excuses, excuses . . .

In some ways, using web-based tools in teaching can press students to be more responsible about their work. Discussion boards, blogs, and other tools have time/date stamps that show exactly when something was posted. Also, when content is web-bsed, there is an easy archive of what topics have been covered, what has been assigned, etc.

On the other hand, it's also pretty easy for a student invoke the "technology ate my homework" excuse. I've seen my share of examples of this -- from "telesis was down" to "my home computer crashed" to "my email to you bounced" to (when teaching people who are working full time like in U. College) "I had no way to get to a computer".

Sometimes these things are clearly legitimate -- telesis DOES go down sometimes, and I have certainly had some email weirdness from time to time. AN extreme example was when I was teaching at Fontbonne last summer during the big storm -- Fontbonne had to extend their "grades due" by more than a week, because so many students were unable to complete computer based assignments. During last winter's big storm *I* was without my computer for nearly a week, which caused me not to be able to return student work in time for them to use my feedback on their finals -- I had to extend the deadlines.

On the other hand, I've had a lot of suspicious "my email bounced" and "my computer crashed" excuses, too. So far, the best way I have to handle this is to make sure students have a phone number where they can reach me in lieu of email, and to make sure students are aware of computer lab options and that they should back up their work so they don't have to start from scratch in the event of a crash. I also tell students not to assume I've received something until they hear back from me. In general, I handle alleged technology failure situations on a case by case basis, and students get a lot of doubt-benefit if they have been notably conscientious up to that point.

I'd love to know how others have handled such things, and whether you have created policies that serve especially well with regard to the potential for real and fabricated technology failure.