The new dog ate my homework

Modern technology has provided a new form of “My dog ate my homework.” Photo by: Andrew Larsen

By Andrew Larsen

School has started, syllabus week is over, and homework assignments have been handed out. Students will be scrambling to complete a variety of assignments like reading and papers. But what happens when a student just can’t get their homework done? Teachers across America will now be waiting for the classic excuse from students, “My dog ate my homework.” But, is that excuse still relevant in today’s society?

Not anymore, according to a study done by the Harris Poll for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), 81 percent of students between the ages of 18-26 own a laptop. In addition, 41 percent of the students surveyed consider the laptop more important in their life than a TV, bicycle, car, or tablet. “My laptop is important to me because it stores everything for my future career, including resume’s and projects,” said Senior communications major Jarred Becker.

Well now that laptops rule the world of college students, how can a dog eat their homework? Many students turn to the world of technology for an excuse when their homework isn’t completed on time. “I’m a little hesitant to tell you because I know I’ll have to come up with a new excuse but it usually has to do with a printer not working,” said Sophomore Caitlyn Rusk.

But teacher’s have heard even more ridiculous excuses as well. “The most ridiculous excuse that I have ever heard from a student is because they did not want to add to my workload of having to grade it and hand it back to them,” said Assistant Professor of Wellness, Mike Gatlin.

However, sometimes the excuse is valid, and isn’t just made up. From time to time the internet does go out and you can’t do research. Sometimes, the printer doesn’t work and you actually can’t print your assignment.

How do you prevent this from happening? The key is to not procrastinate and wait until the last minute to complete any assignment whether using Blackboard or printing out an assignment. “A little bit of preparation goes a long way. If students are able to complete assignments in advance of the due date those technological failures are greatly reduced,” said Dr. Gatlin.