One of the biggest changes on Kognity happening over the summer is that you as a teacher can now let your students hand in their Kognity homework late!

We've debated this decision over the years, both here at the company and with our teachers. Ultimately, we have decided that allowing students to hand in their homework late allows for a better learning experience. 

Hard deadlines serve several purposes (and don't worry - you can still set hard deadlines!) for example it helps make students accountable for their homework and improve their time management skills, which of course is very useful! 

After speaking with teachers, many told us that hard deadlines punished both the students and the teachers. How is that possible? we asked. 

First of all, students who miss deadlines, are probably students who need extra time to complete the assignment! So we are essentially telling students who need extra help, that we won't give it to them. Secondly, the admin around re-sending assignments or extending deadlines (before the deadline has passed...) grew into an inconvenience for teachers as it became very time-consuming, the opposite of what we've set up to do! 

By default, all new question assignments will allow students to hand in their work late - you simply untick the box to set a hard deadline. The PDF and CSV reports will be updated as more students complete the homework.

They will see their overdue homework at the top of the list of assignments so it's easy for them to prioritize as well! 

​What about reading assignments or exam-style questions?
Well, students can always read in the textbook, so the late submission feature has not been needed in the same way - you have always been able to check if a student read the sections on time or not. Your students can find all past assignments on the assignment page!

Thoughts or ideas on how to improve further? 

Let us know through the chat or email us at support@kognity.com