The process of turning in assignments has completely changed following the virtual school year. The online learning platform used from last year, Schoology, has stuck around for Community High School students during the in-person school year. With this platform, the main difference in learning is simply deadlines.

Previous habits have changed with Covid-19 and procrastination for students has gotten worse. Schoology is a convenient tool to help with this due to the straightforward assignment submission process, but problems emerge once the 11:59 p.m. deadline is applied.

The late-night deadline causes students to scramble and rush on assignments. Students only have so much time in a day available for homework. Homework completed before the next class period should be accepted. It is impossible for those who prefer doing homework before class in the morning. There is no reason that students should turn in work at 11:59 p.m. versus in class the next day.

On top of technological issues, assignments can get lost in the process of submitting. Online homework should be treated the same as paper assignments. Some teachers even have students take photos of paper assignments and turn them in before midnight. Unless teachers are beginning to grade these assignments directly after the 11:59 p.m. deadline, it doesn’t make sense to push this submission.

For students who prefer to wake up before class and complete assignments or during free time throughout the school day, these options are taken away with the midnight deadline.

Failing to meet this deadline automatically marks your work late in the Schoology system. Whether your assignment was turned in at 12:01 a.m. or further past the deadline, it is marked late on your home page. Once the clock strikes 11:59 p.m., there is nothing that students can do about work not being met by the deadline; it is already considered late so the motivation is lost in that process.

The way to eradicate this problem is to make assignments due as if they were paper assignments. Students wouldn’t be handing in sheets of homework at 11:59 p.m., so students shouldn’t be turning things in that way virtually. Students should be given the chance to do their personal best on every assignment; without the correct time to do it, it’s impossible for students to feel pleased. Homework should be due when it would typically be turned in. Whether this is at the start of the class period or the end of the school day, it should be treated as an assignment in previous years.

Until a change is made, students will be stuck in the virtual school setting and this problem will not end.