understand that issues arise, but I can't imagine how it can last for weeks on end when there are free public places to gain computer and internet access.
I haven't had the experience of students having internet problems contacting their advisor to bail them out. However, I do think your observation is very valid--how can they email their advisor when they are having internet problems?
Rick I have been teaching online for 7 years and have heard what I believe is every excuse possible. I hear surprising few technology excuses because all of the schools I work with have clear policies that hold the student responsible for a functioning computer and Internet connection. I encourage a back up plan when the course started (friends, family, work, public library, Kinko's). Of course any school site or platform related issues are beyond the students' control. Major weather related problems are usually in the news and may be valid excuses if they last more than a couple of days. I personally also tend to ignore deadlines that occur at midnight. I do not wait up for assignments to be submitted, so the student experiencing a technical problem automatically has until the next morning when I start grading to get their work in.
All the time! Yes! And how many grandmothers/fathers have died? and spouses want a divorce? and the kid is sick? and the dog died? It is nothing short of amazing how many disasters seem to occur every term. Honestly, I've given up worrying about whether these problems are true or not. All I think about is whether I can persuade the student to turn in the assignment--and how I do that depends upon the nature of the student.
This is an interesting thread and as I teach first session students, many of whom have not been in a formal school for years and may be technologically challenged, I hear many instances of technology breakdowns. Because I am teaching a specific suite of software applications, it is not always possible to use a computer at a library or friend's house. It really does need to be the software supplied by my institution. I view these circumstances less as an attempt at an excuse than a disconnect between admissions and the learner themselves. I have had people trying to use a computer they bought at a yard sale or a borrowed machine from a relative while waiting for their tax return check to buy an acceptable machine. I try very hard to talk through all of these issues at the very start to avoid the inevitable frustrations that will impact these people.
Sometimes it is easy to overlook the obvious, but it is very difficult for a student to be successful with an online class if they don't have the proper computer equipment. Thanks for pointing that out Joel!
At the beginning of class, in my welcome letter and course expectations, I add the advice that students should identify an alternative computer or internet source, like a computer at a public library or a friend's house. This may help somewhat.
I also give one extension per course if there is a computer crisis. After that, though, I'll start taking off points if assignments are late.
Great tips Julie! I like the idea of recommending to the students that they identify another computer source in case their primary one goes down.
My feeling is that students can always come up with an excuse if they want to. It doesn't matter if they are taking a class online or on campus. I try to keep the responsibility on them. If the dog chewed up their report, maybe they should have taken better care of the report. That's their responsibility. If they didn't get their assignment in because they waited until the last minute and their internet was down, maybe they should have completed the assignment sooner and submitted it sooner. They should always try to stay ahead and try to avoid any possible problems that could arise. We should teach them this.
I have found that the excuses are varied and many, but meeting deadlines is a real-world experience. The student can learn and fail is our sheltered environment. Hopefully, it will provide a lesson that will help them keep that job.
