Managing late submissions
Late submission is problematic for students – they often play catch-up, so they are often falling behind in the subsequent tasks as they complete earlier tasks. Late submission can be an indicator of a student at risk in the unit. If you are concerned about a student, you can contact them to check in and advise them of support available if needed.
The late submission of assessment tasks can also put significant pressure on a Unit Chair and the teaching team. The University Assessment (Higher Education Courses) Procedure outlines the penalties for the late submission of an assessment task without an approve extension and how students who do not submit by the due date will have their mark reduced.
It is important that late penalties are applied consistently.
In each assessment brief, students are advised as follows:
Penalties for late submission: The following marking penalties will apply if you submit an assessment task after the due date without an approved extension: 5% will be deducted from available marks for each day up to seven days. Work that is submitted more than seven days after the due date will not be marked; you will receive 0% for the task. ‘Day’ means calendar day for electronic submissions. The Unit Chair may refuse to accept a late submission where it is unreasonable or impracticable to assess the task after the due date.
As the Unit Chair you must determine who will adjust students’ marks for late submission. One alternative is to ask the markers to make this adjustment as they mark, another is for you to undertake this process once all marking has been completed. The latter approach is strongly recommended because it leads to more consistency.
