Hofstadter's Law: "It always takes longer than you think, even when you take Hofstadter's Law into account."
The assignment deadline policy this quarter has been designed to provide all students with built-in flexibility, given that the circumstances of online learning may sometimes be unpredictable. Here will be the general policy:
- Assignments deadlines will fall at the end of the day in the Pacific time zone, i.e. 11:59pm GMT-7.
- Submitting by the deadline earns a small "on-time" bonus. The bonus points for timeliness will be added to the course grade at the end of the quarter.
- There is a penalty-free 48-hour "grace period" for late submission . The grace period allows you to submit the assignment after the deadline, with no impact on your grade. The grace period is intended to give you built-in accommodation for unexpected snags. If you plan your work to submit by the deadline, you have the grace period in reserve to give you cover if something unexpected derails your schedule.
- Late submissions are not accepted after the grace period expires, unless there have been arrangements made for an exceptional situation as described below.
The grace period is effectively an automatic extension that has been approved in advance. Given that, additional extensions beyond the grace period are generally not granted. In exceptional circumstances (primarily extended medical problems, emergencies, or previously established OAE accommodations), the grace period may be extended for individual students on a case-by-case basis. An extension request must be received no later than 24 hours before the deadline. Only the lecturers or Head TA are able to approve extensions. In particular, do not ask your section leader.
Common questions about late policy
Does the deadline change depending on my time zone?
No, deadlines are the same for all students. For this course, we express all times in the Pacific time zone. You can assume any time in our course materials, website, and tools (Paperless, etc) refers to Pacific time.
If I make a first submission by the deadline, can I use the grace period to make a later submission or add a extension?
If you make multiple submissions, we grade the last one. If the last submission is during the grace period, you forfeit any on-time bonus. The grace period is intended to provide flexibility when unexpected circumstances prevent you from completing the main assignment on time. Late submissions put extra pressure on your section leader to return feedback to you in a timely manner. We ask that you use the grace period only when your situation requires it.