Homeworks are typically due at 2pm, an hour before the start of class. It's important to get homeworks done on time so that you can follow the subsequent lectures. Thanks.
However, since emergencies sometimes arise, I'll grant extensions on request, in multiples of 24 hours, up to a total of up to 10 "late days" over the term. These will be granted by extending your deadline on Gradescope. You should give a reason so that we know what's going on, but we are not in the business of deciding whose reasons are "worthy" and whose aren't.
Exception: Please get Homework 1 in on time so we can discuss it in class. The mechanism for requesting extensions will be announced before Homework 2 is due.
Do yourself a favor and don't squander these extensions early! I hope you won't have to use many of them.
If you exceed 10 late days, we'll won't be able to give you credit for all homeworks, but it is still to your advantage to turn them all in. Why? Because we will identify which homeworks are most beneficial to count, and even the ones that officially got zeroes may help your final grade. See the bottom of this page for details.
This dialogue between two students may help you think about extensions:
Jack: Wow, this NLP homework is really long. I guess I should have started it sooner. Well, I guess I'll be requesting another extension on this one. Good night.
Jill: You mean you've already needed some late days? You poor thing! What happened to you?
Jack: Oh, I just turned the last NLP homework in a couple of days late because I had a project due for OOSE on the same day.
Jill: I see. Like I didn't have the same project due?
Jack: Well ... you did ... but it's so nice of Prof. Eisner to offer this really nice flexible due date policy.
Jill: Jack! It's not a flex policy, it's an emergency policy. What if your cat dies and you have to go home for the funeral? You could be out for a week! You'll be scrambling to catch up in all your courses, and you'll really need an NLP extension then.
Jack: Then I'll just tell Prof. Eisner that I had a real emergency.
Jill: That won't work. Everyone says he has no mercy after the 10 late days are gone. He doesn't want to judge specific excuses. The 10 late days are the mercy, in advance, for all your real emergencies put together.
Jack: You're right, Jill. You're also cruel to suggest that any harm might ever befall my beloved cat. But I'm realizing that my RA advisor might need me to work double time in November when we have a big deadline. So ok, I won't burn any more late days now. Off to the library I go for an NLP all-nighter. My fault for not starting sooner. Bye!
It's very rare, but occasionally someone uses more than 10 late days. Here's what would happen in that case:
All of your homeworks will still be marked and returned to you, as feedback.
All of your on-time homeworks will count normally toward your grade, even if they were handed in when you had no late days left.
Some of your late homeworks will be dropped, so that we are only counting a set of homeworks that remain within the total budget of 10 late days. We will make the choice that is more favorable to you.
(For example, if HW3 was 9 days late and HW5 was 2 days late, we will treat one of them as if you had handed in a blank homework on time—getting a 0 but not using up any late days. This allows the other late homework to count.)
If your total score is close to a borderline, your performance on the dropped homeworks may still be considered, to see whether you get the higher or lower grade for the course.
Thus, even if you exceed 10 late days total, it is still to your advantage to turn in all homeworks.
This extension policy is not meant to cover all situations. There are also Homewood-wide mechanisms to handle cases where you become seriously ill or have other significant disruptions to your semester. Please see the Student Outreach & Support office if you are in such a situation. For example, I've occasionally gotten a letter from the dean saying something like "Mx. Y is being treated for a serious illness and will have to miss 2 weeks of class to recuperate; please delay all subsequent due dates for them by 2 weeks." Obviously I will comply with such a letter.