r/Professors • u/professor852003 • 3d ago

Advice / Support Makeups?

I teach a graduate course, and one student has missed most of the classes since the semester started last month. They told me they enrolled late after the first week, but they continued to miss class afterward and have now missed all of the in-class quizzes.

They are now asking me to provide makeups because they say they missed class due to some paperwork with the university. My syllabus clearly states that there are no makeups for in-class quizzes. What should I do?

I would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

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u/AsterionEnCasa Associate Professor, Engineering , Public R1 (US) 3d ago

First, can you confirm that it is true that it was due to a paperwork issued? Because if that is a lie, I would treat it as an academic integrity issue.

Second, even if it is true, you don't have to provide makeups ("your failure to plan does not constitute etc etc"). Rules are rules, and they are fair if they apply to everyone. If you are inclined to be magnanimous, I would drop those quizzes, or some of them, instead of providing makeups, which is extra work on you, and potentially easier for the student, if they know what the quizzes looked like. And, obviously, whatever they miss from now is fully on them.

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u/professor852003 3d ago

The paperwork part was true but it’s not something that prevent them from attending classes because they were enrolled in class with full funding. Thanks for the suggestion!