Times When It’s Super Important To Read EVERY WORD

I’m teaching one section of a senior seminar course required for our program. The class has a final paper and a final portfolio, both due during finals. Otherwise, the course is about interview skills and lots of discussion — fairly low-key for stressed-out seniors. The students also need to fill out a survey about the specific courses they take toward their degree, which is posted online and available for the last week of classes.

Toward the end of the week, I notice that only about half the class has submitted the survey. It’s not worth any points in the class, but we do want the information to try to improve our program.

I post on our course site:

Me: “Please remember to fill out the survey! This will be useful information for the department. You’ll need to submit the survey in order to view your final project grade. Remember, the due date for the final project is [date #1] and for the final paper is [date #2].”

The final paper and project due dates come and go. A small number of students only submit one or the other. They’re stressed-out seniors, so it’s not surprising.

Then, a week after I submit the final grades, I hear from a student who is upset they received a zero on the final project. I tell them that’s because I never received their final project.

Student: “But I submitted the survey! You said we just had to submit the survey to get a grade on the final project!”

Me: “You have to submit a final project to get graded on it. Submitting the survey allows you to see what the grade was. It’s not a substitute for doing the assignment.”