October 2, 2012

eLearning crashed just as I tried to submit my paper to the Drop Box!  Ensure students have technical assistance with eLearning when planning assignments

Our culture has a long tradition of deadlines that end at midnight (think of the deadline for filing your taxes with the IRS).  Although students “ought” to plan their work to accommodate unexpected obstacles near the submission deadline, some deadlines might be more punitive to procrastinators than others.  A particularly punishing deadline is one that occurs when students have no access to assistance with last-minute technical problems.

When you select deadlines for student work that requires the use of technology (e.g., electronic submissions of work to a drop box in eLearning, access to a timed online quiz, assignments that require use of a limited-access piece of technology), give some consideration to when campus help resources are available to students for technical support. 

• Check with the Academic Technology Center (ATC) for information on regularly scheduled system updates and avoid creating deadlines on dates that coincide with times when eLearning is scheduled to be taken offline for routine service. 
• Set deadlines for times when campus technology help desks are open and staffed.  Procrastinating students might still have panics and difficulties with last-minute technical problems, but they can at least seek assistance and might still manage to meet the deadline.  Midnight closing deadlines are not kind to students who encounter technical problems.

 

10/2/12 cdw