What are Late Days?

Check the syllabus for your course to learn about the assignment deadlines and your instructor’s policy for submitting late work. IMPORTANT: It is your responsibility as a student to know all course policies and follow the specific instructions for each assignment.

If your instructor has chosen to accept late work using Submitty’s late day system, you will be given a specific number of penalty-free late days at the start of the term, and you may use those late days on assignments as you choose. Late days allow you to adjust the deadlines for assignments to accommodate your schedule; for example, a busy week with assignments or exams in other courses or non-academic commitments. They are also helpful if you get “stuck” on an assignment and need to see the TA or instructor in office hours for help before completing the assignment. They can also be useful for a minor illness or personal situation that is not covered by a formal medical excused absence.

The late day policy is subject to a few rules:

• The instructor may limit the maximum number of late days that may be used on an assignment. These restrictions facilitate prompt TA grading and release of assignment solutions. Please check the assignment instructions and your course syllabus to determine the late day limit for each assignment.

• If you have submitted an assignment late and attempted to use more late days than you have available, your late day status for that assignment will be “Bad”. Similarly, if you submitted an assignment late and attempted to use more late days than allowed on the assignment, your late day status for that assignment will be “Bad”. Even though the status is “Bad”, you will still be able to review the autograding results, and you may even additional feedback and points from manual TA/instructor grading. However, if your late day status is “Bad”, your final assignment grade total will be recorded as a zero. You will not be charged late days for this assignment.

• For team assignments, if the team chooses to submit the assignment n days late, each member of the team will be charged n late days. If one or more students on the team do not have sufficient late days available, those students will receive a zero for this assignment.

How do I use a Late Day?

To use a late day, simply submit the assignment as normal. The page will display a banner of information about the deadline and a popup window will ask you to confirm your usage of one or more late days. Submitty stores the submission timestamp and will automatically calculate the number of days you should be charged on that assignment. You do not need to notify your instructor or TA.

If you submit the assignment multiple times, your late day status will be calculated for the active version. See also Managing Versions to learn how to roll-back your active submission or cancel your submission.

How many Late Days have I used so far?

To review the late day status and usage for all of your assignments, click on the “My Late Days” link from the sidebar.

The table displays your initial allocation of late days, the number of late days you have used so far, and the number of late days you have available for use on future assignments. If your instructor has a policy that allows you to earn additional late days, and you have earned additional late days, you will see that information on the late day information page.

If there is an error in the information in this table, consult the course syllabus and contact your TA or instructor as appropriate.

Excused Absence Extensions

The late day usage table above also displays any assignment extensions that have been entered for you by your instructor. Check your course syllabus to learn the procedure for submitting the necessary documentation to request a formal excused absence extension for medical or personal reasons.

Extensions allow you to submit an assignment late without penalty and without being charged late days. Your instructor may enter the extension before or after you submit your assignment. The late days information for all assignments will be automatically re-calculated after new information is entered into the system.

Excused absence extensions are applied to a specific assignment and may not be saved for future assignments.