Saving Lives at 8am

I love this recent tweet from Viorica Marian

And if you teach undergraduate students, then you probably love it too.

But if you can’t move your class time from 8am, then here is a little trick you can use to save the lives of your students’ distant relatives.

Tokens.

Here is how it works.

In my class, late assignments or make ups are not allowed. If you miss the deadline or are not present to complete an in-class quiz or assignment, a score of zero is recorded.

However, I give each student two “tokens” at the beginning of the semester. Virtually, not physical tokens of course. [Some students who miss the first class freak out that they didn’t get their tokens — tokens are tracked in our learning management system using an ungraded assignment.]

A token can be used by a student to either extend the due date of an assignment by one day (24 Hours) or exempt the student from an in class evaluation. Students can use more than one token on an assignment; tokens are non-transferable. Tokens cannot be used on the Exams.

This way, the students have two passes that they can use how they choose. No need to make an excuse about a dead grandmother, or to feel guilty of missing class after a night of doing what undergraduate students do at night.

For those students who have unused tokens at the end of the semester, I allow them to be redeemed at the end of the semester for extra credit — a little boost for those who made it to every class and got there work done on time.

And that, my friends, is how I save lives.

Originally published at https://www.christiansonjs.com.