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 allow you a total of up to 10 late days during the term. One day = 24 consecutive hours. [Thus, if you are 12 hours late, that counts as 1 whole day; you can't use the other 12 hours on some other assignment.]
Do yourself a favor and don't squander these late days early! I hope you won't have to use many of them. They are only intended to cover situations where you would ordinarily ask for an extension. Rather than ask me, just use a late day: I don't want to be in the position of deciding whose excuses are worthy and whose aren't.
If you run out of late days, we'll have to give you zeroes, but it is still to your advantage to turn in all homeworks. See the bottom of this page for why.
This dialogue between two students may help you think about late days:
Jack: Wow, this Declarative Methods assignment is really long. I guess I should have started it sooner. Well, I guess I'll be taking another late day 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 Declarative 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 then, and you'll really need your Declarative late days then.
Jack: Then I'll just use more than 10 late days, and 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 April when we have a big deadline. So ok, I won't burn any more late days. Off to the library I go for a Declarative 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 assignment on time—getting a 0 but not using up any late days. This allows the other late assignment 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.