assignment due date means

How strict should you be? A guide to assignment due dates.

Colleges typically require instructors to include a calendar of assignment due dates in every course syllabus. But most syllabi also include a disclaimer that assignment deadlines are subject to change.  

So, how flexible should deadlines really be in a college course? 

Be Flexible, or be Rigid, but Always be Consistent 

Be consistent in your approach to deadline flexibility, whether you never accept late work or are always willing to make an exception. Nothing irritates strong students more than their instructor announcing, “Since so many of you asked for more time on the assignment that was due today, I’m extending its deadline to next week.”  

Syllabi should always include a clearly stated policy about the circumstances under which late work might be accepted, if at all.  

But should this policy be applied equally to low-stakes and high-stakes assignments? 

Low-Stakes Assessments  

If a course has many low-stakes assessments, like quizzes or homework problems, those assignments are usually due on the same day each week.  

For example, if class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there might a reading quiz due every Monday, to ensure that students are prepared for the week’s in-class discussions, and a homework problem due every Friday, to verify understanding of the week’s concepts. 

Here are three solid approaches to deadline flexibility for low-stakes assessments: 

1. Not flexible: Late work is never accepted  

If a student misses a deadline, they receive zero points on that assignment. 

This approach works best in courses that have many low-stakes assignments, such as reading quizzes on every textbook chapter, where missing one or two deadlines will not jeopardize a student’s understanding of the core concepts nor greatly impact their final letter grade. 

2. Somewhat flexible: Late work is accepted, at a penalty  

If a student misses a deadline, they can submit the assignment late, but their score will be penalized a specified amount (e.g. -5 points). 

This approach works best in courses where content acquisition is scaffolded such that missing one assignment will negatively impact a student’s understanding of core concepts and successful completion of future assignments. In this case, students who miss deadlines should be permitted to complete the missed assignments, but with a small scoring penalty to encourage on-time submissions in future weeks. 

3. Very flexible: Late work is made up, with instructor permission 

If a student misses a deadline, they must contact the instructor and arrange an alternate way to complete the assignment (e.g. by taking a make-up quiz during the instructor’s office hours). 

This approach works best in courses where low-stakes assessments are considered part of a student’s participation grade. In this case, missing a deadline is like missing a class meeting. Students should be encouraged to initiate contact with the instructor to arrange a way to verify their understanding of the missed assignment’s concepts.  

High-Stakes Assessments  

Every course has one or more high-stakes assessments, such as exams or research papers. These assessments are weighted more heavily (worth more of the overall course grade) than lower-stakes assessments because these are higher-level demonstrations of students’ proficiency in the course outcomes. Failure to successfully complete high-stakes assessments generally leads to failure of the entire course. 

What kind of flexibility is appropriate then for key, high-stakes course assessments? 

1. Not flexible: Deadlines do not change, under any circumstances  

If a student misses a deadline, they receive zero points on that assessment. 

This is the most common approach to deadlines for high-stakes assessments. It is rare for a college instructor to permit students to make up a missed midterm or final exam because students making up an exam would receive the unfair advantage of more time to prepare for the exam. Also, many final exams are scheduled for the very end of term, when there is no time remaining for make-up testing before instructors must report course grades to the college. 

2. Somewhat flexible: Deadlines are extended, at a penalty 

If a student misses a deadline, they can submit the assessment late, but their score will be penalized a specified amount (e.g. one letter grade per day). 

This approach is more common for midterm assessments, or for courses with single high-stakes assessments, such as a research paper that students work on throughout the term. If students who miss the deadline for a high-stakes assessment can still submit their work, but their score is heavily penalized, the course grades will accurately reflect the students’ term-long proficiency in the course outcomes. For example, a student who earned “A” scores all term but submitted their final paper one day late could still finish the course with a “B” grade. 

Remember, flexibility around assignments should be geared towards what makes sense in your course and for your students. While there are a lot of possible variations in regards to policy, the most critical element is to be clear and upfront with your students early in the term. This will help avoid confusion and complaints – and help you keep your sanity at the end of the term when students come looking for extra chances to make up missed work! 

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Flexible Due Dates: How it Works in College & K12

Strict due dates are ingrained in all levels of education but some educators find when they get rid of them there’s less stress and more learning.

The concept of loosening due dates used to terrify me. 

However, recently thanks to the advice of some innovative educators, I instituted flexible due dates in my classes with positive results. Through my experience and conversations with these educators, I've learned that there are many misconceptions about flexible due dates and our collective thinking around deadlines is overdue for an update. 

Flexible Due Dates are Implemented on a Spectrum 

Not all flexible due dates course design looks the same. For example, Holly Owens, who teaches graduate instructional design classes at Touro College and hosts the EdUp EdTech podcast, includes due dates on her course schedule. However, these are soft due dates, as students have a four- or five-day grace period afterward in which they can submit work without penalty. 

If they miss that grace period, they can still submit up until the end of the semester with only a 5-point deduction out of a 100-point submission. 

Dr. Kathryn J. Biacindo’s online education courses at Fresno State are more truly self-paced. Though there is a course calendar that provides students with a sense of the order in which they can complete assignments, they’re free to finish the course early or binge on several assignments at the end of the semester. There is no pressure to stick to the course schedule.  

Briana Breen, a grad student of Biacindo's at Fresno State and a second-grade teacher in California, links flexible due dates with mastery learning, which also eliminates grading. Her students are given time to gain proficiency in a topic before moving on to the next phase of the class. If that means a student needs more time to complete an assignment, Breen is perfectly fine with that. “I don't penalize students for not doing homework because outside the classroom, I can't control what happens. Students have a million things going on in their life just like I do,” she says. But structuring her classes around mastery and student achievement instead of grades and due dates has made students more enthusiastic about completing assignments. 

In my classes, I tend to take an approach that is similar to Owens. I still have due dates but now include brief "grace periods" during which students can submit work without penalties. If they miss the grace period, small penalties start to accrue. In the workshop writing classes I teach, keeping as close to a schedule is important. However, building some flexibility into the class helps provide students who have fallen behind a lifeline to catch up to their classmates. 

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Flexible Due Dates Can Reduce Stress and Increase Productivity  

The goal behind flexible due dates is to reduce stress while maximizing opportunities for student success. Giving students who miss a due date an opportunity to catch up encourages them to keep engaging with the class rather than give up. “It's kind of like when you start eating healthy or exercising and you miss one day, you're like, ‘I just give up.’ I don't want that,” Owens says. 

Both Biacindo and Breen have researched the impact of due dates and other mastery-based strategies on their students. Their results overwhelmingly favor the more flexible approach. 

Breen says letting her students know that a writing assignment is due at the end of the week, but they can take more time if they need to, reduces student panic, which helps drive the increase in productivity she sees from students. “The worst thing to see in a student is a panic because it closes their mind. It takes away their growth mindset,” she says. 

I found that to be the case as well. In the past students who have missed assignments early often fall too far behind to succeed and end up either dropping or failing the class. Since I've included more opportunities for students to catch up, I've seen certain students excel who may not have in the past. 

Not Everyone Waits Until The Last Minute Without Due Dates 

My nightmare scenario before I started offering flexible due dates was being buried under a mountain of ungraded assignments at the end of the semester. But that doesn’t actually happen, say flexible due date practitioners. 

“The majority of students are on deadline or right next to it,” Owens says. “It's a few students who you're accommodating.” To manage her time, Owens lets students know that if a submission is late, she may not grade it right away but will instead wait until her next scheduled grading session. 

Even in Biacindo’s self-paced courses, not every student waits until the end of the semester to submit work. “About a third of my students will finish early, then I have a third who are normal, and then I have a third who are bingers, but that's their personal learning style and they’re allowed to express it,” she says. 

While this flexible schedule does give her more to grade during the final week of each semester, she factors that time in from the beginning and says it remains manageable. 

Another common misconception about flexible due dates is that courses that employ this approach are less rigorous. Flexible due dates should not be linked to academic rigor. For instance, I teach graduate writing courses that require students to complete a great deal of work that includes producing a lot of original writing and providing detailed feedback on the writing of their classmates. The course is a lot of work, and giving students a little more breathing room on an assignment doesn't change that.

Instructor Feedback Still Matters Without Due Dates  

When I teach writing, assignments build progressively and my hope is that students improve based upon my feedback throughout the semester. On the surface, this seems undoable with flexible due dates. However, the idea of learning new skills and then building on these skills is at the heart of mastery education – and even without due dates instructor feedback remains key. 

Instead of keeping students to a preconceived schedule, Breen makes sure they’ve learned a previous lesson before they advance to the next. “Most of the material, especially in K through 12, it's all building bridges,” she says. “When we push the kids through on [a topic] without it being completely mastered, it just weakens their learning for the next step of it.” 

In her classes, Owens says she’s often able to provide more feedback in a condensed amount of time to students who have fallen behind. However, there are times when students fall too far behind and will need to withdraw from the course or take an incomplete. 

Group Work Without Due Dates and "Real Life"  

Another concern I've had with due dates is group work and peer review. I teach a writing workshop in which students are required to read 15-20 page submissions from classmates and provide detailed feedback and line edits. It feels unfair to ask others to adjust their schedules to accommodate students who submit late work, which is why I still have due dates, just more flexible ones. 

When it comes to this type of work and due dates,  it can be necessary to find creative ways to incorporate group work and assignments more flexibly. For instance, Biacindo makes group work optional. “There are people who like to run solo, but if you do things in a group, it will be a little easier, and so I give them that option,” she says. 

One common argument in favor of a due date is that’s how the real world works. Only it isn’t .

Supervisors who give rigid arbitrary deadlines are also supervisors who have trouble keeping employees. Even in the world of journalism, in which a due date is as important as almost any professional field, it is not generally etched in stone. It’s common for journalists working outside of breaking news to ask for, and be granted, small extensions. I ask for these regularly. I even asked for one for this story. Thankfully, I wasn’t penalized. 

• Using Virtual Environments & Other Edtech to Foster Inclusivity
• Educators Moving Away from Seat Time for Mastery-Based Education

Erik Ofgang is Tech & Learning's senior staff writer. A journalist,  author  and educator, his work has appeared in the Washington Post , The Atlantic , and Associated Press. He currently teaches at Western Connecticut State University’s MFA program. While a staff writer at Connecticut Magazine he won a Society of Professional Journalism Award for his education reporting. He is interested in how humans learn and how technology can make that more effective. 

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Assessment deadlines, learner help center feb 13, 2023 • knowledge, article details.

Most courses generate deadlines based on a personalized schedule that begins when you enroll in a course. If you’re taking a limited availability course, the info in this article may apply to you.  Learn more about assessment deadlines for limited availability courses.

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Missed deadlines, reset your course deadlines.

To see your deadlines and incomplete assessments:

• Log in to Coursera .
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• Find the course you’d like to see the schedule for and click its name.
• Click the Grades tab.
• Check a specific week to see deadlines for that week's assessments.

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Missed deadlines don’t affect your grade in most courses. You'll still be able to earn a Course Certificate once you complete all your work.

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Note: Degree courses have hard deadlines which can include late penalties. For more information, see Degree course schedules and deadlines.

If you miss two assessment deadlines in a row or miss an assessment deadline by two weeks, you'll see a Reset deadlines option on the Grades page. Click it to switch to a new schedule for the course with updated deadlines. You can use this option as many times as you need.

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Assignment calendars help students avoid deadline anxiety

The start of an academic year can seem daunting, particularly if it’s your first. You may feel weighed down by the amount of material you have to study before working on and submitting assignments by due dates. A well-designed assignment calendar is an effective time-management tool. It can help you stay organized and on track with your tasks throughout each semester and the entire academic year.

This article explains how an assignment calendar is essential for students and how you can save time by personalizing a Work OS template . It will show you how monday.com can make it easy for you to keep track of your progress, and through strong visuals and seamless integration with other Work OS templates, help you productively manage your learning journey and hit each assignment deadline on time.

What is an assignment calendar?

Assignment calendars make it easy to organize and track tasks, freeing the student’s time to concentrate on learning.

An assignment calendar, sometimes known as an assignment organizer, is a structured method of monitoring the discharge of multiple tasks within the same assignment to ensure all are completed before the due date. Students can also use it to set their personal goals for the semester or academic year, as well as to record and plan communications with members of the faculty. A student can create their own assignment tracker from scratch, but for many, the best solution is to personalize an existing template.

What should an assignment calendar include?

An assignment calendar should include methods of recording every facet of your learning journey. Typically, these will include the following:

• Flexible calendar:  For adding all your study and assignment dates, including dates for tuition fees
• Note-taking feature:  For recording raw information that’s linked to specific subjects
• Project management tools:  For breaking tasks down into manageable chunks
• Filtering features:  For minimizing clutter by filtering content
• Document management:  For storing important documents that can be linked to a specific point of study or a test/assignment
• Contacts:  For storing essential contact information such as the phone numbers and emails of other students, professors, and research assistants

Why use a monday.com assignment calendar?

A monday.com assignment calendar will help you organize your day, week, month, semester, and academic year. You’ll be able to view your progress through every task related to your assignment and integrate the calendar with other useful Work OS templates, ensuring a seamless workflow throughout. You can quickly build a unique, lean, and cloud-based dynamic calendar that is always at your fingertips.

monday.com templates for students

monday.com templates are easily customizable programs that work effectively in isolation and are even more effective when teamed with other Work OS tools. An online assignment calendar can be accessed from any device, and as it’s cloud-based, the student needn’t worry about losing vital information. Being part of monday.com’s network of programs means students can integrate it with other useful programs, building a small and personal suite of tools that help them manage their learning journeys.

Academic requirements tracker

The Academic Requirements Tracker template  can help you observe the progress of your degree. You’ll see your accomplishments and what you still have to do for your major, minor, and certificate requirements. The assignment tracker separates activities and color-codes the current status of each as red, amber, and green, so you can easily monitor your progress. You can include due dates for all activities, including communications, and add links to quickly access important content. You’ll always know how many credits you need at every stage of your learning schedule.

Managing student life

The Managing Student Life template  lets you organize and easily monitor every aspect of your academic year. This includes planning each semester’s learning tasks, setting monthly goals, and controlling your budget. There are more than 30 customizable columns you can drag and drop to quickly personalize the template, creating a workflow that reflects your individual needs. You can also use the template to manage your self-care, ensuring you plan healthy breaks into your schedule.

Research power tools

The Research Power Tools template  provides a high-level monitoring system for research projects. It lets you collaborate easily with others in the project, including fellow students, faculty, and research assistants. You can alter views of your data immediately and use various options to visualize content, including timeline, Kanban, Gantt, and workload. The template also lets you develop automated behaviors for repetitive tasks, such as sending due date warning emails and real-time notifications.

Frequently asked questions

Are students who use assignment planners more successful.

Although many factors determine a student’s level of success, assignment calendars also help:

• Improve grades : A 2007 study  by Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner found that students who organize their calendars typically achieve better grades than those that don’t. The study also found that those students experienced less stress and anxiety.
• Enhance concentration:  An assignment organizer makes it easier to focus on the job at hand, allowing you to put aside non-critical projects for another time.
• Develop time-management skills:  Benjamin Franklin once famously said, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.” Assignment organizers help you plan, and as a consequence, develop your time-management skills, which will be critical to your future success in whatever field you later enter.

Can an assignment calendar help with procrastination?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have enough time to put off studying or homework until later. A carefully maintained assignment calendar will keep you focused on internal deadlines you’ve created for yourself, but more importantly, external ones imposed by your learning institution. Procrastination is an emotional response  to something you fear, such as failing a major project. An assignment organizer will help you break down formidable tasks into more manageable pieces that don’t appear as difficult. The frequent result is the project becomes less daunting, reducing the likelihood of procrastination.

Is a monday.com assignment calendar better than alternatives?

Online assignment tracker templates from monday.com help students improve their efficiency and increase their productivity. They help the student avoid duplicating content, allow the flow of work from other assignment organizers, and ensure data isn’t accidentally lost. As Work OS assignment planners are cloud-based, the student needn’t worry about losing data or access, which is a real possibility with paper-based alternatives.

Never miss a key deadline with an online assignment calendar

An assignment calendar is a vital part of every student’s toolbox. It can help you manage your learning process, focus on the here and now, and keep one eye on what you need to do next. Properly managed, it will help you avoid missing important deadlines, reduce your anxiety, and ensure you’re always aware of the stage you’re at, whether it’s for that week, month, semester, or the entire academic year. Attaining an academic qualification takes commitment, discipline, stamina, and an ability to learn skills that make learning possible. Our Work OS Assignment Calendar Template and associated education-linked templates make it easier for you to focus on your goals and succeed in your ambitions.

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Due On, Due By, Or Due For? Difference Explained (+18 Examples)

Prepositions come after many words in English, and it’s important to understand how the meaning of words changes based on which preposition follows it. Let’s look at whether we use due on, due by, or due for, and what each one means.

What Is The Difference Between Due On, Due By, And Due For?

Due on should be used when something must be submitted on a given date and no other time. Due by should be used when something can be submitted on a given date or before. Due for should be used when something is submitted to a person, rather than a time.

When Is The Deadline Day Included?

When you want to announce the deadline day, it always comes after the preposition. That means you can say “due on Friday” or “due by Tuesday next week.”

You can only put the deadline day after the preposition to indicate the urgency of the submission to the people you’re talking to. “Due on Friday” shows the urgency of getting it completed by Friday, while “due by Friday” shows that you can do it by Friday or before.

Does Due By Friday Mean On Friday Or Before Friday?

“Due by Friday” means both on and before Friday. It’s up to you how you want to interpret the message. Usually, you will start to work on the submission early and see how long it takes you to complete.

When something is “due by Friday,” it means you have until Friday to complete it. If you work on it earlier than that and complete it before Friday, you can hand it in whenever it’s ready.

Usually, tasks that are “due by” aren’t as urgent as ones that are “due on,” and there’s no given time frame for how long that task might take somebody to complete. Some people like to leave “due by” tasks until the last minute and hand it in on the last day, but this isn’t always a wise decision.

Is Completing A Task On The Due Date Considered Overdue?

Depending on what was asked of you, completing a task on the due date may be considered overdue. Typically, you want to finish the task before the due date to make sure that you can hand it in on time, ready for the due date.

Due dates usually include a day and a time. If you decide to complete your task on the expected day, you may often be overdue, as many people choose to finish their tasks earlier in the week to make sure they have something to hand in.

Of course, the time you hand something in and the time you complete it depends on the task in question. Some school assignments might take less time than a data-entry assignment would at your workplace. It’s dependent on what someone asked you to do, just as much as it’s dependent on your own work ethic.

Generally, make sure you get your task completed before the due date. That way, you’ll never hand in work that’s overdue.

6 Examples Of How To Use “Due On” In A Sentence

Let’s look through some examples now of when “due on” is used. We use this when we’re setting a specific time to hand in work. There’s no leeway or wiggle room with this time either. We typically tell them that the day is final, meaning no submissions before or after.

• This essay is due on Friday the 14th; otherwise, you will fail.
• This assignment is due on Monday next week.
• It’s due on Thursday, and I haven’t even started working on it yet!
• We’re due on Wednesday to hand this in.
• What day is the work assignment due on, sir?
• This is due on Saturday, no earlier, no later.

6 Examples Of How To Use “Due By” In A Sentence

Let’s see how “due by” is used next. There’s a lot more wiggle room and leniency when someone uses “due by.” They don’t want you to hand in the assignment later than mentioned, but they’re more than happy to accept it earlier than that if you complete it. Often, they’ll reward you for completing it quicker.

• The homework is due by Friday, okay?
• I’ve set you an assignment that’s due by Sunday.
• This piece is due by next weekend, right?
• I’ve got to finish my essay that’s due by tomorrow morning.
• The article is due by tomorrow evening.
• You have to complete the document for me. It’s due by noon!

6 Examples Of How To Use “Due For” In A Sentence

Finally, “due for” is used when the intended thing is a person or place rather than a time frame. Also, if you use the word “when” to start a question, you will finish it with “due for.”

• When is this due for again?
• Is that due for Mr. Robinson’s class?
• That’s due for Tom, isn’t it?
• That’s due for the class at six, right?
• When is our homework due for?
• When is this due for?

Is It Ever Correct To Use “Due At”?

When we want to be even more specific with our due date, we can include “due at.”

If we’re already on the day that the work was due and want to specify a time, that’s when we use “due at.” It keeps things even more specific than previously mentioned.

• This is due at six o’clock.
• This is due at two.

Quiz: Have You Mastered The Due On Vs Due By Vs Due For Grammar?

Now we’ll run you through a quick quiz to see what you’ve learned from this article! We’ll include the answers at the end for you to compare with as well.

• The homework is (A. due on / B. due by / C. due for) Friday and no earlier.
• The sooner you get it done, the better. It’s (A. due on / B. due by / C. due for) Tuesday.
• When is our essay (A. due on / B. due by / C. due for)?
• Is that (A. due on / B. due by / C. due for) Tuesday or Wednesday?
• This assignment is (A. due on / B. due by / C. due for) next week.

Quiz Answers

You might also like: “By Tomorrow” – Learn What It Actually Means! (Examples & Facts)

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here .

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Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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What Assignment Due 11:59 PM means: What Comes After

Assignment Due 1159 PM

Assignment due dates are part of the assignment itself. The instructor/teacher/professor wants to determine whether their students can adhere to simple instructions.

This is the reason why assignments that are delivered late attract fines in terms of deduction in marks or even rejection.

Yes, some of the instructors are very strict when it comes to assignment due dates and they can reject your assignment even when it is a few minutes late!

Now, instructors can give students various due dates that determine the date, hour, and minute in which they are required to submit their completed work.

They may decide to set those due dates or let the plagiarism-checking platforms such as Turnitin or Blackboard set default deadlines. 

Note that some institutions only allow their students to submit their work through such platforms so that the assignments can be automatically checked for plagiarism. 

That being said, let us explore what the most common due dates and times mean for students and the submission of assignments. 

What does Due 11:59 PM Mean

11:59 PM is one of the most common assignments’ due time (deadline) given to students. I know you may be wondering why this is the case. Why not any other time of the day?

Well, the reason is that in the contemporary world, institutions of learning may have students from different time zones who may be attending online classes or are required to submit their homework at the same time. 

In assignment submission, 11:59 PM means that the paper or essay is due at the very last minute of that day and not even a second or a minute late. If as a student you upload a file one minute after 11:59 PM, will have submitted on the next day 00:00 AM, and not the previous day, which is a minute earlier.

For example, if the instructor states that the assignment is due, let’s say, on Friday the 16th, students should deliver their work by 11:59 PM on Friday the 16th. If you upload it on Saturday the 17th then you are late because the time will be 00:00 hours, a new day.

To coordinate the due time, a specific due date has to be set in which the final day to submit the assignments is set.

A complete day is made up of 24 hours with the start of the day being at midnight.

Midnight is written in 24hrs clock as 00:00 hours.

What this means is that when the clock reads 00:00 hours, we have entered another day.

Therefore, if students were required to submit on the previous day, it means that they are late. 

Is 11:59 Pm Morning or Night?

To some of us, determining whether 11:59 PM is morning or night can be confusing.

Some of the genuine reasons for this confusion are that the “PM” initials signify nighttime and most of the time zones in the world are within the dark side of the earth; meaning that they are experiencing night.

However, 00:00 hours or midnight is considered to be part of the morning because it is the start of a new day.

The problem is that 11:59 PM and 00:00 hours are separated by less than 1 minute (59 seconds) and the former is considered night while the latter is considered morning. Well, all the factors held constant, 11:59 PM should be considered night.

Don’t be confused by the aforementioned technicalities. What matters is the time of day. If it is 11:59 PM, the day has ended and a new day will begin at 00:00 hours midnight. 

What Comes After 11:59 PM?

As aforementioned, 11:59 PM signifies the end of a complete day. A complete day is made up of 24 hours and 11:59 PM in 24 hours style clock is written as 23:59 hours.

This indicates that only less than a minute is left for the 24 hour-day to end. Therefore, when 11:59 PM passes, a new day comes when the clock indicates 00:00 hours or midnight. 

What Does “Due Tomorrow At 11:59 PM” Mean?

As we have noted, a complete day is made up of 24 hours. What this means is that for us to experience a complete “today”, we must experience it from midnight (00:00 hours/midnight) to 23:59 hours/11:59 PM.

Therefore, when someone tells you that they expect something tomorrow, it means that today must pass; or rather we must pass 11:59 PM and transition to 12 AM or 00:00 hours because that would be a new day (tomorrow). 

Now, if your instructor tells you that your assignment is due tomorrow at 11:59 PM, it means that they expect the assignment the next day one minute before midnight.

For example, if today is Friday the 16th and the instructor has told students that their assignment is due tomorrow at 11:59 PM, they will have to submit their work by Saturday the 17th at 11:59 PM. If students submit their work one minute after that, they will have delivered on a Sunday morning (12 AM or 00:00 hours). 

What Happens when you Submit an Assignment at 11:59 Pm?

If you submit your assignment at exactly 11:59 PM, you are okay because you have not breached the deadline.

An important thing you should note as students is that when your instructors ask you to submit your assignment, they tell you to do so via plagiarism-checking tools such as Turnitin or Blackboard. Such tools set their default deadlines at 11:59 PM because it is the end of a complete day.

They do not count the seconds between 11:59 PM and 12 AM. According to such tools, you only need to submit your work before the clock in your time zone reads 00:00 hours or midnight.

Tips on how to Submit an Assignment at 11:59 PM

1. upload one file.

As noted, students should make sure that they upload their assignments before midnight because the assignments will be past due.

If you are submitting your assignment at 11:59 PM, it means that you only have less than 1 minute (60 seconds) to upload your assignment files.

To ensure that your assignment is successfully uploaded within a few seconds, it is best to upload it as one file to avoid wasting time. It takes more time to upload several files, meaning that you will be late. 

2. Use Fast Internet

Bearing in mind that you only have a few seconds to upload your assignment files, you should use fast internet. Fast internet will allow you to upload your files within a short time and beat the deadline.

Slow internet is not only annoying but it can make you submit your work past the deadline because by the time it uploads the complete file, the 59-second window will have passed. 

3. Ensure the Computer is Plugged

This should be an obvious thing to do. Your computer should be plugged in to ensure that there are no disruptions when uploading your assignment files. 

4. Upload a Small Size File

Small file sizes can be uploaded faster compared to larger files. Additionally, if your internet is slow, the process of uploading a small-size file will be faster.

Larger files will take more time even when there is moderate-speed internet. 

5. Do not Close the Window/tab

It is also very important to not close the window or tab of your browser as you are uploading your assignment. This is because if you close, the window or tab will take more time to reload the content and this will make you late. 

6. Wait until the Upload is Confirmed

Finally, it is important to wait until the uploaded assignment has been confirmed.

Do not be in a hurry to close the browser window/tab before confirming that the file upload has been successful.

This is because it might not be successful at times and you may be required to retry uploading the file again. 

Therefore, to avoid submitting your assignments late and consequently being penalized, take note of the explanations and tips in this article. 

With over 10 years in academia and academic assistance, Alicia Smart is the epitome of excellence in the writing industry. She is our chief editor and in charge of the writing department at Grade Bees.

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• Course Design

Six Approaches for Sharing Assignment Due Dates 

• September 13, 2023
• Laura Schisler, PhD, and Melissa Locher, EdD

Gather a group of faculty and mention the perennial problem of students turning in assigned work late, and you will often encounter a range of emotional responses, recitations of policies and, perhaps, even blame-placing.  Yet, some faculty experience the late work phenomenon to a lesser extent. While there is nothing that we can do to mitigate the significant life events that happen to students each semester (e.g. death in the family, significant illness, car accidents), we can take steps to ensure that students stay on track with assigned course work and progress through the development of our content in a meaningful manner by taking actions to be a student success-supporting instructor (Kumar & Skrocki, 2016). 

Learning to manage course expectations and juggle deadlines at the university level is a developmental skill that successful students continuously work on to strengthen and refine.  Students are entering the post-secondary environment with mixed experiences managing independent work. While most faculty are accustomed to managing projects and meeting deadlines, our current students may be developmentally emerging in their related abilities. Students often benefit from direct instruction on managing deadlines and instructional supports to ensure that they are successful with assignments completed on their own.  

One such instructional support is a clear, accurate, and predictable course schedule of assignment due dates. Often shared with students at the beginning of the semester, a course schedule provides a table or list of assignment information such as the name of the assignment, the assignment due date/time, and where the assignment should be submitted. This tool can be shared with a student electronically, posted in an LMS, provided in a printable document, or handed out in class.  Students often request that schedules be available in multiple formats for ease of access in varied situations. In the authors’ experience, many students value having a physical copy of the schedule as a tangible reminder of upcoming work.  

In online courses, instructors can provide multiple ways for students to interact with class information, such as course schedules. One fundamental way to set students up for success is to ensure students know when assignments are due in multiple, easily accessible formats. Below are six approaches for sharing due dates with students in online courses:  

• Table : This approach can involve designing a table, made in any number of available document and spreadsheet programs, that provides multiple points of information in a single space. Tables might include week numbers in the first column and headings across the first row. Headings could include the week start date, topic(s) to be addressed that week, assignments to be submitted that week, possible points, and due dates for those assignments.   Alternatively, a table approach can be utilized to share information on a weekly or unit basis depending on the nature of assignments associated with the course.  For students in the early stages of developing their management skills, small units of information are often more easily managed than the whole-semester-at-once approach.  
• Calendar : To share due dates in this format, create a calendar document in a program or website that has space to type assignment due dates on the calendar boxes for the corresponding date. The resulting calendar can be shared as a PDF or image file with other course documents such as syllabi.  
• List : This approach includes weekly blocks of bulleted lists of assignment due dates in a text document. If the course does not involve many weekly assignments, the blocks of assignments could alternatively be grouped by topics or units. This list can be posted on its own or in conjunction with a more detailed course schedule, such as in the Table format. Smaller lists might be used in weekly modules as reminders of assignments due that week or upcoming weeks. A listed course schedule that spans the duration of the course and all the assignment due dates within it can also be used (Revak, 2020). 
• LMS calendar : Many Learning Management Systems (LMS) will provide an in-site calendar for student use. Instructors can usually indicate a due date when creating an assignment within the LMS, and by including the due date with the assignment, the LMS will automatically populate those due dates in the LMS calendar feature. Dues dates posted on the LMS calendar can then be easily exported to the student’s preferred calendar program. 
• Announcements : Share approaching due dates with students in the context of weekly announcements. Announcements may already be utilized in online courses, and adding a short list or table of approaching due dates at the end of the announcement provides a quick reminder to students of looming deadlines without needing to check the semester-long version of the course schedule. In addition, a specific announcement can be scheduled to launch 24 hours prior to an assignment due date to prompt students to complete the assignment.  
• Send reminder feature : Most LMS offer a “send reminder” feature associated with individual assignments.  This is a targeted approach that can be utilized either prior to the assignment deadline or immediately after the assignment deadline passes. This student-specific reminder helps to focus and target information to students who are emerging in their date management skills.  

Whichever approach or approaches are used to share due dates with students, there are some considerations to keep in mind. First, ensure that the published due dates for all methods of sharing those due dates are aligned to avoid the confusion of one due date in the Table and another for the same assignment shared in a weekly announcement. Building the course schedule so assignments are due the same day of the week each week provides consistency and repetition for students (Shipp, 2020). Second, one method approach might work better with a particular course than another, or instructors might prefer one approach over another. It can often be beneficial to ask a class of students about their preferred method at the start of the semester. We can help students developmentally progress by initially meeting them where they are at. Whichever approach works for the instructor to share information and for the students to receive clear and accurate due dates might be the “best” approach. 

Laura Schisler, PhD, is an assistant professor and program coordinator for the master of arts in teaching program in the Teacher Education Department at Missouri Southern State University. Following a career teaching junior high and high school science, she now instructs science methods and general teacher education courses in a variety of instructional formats.   

Melissa Locher, EdD, is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Missouri Southern State University. She has over 15 years of experience in online instruction in both general education and Special Education course content.    

References   

Kumar, Poonam and Marilyn Skrocki (2016). Ensuring Student Success in Online Courses.  Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-course-design-and-preparation/ensuring-student-success-online-courses/   

Revak, Marie A (2020). When the Tide Goes Out: Identifying and Supporting Struggling Students in Online Courses. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/identifying-and-supporting-struggling-students-in-online-courses/   

Shipp, Jeremiah E (2020). Back to the Basics: Revisiting the ABCs of Teaching Online Courses. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/back-to-the-basics-revisiting-the-abcs-of-teaching-online-courses/  

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Meeting Expectations: Differences Between ‘Due On’ and ‘Due By

Categories Grammar

Prepositions are tricky little words. They’re so small, you might not even notice them—and yet they can change the meaning of your sentence entirely. Prepositions often make a sentence make sense—or not make sense at all.

Prepositions are words that express a relationship between two things. They can tell you where something is about something else or how one thing relates to another. If you attach two different prepositions to the same word, you can change its whole meaning.

Two such words include “due on” and “due by.” Both of these terms refer to the deadline. The main difference between “due on” and “due by” is that “due on” is a specific time frame, whereas “due by” is a time frame with a deadline.

If you are working on something that needs to be completed before a specific date, you should use “due on.” If you have something that needs to be completed before a specific date and time, you should use “due by.”

Let’s discuss these two prases in detail.

What Is The Meaning Of “Due On?”

“Due on” means to be due at a specific moment, like on a specific day at a specific time.

In business, you may hear this phrase when dealing with contracts: “The contract is due on your desk by noon tomorrow.” So, it’s saying that you have until noon tomorrow to comply with the terms of this contract.

It’s also sometimes used to refer to a payment schedule: “Payment is due on the 1st of every month.” This means that each month you have to pay your monthly fee by the first day of the month.

What Is The Meaning Of “Due By?”

The standard usage of the term “due by” is to indicate a deadline for the completion or submission of something. For example, you might see it as part of a project title: “Project Due by January 15.” It can also be used in the subject lines of an Email, like “Email: Due by noon.”

“Due by” is a term that can be used in various contexts. It most often refers to the date something must be completed, delivered, or paid.

For example, if you have an assignment due by Monday, it must be completed and submitted by Monday. If you have a bill due by the end of the month, it must be paid before the end.

The phrase can also be used when setting a deadline for someone else’s work. For example: “I need this report due by Friday.”

In both these terms, adding different prepositions to the word “due” has changed its meaning.

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions are words that indicate relationships between the objects in a sentence. They show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence. A preposition is always followed by an object, which can be either a noun or a pronoun.

Prepositions are called “ case markers ” because they mark a word’s case (or grammatical function) in a sentence. For example: “I passed my test with flying colors.” The preposition “with” marks the case of “test” as a direct object ( DO ).

Here is a table with a few examples of prepositions and their meaning.

Difference Between “Due On” And “Due By”

These are the differences between “Due on” and “Due by”:

• “Due by” is used when the deadline is expressed in terms of a time or date, such as “due by Tuesday.”
• “Due on” is used when the deadline is expressed regarding an event or occurrence, such as “due on receipt of payment.”
• The term “due on” refers to the date a payment is due. For example, if you’re buying something with a credit card, the due date is when your payment is expected.
• The term “due by” refers to the deadline for submitting an assignment or project to your professor or boss. The due date is when you must turn in your work so your instructor or manager can grade it.
• When the term ‘due on” is used, it means you must submit your money or specific task at a specific time and due date, not before or after that.
• In contrast, the term ‘due by” means you can submit your task or service before your deadline but not after it.

Here is a video clip giving detail about different prepositions.

What Does It Mean If “Something Is Due By Monday?”

When you hear the phrase “something is due by Monday,” it means that the item or task must be completed by the end of Monday. This can refer to anything from a project to a report, a homework assignment, or even an email .

This phrase is often used in business settings, as well as school and university settings. It’s also used in other areas with project deadlines and can be used casually. Some people may say, “This is due by Monday,” when trying to motivate someone to complete a task quickly.

Does The “Due By Date” Mean On That Date?

The “Due by date” is a deadline for the completion of a project, but it’s not necessarily the date on which the work must be turned in.

The “due by date” is important because it signals when a project should be completed to meet an important deadline. However, it’s essential to note that this does not mean you must submit your assignment on that day.

Can You Put A “Due By” Date On An Invoice?

Yes, you can put a due date on an invoice. This is a great way to help your clients organize and keep their books in order. However, be sure to let them know the payment is due by that date, so they don’t miss it!

Final Thoughts

• “Due by” and “due on” show a deadline.
• “Due by” is a phrase that means “a specific date or time before which an action must be completed.
• “Due on” refers to a date or time on which something will happen.
• “Due by” is a date that you must meet. It’s not a date you can slip past, but you must be ready to meet it.
• “Due on,” on the other hand, is the date that your payment is due. You’ll have some leeway with this one—you need to pay by the date specified.

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Definition of due date

Examples of due date in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'due date.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near due date

due diligence

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“Due date.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/due%20date. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

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7 Ways to Meet Assignment Due Dates: Beating Assignment Deadlines

by William Christie · January 4, 2023

Since child education started deadlines have been introduced from then and the child gets used to working under deadlines. Deadlines have a good effect on the students as well as the teacher. As a student are you always worried about Assignment due dates and want to beat assignment deadlines?

Quick Takeaways Following are the ways by which you can meet up your due date of assignments- 1. Start immediately 2. The break is necessary 3. Organized the time 4. The place and the time 5. Completing by setting targets 6. Don’t get distracted 7. One assignment at a time

However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of the ways by which you can meet the assignment due dates.

Table of Contents

Assignment due dates – Beat assignment deadlines

The meaning of beating assignment deadlines is that the student can complete the assignment before the deadline as suggested by the teacher of the college or the university. However, you should try not to miss any of the assignments . The various strategy to beat the deadlines of the assignment are as follow:

1. Start immediately :

After the topic for the assignment is given the student should start the assignment as soon as possible . Don’t wait for the last date. Always try to finish the assignment before the deadline. This makes the student complete the assignment on time. You should not leave the work for the next day; this will not allow beating the deadlines. Take help from platforms like Chegg, academia.edu , etc.

2. The break is necessary:

The continuity of the work in completing the assignment will make the student feel tired faster. The student needs to complete the work before the deadline but it doesn’t mean in one go. The student should take a break to feel fresh and relax their eyes. then continue the work again.

3. Organized the time:

If the student wants to complete the assignment before the deadline should make a timetable of the days given to submit the assignment . And make a timetable according to days and organize the work every day till the due date of the assignment. This will help the student to submit the assignment on time. Try to manage the free time in such a way that you are able to write the assignment on time.

4. The place and the time:

The student should do the assignment in a place where nobody can disturb him/her and try to work at that time when her body is not tired as the result of doing the assignment will be so good.

5. Completing by setting targets:

Completing the assignment by managing the targets as you can divide the work of doing the assignments into some targets day-wise days. For example writing an introduction on one day, an explanation on another day, a conclusion on another day, and editing on other days. This can help in completing the assignment to get completed before the deadline.

6. Don’t get distracted:

Concentrating on completing the assignment as distracting yourself by using phones, playing games, or spending time on social media will make you not complete your assignment before the deadline. So don’t divert yourself to stay focused on completing the assignment.

7. One assignment at a time:

Don’t write more than one assignment at a time this will create more confusion and it will be not possible to complete the assignment not even once. schedule the time of doing the assignment and overlap the time of doing the assignment together.

The common reasons to get late for the assignment submission:

As many students fail to submit the assignment that causes the student a penalty to the teacher. Try not to submit the assignment late . The various reason behind the late submission by the student are as follow:

• The teachers sometimes don’t think on behalf of the student just give the heavy assignment that is to be completed in a short period. The student is not able to complete an assignment that is complex in a short period as the student has to manage other subjects and activities. Due to this, the student fails to submit the assignment before the deadline.
• This generation has been actively involved in social media, phones, and many other distractions making them not complete the assignment before the time of submitting the assignment.
• The students think there is a lot of time left for submitting the assignment and keep on postponing the work to the next day. Due to this, the day of submission comes closer and the student is not able to complete the work on time as there is a shortage of time.
•  If the student is suffering from illness, accident, or any disease related to health then he/she would not be able to submit the assignment before the deadline.
• If the student is not able to manage the time then he/she would not be able to manage to complete the assignment. The student should do the work according to the timetable set and the target made then only it will be easy to complete the assignment in time.

How can a student organize the work planning?

1. Calendar:

The app is already available on mobile phones that can help to organize the day for different targets used to complete the assignment. By planning the work it will be easy to complete the work according to the days planned and will submit the assignment earlier.

This feature is also present in the phone that will help the student work according to the time set . The student can set a time for a break, and how much work is needed to be completed in how much time. All these steps are useful for the completion of the assignment.

3. Install Trello:

Trello is an application that is used to organize work. You can make a list of what you have to do, what you have done, and what is present work on which you are working.

Conclusion:

Submitting the assignment before the due dates is a big challenge for the students as there are many other works and activities the students that need to be worked on. So a teacher should give the assignment by planning and should have an idea of how many days the student can complete the work. and if the student is still not able to complete an assignment. The teacher should listen to the reason of the student if the student has a genuine reason for not being able to complete the work and should not get any penalties .

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