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TA Complaint - What to do
So I'm in a class and for the last assignment I had handed mine in on time, contemplating whether or not I should turn it in late, to improve my mark, in consideration that I would lose 10% for handing it in late.
In the end I decided against it, I was tired, and wasn't sure my last minute changes would make that more than a 10% difference.
So the TA ends up saying that for the last two assignments, he forgave people for handing in the assignment 8 hours late (the assignment was due at 4PM but he accepted them up until 12AM).
I'm pissed now because I handed mine in on time, and would have gladly took the extra 8 hours to make revisions.
What do you think I should do, or what is fair? I don't want to complain directly to him because I have one assignment still to be marked. I was thinking of complaining to the instructor, or go higher, what do you think?
How is it fair some people get an extra 8 hours to hand it in with no penalty?
In the end I decided against it, I was tired, and wasn't sure my last minute changes would make that more than a 10% difference.
So the TA ends up saying that for the last two assignments, he forgave people for handing in the assignment 8 hours late (the assignment was due at 4PM but he accepted them up until 12AM).
I'm pissed now because I handed mine in on time, and would have gladly took the extra 8 hours to make revisions.
What do you think I should do, or what is fair? I don't want to complain directly to him because I have one assignment still to be marked. I was thinking of complaining to the instructor, or go higher, what do you think?
How is it fair some people get an extra 8 hours to hand it in with no penalty?
Comments
proffs will generally not give a shit about it. you have to go over their head and its a long and arduous process. good luck :D
BTW, the lenient TAs are the good TAs.
You need to learn that in life the more outspoken you are the more likely you will get what you want darling. :shade:
Can't resubmit, its an electronic submission that only accepts one submission. It was actually the TA I'm complaining about that, not the professor. I've already got enough credits to graduate so I really don't care how long it takes, I'm just curious in the end what would a fair resolution be?
Surely this isnt the first time this instance occurred....this practice occurs all the time. Whether it's fair or right or whatever, you can't do anything about it! You need to know the game you're playing..and play it the way it's played. Simple as that. Bitching will get you nothing. Actually I'm wrong, bitching at the TA will get you stricter marking.
hence why you should go over his head.
And no this does not occur all the time. People hand things in late and are not penalized all the time, this I concede, I've done it before and not been penalized, but some of the time I have been. Its not often that the TA publicly announces that its been done for multiple assignments though. I would have been fine if he announced after the first assignment that people should adhere to the policy, or just not made an announcement at all.
My point was not that I deserve more time or deserved an extension, or that I even wanted an extension, because I didn't. It was that if other people are being given more time, in this situation it was unfair since I could have used more time. I was fine with taking the mark I got though, due to my poor planning and time limitations-- but in light of others being given more time I think there is a grievance.
I just don't know what to expect will come about all of this? Just a strict warning to all TA's within the department for future assignments?
the department guidelines you've listed their seem strikingly like the history department.
Yes it is a curved class, but the others just got lucky while you did not. It sounds like you are just complaining because the same "luck" was not brought upon to you.
Live and learn. As others have said, complaining wont do you anything except maybe worsen your mark in the future. In the end, life is not fair :(
speaking from a history majors point of view this is quite interesting because of the fact that you are generally deducted full letter grades for late submissions, ie. every day its late your mark will drop a full letter grade.
alot of friends from other faculties were shocked to hear this. one of my friends who is a crim major was only deducted 1 mark for handing in her assignment late. interestingly enough had i done the same thing i probably would have lost a full letter grade.
That said, if a student has a valid complaint, I will entertain it. I've also been a bit lenient on deadlines particularly when it was my own fault for making students do extra work, as happened one time when I accidentally gave the wrong value of Planck's constant times the speed of light as a homework hint.
I can't comment on the complaint randomuser made as I don't know enough about the specifics or what the TA's POV on the matter was. I assume she'll take it up with the TA then the professor if she feels she isn't getting a good answer or resolution.
So unless he gave people notice that it would be ok BEFORE 12am of that same day, no one else knew, and therefore, no one else was at an advantage, rather they are at an advantage in terms of marks because instead of losing marks, they aren't penalized.
Maybe the best way to rectify the situation would be to ask for a partial bonus mark for the people who did hand it in on time to make it fair?
Only solution that I can see that is reasonable and doesn't make you seem like your bitching or whining
People don't generally hand things in late unless they aren't done at the time it's due.
i just think you should be fair and give him the heads up first.. atleast he'll know that if he doesn't have a good reason for giving the extension.. he'll have some explaining to do to the prof..
At the same time, how is it fair to ignore deadlines in curved classes? He wasn't granting these people extensions, they just chose not to hand them in on time. I'm not judging these people either, I've done it myself a few times. There have been times I got a penalty and times I didn't. Last semester I handed an assignment in 16 hours late and got an A, since the TA didn't apply the penalty, or notice it anyway. Not all people who do things last minute get bad marks, I've known people who could wrote A papers in 8 hours, which is the amount of time these people got extra to finish the essay.
My big grief was more the time they got, not the advantage in possible more, or less marks, although one can lead to the other. I work full time and go to school full time, and it just irks me, because I normally do my homework after work, between 4-12, which is when these people got to hand it in (to me this is basically an extra day, since the assignment was due at 4PM).
I wasn't asking for everyone who handed it in late to lose marks, so I wasn't trying to bitch, I wasn't trying to get the TA in trouble either, I just wanted to vent my frustration at the situation.
I honestly don't know what to expect, I just don't have the luxury of most students since I work full time, so I feel that advantages in time are a big deal to me, since I have so little.
hmm.. then maybe approach him after you get your assignment back? although chances are the profs will be off for their holidays and the TA's basically don't give a damn after the class is done.. =\
i once had a TA who said his TA "duties" were done the day we had our final when i said i wanted to discuss my paper with him.. ironic thing was.. we only got our essays back after writing our final.. damn TA
It seems like you want to do more than just vent your frustration. It seems like that you want a better grade. If not, then what do you want out of it? To let the TA to not ignore the deadlines for future markings? I highly doubt that is your motive. You just want a personal gain, something that you feel should be given to you since you handed your assignment on time. You also say that you do not want those who handed it in late to lose any marks, but in a curved class, you gaining a mark is the same as they losing a mark. It is a zero sum game.
If you were to complain, what exactly do you want out of this?
I just spoke to the TA and he was cool with it.
I also didn't say I wanted people in this class to be deducted the 10%, you just made an assumption. Re-read my posts and you'll notice I don't know what the appropriate decision would be. In my other class I felt I got away with murder, and would have accepted having 10% taken off since I still would have done good either way and understood the penalties. It certainly was unfair for the rule not be applied, I actually thought it was hilarious that I did better than most people who handed it in on time. This differs from this situation in that the TA didn't publicly announce that exceptions were being given for multiple assignments, thus avoiding an air of unfairness. I actually handed it in in hopes that the TA wouldn't deduct, because other people have told me this happens often (I asked for an extension and was denied).
I think its up to the TA or professor to make the appropriate decision and as I stated I don't know what to expect out of it. It's not fair for the TA to go back retroactively and deduct marks, and its not fair to bump my mark up for a sub-par essay. I also I don't want to re-write my essay, I don't have time to. All I know is that procedure wasn't followed and as a result there exists a situation without an easy remedy.
Read the context and content of my posts before you make off based assumptions about my motives. I'm frankly surprised so many people think there is nothing unfair about the situation. It is one thing to give an extension, it is another to ignore a deadline selectively. An extension gives more time for those who need it, in a sanctioned manner. In a first or second year class I wouldn't care as much, but in a fourth year class there really shouldn't be that much wiggle room.
Anyway, since posting this I just sent an email to the professor, the situation is his to deal with.
Opposite of my situation, since the TA said he wasn't giving extensions, and unofficially gave some by not penalizing them. :zip:
You do not want fairness, you want to be ahead. It is simple, no need to be ashamed of it and hide it, it is human nature. If you truly want it to be fair, you would of complained before that you didn't get deducted, or you wouldn't care this time that others didn't get deducted. You even said so yourself that you handed in an assignment hoping that you would not get deducted as people told you that the TA often does not deduct for late assignments. That information you had was given to you, on an unfair base, but not to ALL the students in that class, so you had the upper hand which is not fair to the others. Just because this TA publicly announced the information does not change anything. It only irritates you more because now that you know what has happened, as oppose to being blind and oblivious that others got a better treatment, something that you so desperately seek.
You are right, I am making assumptions. But they are accurate assumptions whether you want to admit it or not. I understand that it is hard for you to hear what I write as you don't want to look greedy or selfish. But even if you deny it, the rest of us see it and really, it is not a big deal.
Anyways, you emailed the prof already so all is done. Just don't lie to yourself ;)