I am committed to the science of education, and I have many loosely-held opinions. Sometimes these opinions of mine come into conflict with the available data on teaching and learning. And I’m glad of these opportunities to critically examine my instructional practices; and I’m thankful for those in my professional network that push me to be a better teacher.
When I moved away from assignments on paper and began collecting work via our learning management system (LMS), I originally kept the same due dates as the previous paper assignment. If, for example, a paper was due before the end of the school day, then the digital assignment was similarly due by the end of the school day. This posed a problem for students on athletic teams and students gone on retreat.1
Next, I moved the due date for assignments to the latest point of the day, allowing students to turn work in after their Athletic or Arts commitments; the latest point of the day meant 11:59pm. That’s where my due date has remained for the past few years. And, I’ve been careful to remind students that “do” and “due” are two very different things. I didn’t care when they did the work; I just wanted it turned in before the end of the day.2
In an online conversation with Dr. Beers at Ohio State University she brought up a compelling argument for moving the deadline for submissions down, making them due sooner than midnight. My initial understanding of her argument was that making the work due earlier in the evening would allow students to sleep sooner. That did not convince me because I’ve always encouraged them to not leave work to the last, to instead finish their writing and editing early, and submit it well before the deadline. Missy’s convincing argument was people “work up until whatever deadline is set.” This is an invocation of Parkinson’s Law, and that is what I found convincing.
I’m glad to have colleagues – even those I’ve never met in person – who are willing and able to challenge my instructional practices. Now, 22-years into my teaching career, more than ever. I’m changing all my due times to 9pm.