StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Wasn't really sure where to post this; but since the class is on Relational Databases, and I'm actually doing online learning, everything in the class is computer related so I figured I might as well put it here.

I've got an instructor in my databases class that is driving me up the wall. I've gotten zero credit in a small assignment for being 15 words under the word limit. I've gotten penalized for having double the word limit in a paper. I've put up with a number of similar penalizations, but this last one has me very, very irritated.

I lost 20% of my grade on a paper for being 6 minutes late. Six minutes past the deadline. His response to me asking of I was seriously being penalized for being six minutes late was basically "yes".

Is this usually considered fair among university teachers, to be so obscenely strict as to penalize a students for emailing an assignment minutes after the deadline? More importantly, should I be arguing over it with him?

I wouldn't approach the instructor about it, since he'd probably just blow you off. So instead, you should contact whoever it is that supervises him and file a complaint over unfair grading practices.

By the letter of the syllabus, though, I suppose he'd be in the right in a case like that, if it was reported.

For example, in the one I lost points on for being 15 words under, we had to make multiple 100-word-submissions. If you missed one, you get zero credits on the set of submissions. I got a zero for an 85-word-submission, and since he doesn't count the zero as one of the set, I'm suddenly under the count, and I get zero credit for the whole set despite having met the requirements on the other. By the rules of the syllabus, nothing really prohibits him from not giving partial credit for the other submissions.

I'm partially at fault. I DID fail to meet the requirements (15 words short, 6 minutes late, etc) on each of the assignments he penalized me on. Not understanding being 6 minutes late (I came home late that night IIRC) and not giving partial credit for being 15 words under the limit might make him a jerk, but it probably won't get his supervisor to crack down on him.

There probably really isn't anything I can do except turn things in ahead of time and fully meet every requirement (but don't do it too well, or i'll get penalized for going over the word count!). It's just really frustrating

Welcome to handing anything in at any uni...

What's always bugged me is the inconsistency between faculties/schools at my uni. Computing had it at 50% off for being late and 10% per day for each day after the deadline on some assignments I've done, whereas arts was 10% for being late and 2% per day out to a maximum loss of 50%... my girlfriend thought that was harsh.....

If the rules say it has to be in by <set date> and you miss the date there isn't really much you can do except hope that the lecturer is lenient (apparently not) or try and get their immediate boss or speak to someone from the faculty/school who may here your case and speak for you.

I have never been in a school that had specific rules about getting partial credit after handing assingnments in late. If it's past the deadline, you get zero, end of story; the only thing you can count on is leniency of the professor, but that is not at all guaranteed.

Yours is being very strict, but he's well within his rights. The only thing I can advise you is to be on time and within the word limit next time.

How much is it worth?

How far do you want to take it?

If you take it far enough, you can win, at least over here. Universities here are like big corporations concerned about the bottom line, so the customer's usually right. And here, student unions are powerful to destroy professors by publishing yearly anti-calendar that recommends what and which to take.

If you don't want to go all the way, I would forget it.

If you take it far enough, you can win, at least over here. Universities here are like big corporations concerned about the bottom line, so the customer's usually right. And here, student unions are powerful to destroy professors by publishing yearly anti-calendar that recommends what and which to take.

I don't think you can morally justify damaging the career of a professor when the error was technically your own. The prof may be a prick for not letting the six minutes slide, but he's still in the right.

And proffessors always wonder here why the first class of any course is always halfway finished by the time students are done asking questions about how things are done in this particular course.

To be honest, whether or not you should take it to your supervisor probably depends on his/her character. If the supervisor is a jerk too, then it won't do much good, if he's not - you can probably get the grades back and make yourself an enemy. It's typically a good idea to ask students from later years (unless you're a senior ) about the case.

Bounty wrote:

If you take it far enough, you can win, at least over here. Universities here are like big corporations concerned about the bottom line, so the customer's usually right. And here, student unions are powerful to destroy professors by publishing yearly anti-calendar that recommends what and which to take.

I don't think you can morally justify damaging the career of a professor when the error was technically your own. The prof may be a prick for not letting the six minutes slide, but he's still in the right.

Agreed.