Abstract
Even before the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the composition classroom was fraught with time constraints, both in terms of teaching objectives and assignment deadlines. However, as quarantines and varying degrees of online learning have disrupted normal classroom instruction, it has become even harder for students and instructors to stay on track in the timeframe of a 16-week semester. Students have reported feelings of confusion, isolation, lack of motivation, and anxiety as a result of the pandemic (Means & Neisler, 2020), all of which have posed challenges to their ability to keep up with coursework. This paper explores the topic of flexible deadlines and the potential consequences for teaching and learning. Tara Wood (2017) argued that despite composition’s efforts to stage and sequence writing assignments, standardized deadlines put some students at a disadvantage: “[W]e must pay attention to how we construct time; otherwise, we may enforce normative time frames upon students whose experiences and processes exist in contradiction to such compulsory measures of time” (pp. 260-261). This study focuses on ways to implement flexible deadlines into the composition (and humanities) classroom while adhering to the established course objectives and assignment structure. It also discusses the benefits and potential pitfalls.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Past and Present in the Humanistic Education
KEYWORDS
Crip Time, Flexible Scheduling, Student Success, Disability Studies, Composition Pedagogy
