As UW–Madison instructors, you can offer important support to students navigating various challenges, whether they stem from personal circumstances or broader societal events. From influenza and family emergencies to broader conflict or crises, these disruptions can create significant barriers to learning and degree progress. This resource is designed to equip you with practical strategies to provide flexibility and help students stay on track. (Note: This guide is for instructors – information for students is available from the Office of Student Assistance and Support.)
Required Accommodation vs. Non-Required Flexibility
Instructors are required to provide accommodations to students in certain cases: disability (as outlined in the student’s McBurney Connect Student Accommodation Letter), religious observance, pregnancy/childbirth, and students who have experienced sexual assault,dating/domestic violence, stalking, or sexual harassment.
For cases that do not require an accommodation, the decision of when and how to offer flexibility to a student lies fully within the discretion of the course instructor of record. If you have questions about what is required and what is discretionary, consult the guide Academic Flexibility for Life Events from the Office of Student Assistance and Support (OSAS). Your department, school or college can also assist.
This guide addresses discretionary situations. OSAS suggests that instructors consider the following questions when considering whether to grant flexibility requests to students:
- Is the request reasonable, appropriate, and timely?
- Has the student’s attendance and participation in class been at a level where they can successfully complete the work?
- Will granting the request compromise the academic integrity of the course?
- Is the flexibility consistent with what has been provided in similar situations?
In this guide
Communicate with students | Build flexibility in to your course | Consider individual alternatives for attendance and assignments | Consider individual alternatives for assessments | Consider an incomplete grade
Communicate with students
While there are several ways you may learn about student disruptions or challenges, it is most likely students will share with you directly via email or in a face-to-face conversation. It is important to respond in ways that are empathetic and caring.
Example: “I am so sorry to hear this has happened to you, and I appreciate you sharing your experience with me. When you are able, let’s find a time to meet so we can talk through your situation and make a plan for the remainder of the semester.”
It is also important to check if the student feels they are receiving support from campus. Ask if they have reached out to other support networks on campus. If the student does not have support, you can offer to connect them (but you cannot require students to contact support resources as a condition of getting flexibility). If the university or your school/college sends an email message about the situation, be sure to review it for additional information and resources you can share.
Example: “I want to make sure you can connect with someone at the university who is best positioned to support you. Can I email someone in [insert referral service] and cc: you to get a conversation started?”
As you and the student make a plan for next steps, make sure you clearly capture expectations and alternate deadlines in writing.
Example: “As discussed, here is a summary of the flexibility arrangements and the new deadlines we agreed upon:
- [Assignment/Project Name] – new deadline: [Date]
- [Quiz/Exam Name] – new deadline: [Date]
- [Other Course Requirement] – new deadline: [Date]
Please review these dates and let me know if anything needs to be adjusted. If your circumstances change or you need further support, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Build flexibility in to your course
Designing your course with flexibility in mind can reduce the number of requests you receive and save you time and energy. Some instructors with smaller class sizes have found success offering extensions freely and openly so long as students communicate their needs in advance. Larger enrollments can make ad hoc extension requests more challenging.
Some basic strategies – like dropping the lowest quiz grade or forgiving 1-2 missed attendance points – can reduce students’ stress and confusion when they encounter major life events or other disruptions.
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Automatically drop the lowest grade
View instructions to enable this option in Canvas
Example: For our weekly discussion activities, worksheets, and quizzes, you will be allowed to drop your lowest score for each of these categories. I make this exception because all of us get sick, or just have bad days. I hope this built-in flexibility will allow you to fully participate without being afraid of making mistakes or getting too far behind.
Source: Make Your Syllabus More Inclusive, L&S Instructional Design Collaborative
Allow late submissions with minor points deduction
View instructions to enable this option in Canvas.
Example: We have the following policy this semester for late work. This applies to the weekly assignments (discussion board post, practice worksheet, and partner reflection).
- There will be one point deducted per day that the assignment is late. For instance, if the assignment is due at 11:59 PM on Thursday and it is completed on Saturday, there will be two points deducted.
- We will accept late weekly assignments up until the next week’s assignment is due. For instance, if you do not complete the practice worksheet in week 3, you may submit the assignment (with one point deducted per day) up until the week 4 practice worksheet is due. After that point, we will not accept the late assignment. This is because the course content builds upon itself each week, and also helps avoid a pile up of late assignments for the teaching team to grade.
Build in a makeup option
Example: Discussion Prompts: You’ll have multiple opportunities to post your four (total) discussion prompts for the semester. Because your discussion posts play a meaningful role in helping shape each week’s lectures and discussion sections, we will not accept late responses to readings. If the deadline has passed, please choose a future reading to respond to instead. If needed, you’ll have the chance to make up one discussion post at the end of the semester. Contact your TA before December 4th to coordinate this. (You will receive a different discussion prompt to respond to.)
Source: More Welcoming Syllabus, Madison Teaching & Learning Excellence
Offer flexibility tokens
In this strategy from instructors in the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy, students receive a flexibility token that they can use at any point during the semester to earn full credit on a low-stakes assignment (less than 10% of course grade) that would otherwise have resulted in a zero or partial credit.
It’s useful for a variety of situations, including when students need a deadline extension, submitted an incorrect or blank document, or want to resubmit for a higher score. They simply use the token within 24 hours of the assignment deadline or score posting. Students who don’t use the token receive extra credit (0.5% of course grade) at the end of the semester.
Source: Giving Students Grace; Jessica Bergsbaken, Marina Maes, and Andrea Porter; 2024 UW–Madison Teaching & Learning Symposium
Consider alternatives to in-person assessments
Where able, you may want to proactively reconsider the time and place of assessments. This can look like switching from an in-person assessment to a timed, online exam or a take-home exam or integrating flexible deadlines. Doing so can ensure that students are able to concentrate and effectively demonstrate their learning.
View Best Practices for Delivering Online Quizzes and Exams in Canvas, including tips for maintaining exam integrity in Canvas. For support with Canvas and other Learn@UW technologies, contact the DoIT Help Desk and ask to meet with a DoIT AT consultant.
Consider individual alternatives for attendance and assignments
When challenges or disruptions prevent a student from joining your course in-person, you can consider alternative ways for them to engage asynchronously on a temporary basis (this does not mean changing an in-person course to a hybrid course).
For example:
- If you do not already do so, you could record your lecture using Lecture Ccapture or (more simply) set up an extra laptop near you as a temporary recording solution.
- Missed Top Hat questions could be reworded and assigned to individual students asynchronously as quizzes or reflection questions (either in the Top Hat app or as separate Canvas assignments/quizzes).
- Canvas assignments/quizzes can be assigned to individual students so as not to disrupt the gradebook for the rest of the class.
Resources
- Contact CTLM to discuss more ways to provide temporary alternatives to attendance
- Lecture Capture tutorial
- Alternatives for Media Recording, Hosting, and Sharing
- Which Should I Use? Options to Create Instructional Videos
- Assign a Canvas assignment to everyone, individual students, or sections
Consider individual alternatives for assessments
Conflicts or disruptions that take place during or close to a major assessment may cause a student to become distracted, emotionally impacted, or otherwise unable to fully participate. Not all courses are able to provide assessment alternatives (e.g. skipping an assessment, providing an alternative take-home exam, etc.) in the same way, so consulting with colleagues or a CTLM staff member can be a helpful starting point.
Example:
“As an alternative for Quiz #4, I would like for you to apply two course concepts from Unit 4. Please cite at least 2 peer-reviewed articles (or direct sources – like Erikson’s Childhood & Society). I am not looking for a terribly long paper (min 2 pages, max 4 pages, APA style). Here are some ideas/options:
- Design an after school program that is developmentally appropriate for a particular K-12 age group. Use at least two course concepts to defend your design.
- Apply two course concepts to analyze the behavior (actions, decisions, etc.) of a fictional character (from a book, movie, etc.). The first 1-2 paragraphs should provide an introduction to the fictional character.
- Using two course concepts to provide expert analysis in support of (or opposition to) proposed public policy. E.g. Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a law banning social media for children and youth. A Wisconsin state lawmaker asks for your informed opinion.”
Consider an incomplete grade
An Incomplete is a temporary grade that can be given to students while they complete course requirements beyond the end of the current semester. This option works best for students who have engaged regularly in your course (i.e. regular attendance) and completed the majority of coursework.