At first glance, nothing seems quite as boring to talk about than assignment scheduling, right? But the way you set assignments up says a lot about your attitude toward your students and your philosophy of education.
For a time I taught online for a Midwestern university where the policy was that all assignments were due Sunday midnight – no exceptions, because the program appealed to working adults.
While I adhered to the Sunday-midnight rule (of course!), I was relieved to come to Glendale and have more flexibility in my assignment scheduling. While the “one-night” rule is perhaps convenient for student schedules, in reality it doesn’t work very well for overall assignment scheduling or learning:
- When all assignments are due one night a week, some assignments are sitting in the submission “queue” a day or two or three while other assignments are sitting there more or less days.
- The same thing happens in reverse on Sunday midnight: I consider myself a good instructor, but I still can’t grade all assignments from all my classes instantaneously – or usually even all assignments from any ONE class in one day.
- So again, some assignments sit longer than others in my “grading” queue.
- Now think about what all these delays look like to the students, who ALSO don’t do all assignments instantaneously or at once – how long has it been since they submitted their first assignment until they get feedback and a grade on it?
In manufacturing and computing, this “do it all at once” phenomenon is called “batch” processing.
So what is the better solution? The answer is to maintain a regular schedule for assignments, but spread it out and do a little at a time versus one big “batch” each week. I set up a 2x assignment schedule for my three classes as an adjunct. It looks something like this (note that assignments are due at midnight — a student preference, I asked):
Class A: Assignments due Monday and Thursday midnight
Class B: Assignments due Tuesday and Friday midnight
Class C: Assignments due Wednesday and Sunday midnight
No assignments due on Saturday (instructor gets Sunday “off” – yeah!)
What does a 2x, spread-out schedule do?
- Students still have a regular assignment date – but now it is “dates,” i.e. twice a week, a schedule they can count on and get into a rhythm with
- Students get more timely feedback from the instructor
- Students are less likely to struggle or be confused long
- Students get feedback on work done before more assignments are due
- Instructors grade a little bit each day versus one grading “marathon” once a week
- And probably do a better job
- Instructors know almost immediately if a particular assignment is problematic or confusing to students, and can adjust as needed and more quickly.
- The instructor and students now have twice the “touch” points – times when they are communicating with one another, providing feedback and reactions and questions and responses (essential in any online class)
One other thing to note about assignment scheduling: When I have a hybrid or FTF class, I do NOT have any assignments due from that class the day class meets. Why not? Because I want students to focus on the lesson, be engaged in our (short) time together, and not be so concerned about that assignment or wiped out from an all-nighter the day before. I also want to go over that assignment with them before they do it – they do better and I get more of what I am looking for – which makes my grading easier as well.
The amount of work you do as an instructor in a 1x or 2x assignment schedule is ultimately the same – but by making assignments due twice a week, you will give your students more timely feedback and a much better chance to succeed – and most of them will appreciate it.
You might even like the “every day but Sunday” regular schedule better yourself.
OMG! That would kill me. It would make me feel like I always have something to grade, which is true anyway. But if I can just have all the other days free, and only stress on Sunday night when they’re all due, I feel much better. 🙂 But I see your point. Good suggestion.
Thanks, Gary. In January I just changed by schedule to do this . . . only took three years! Ha! I am going to go back and look at the due dates for my FTF class meetings. Unless I’m using the assignment as a prep for the day’s collaboration activities, I agree with your point.