Professor assigns students an open-book take home exam, 25% of the class don't do it: 'It’s 40% of the total grade.'

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Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
May 17, 2026 8:30 PM EDT

How much easier could they have made this assignment?

There's something so refreshing about a teacher or a college professor who is actually strict. They state upfront that they know that all of the emails about losing your childhood dog that are conveniently sent the week of midterms are phony, and they won't capitulate to emotional pressures to let their students off easy. I loved professors like this when I was in school, because they motivated me to be a better student. I knew they wouldn't believe any story I made up to get an extension, so I didn't ask for one. I knew that I wasn't going to get great grades just by showing up: I had to do exactly what the professor asked of me, otherwise I wouldn't be leaving the class with an A. Students respond well to restrictions and high expectations. It motivates them to do better than a professor who is constantly lenient. A lenient professor will give students a million chances to do things right, even when they don't deserve them. Sometimes, the student is much better off if they fail and have to live with the consequences. 

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  • Test #1 W 30544-7.3 then - Sa-x a Ja acos If x=a sin 19 the dx = a csod eg (2'59-x du (letz 30-210+60 du= Scando = 3') sin's cord 20 -27 (9-2)*+ ½ (9-2)* – 1 (9-21)*+C
    via Shubham Sharan

    A professor teaches a room full of college students who refuse to complete the exam, even though it's 40% of their grade. 

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The professor in this story gave out an incredibly easy exam. They let the students take it home and use their notes. Despite this, one out of every four students in their class didn't even complete the final exams. The professor is now wondering what they should do next. 

  • My classes open-book, at-home college exam was due yesterday. 25% of my students didn’t do it.

    I know, I know "this generation isn't like previous ones" etc. I can't wrap my head around this. I assigned an online exam to a class last week. It's
    via u/Medical_Solid
  • 40% of the total grade. It was in the syllabus. I announced it in class. Canvas emailed them. I sent two email reminders and put an online announcement on canvas. I sent a final reminder yesterday morning.
    via u/Medical_Solid
  • And a quarter of the class just ... didn't do it. This isn't a commuter school or an online school. It's not a remedial program. These are actual first year students at a four-year college. I am utterly baffled. How is this possible?
    via u/Medical_Solid
  • karenna89 I graduated college 20 years ago and I still have stress dreams about forgetting to show for an exam... something I would never do.
    via u/karenna89
  • nis sound ME TOO! although, for me, it's papers. And funny enough, the dreams are usually like, my university calling and telling me I didn't actually graduate and I need to complete a paper I missed or something.
    via u/nis_sound
  • Medical Solid OP RIGHT? I was telling my wife about all this and she said the same thing. "That's my nightmare, but somehow these kids are actually living the exam dream IRL and they caused the problem themselves?"
    via u/Medical_Solid
  • medicalmosquito They don't do the work, they fail the class. They're college students. Let them feel the failure and learn from their mistakes.
    via u/medicalmosquito
  • PillCosby696969 They have been conditioned that they will pass if they show up most of the time. This is a real problem that Universities are dealing with now, but they like that sweet enrollment/graduation numbers for funding and tuition money so they are fine with just devaluing college in the long run for profits in the short run. It's highschool all over again.
    via u/PillCosby696969
  • chamrockblarneystone Colleges used to base a lot of their income on alumni donations. Now most of their income comes from tuition. This has turned colleges into a service industry. The kids are our customers and the customer is always right.
    via u/chamrockblarneystone
  • InevitableRun51 It's because we let kids get away with so much in middle and high school. Showing endless 'grace' that is simply not preparing them for the world. Edit: some situations, as others have pointed out, do warrant second chances and grace but we let kids get out of obligations and we simply don't teach them that sometimes they need to work hard to master a subject or discipline
    via u/InevitableRun51
  • fill_the_birdfeeder 99% of teachers in middle school and high school don't WANT to give endless grace. We'd like a deadline. Maybe in middle school one week extension. By high school 2 days. Something like that. The real world has buffer time too for some things, but a lot of things don't, and they need to learn how to handle deadlines and organize their time.
    via u/fill_the_birdfeeder
  • But administration forces it. They make us give them credit for work they didn't do. They call it equitable grading and it's absolutely not equitable. They make grades meaningless and then ask us why kids aren't doing well on standardized testing. But don't you dare be honest: don't say it's the lack of deadlines and accountability. Don't say it's absences and apathy. Don't say it's because we keep moving kids up even when they have demonstrated no mastery of skills for years.
    via u/fill_the_birdfeeder
  • Because admin's answer: if you just believed in kids, they'd come to school, they'd do the work, they'd want to be there. I'm SICK of it. You know who's never at the students' events after school? Admin. You know how I know? Because I'm there. I'm tired and grouchy. But I'm so sick of poor admin touting the next trendy word, not actually caring about our students at all. And getting paid 6 figures to sit in an office refusing to deal with behavioral concerns and support with anything. Blah.
    via u/fill_the_birdfeeder
  • Jadie Rose Reporting in from the employment world here - I do hiring and we have an assessment we send to candidates to complete in a specified time period. We tell them to expect it when they apply. Only about half do it and these are VERY competitive jobs.
    via u/JadieRose
  • Woman browsing on the internet
    via Annie Spratt

    A young professional completes job application long after the due date has passed.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Emerald_and_Bronze That makes sense. We pass everyone in k-12. I have a 2nd grader who does nothing all day but sleep and throw a fit. 10% joins for lessons, 90% at his seat. Will start screaming, throwing things, etc when asked to do anything. Mom says it's his adhd. Other staff say that its his trauma, and "poor buddy!"
    via u/Emerald_and_Bronze
  • A small land tired bored school boy sitting at the desk in classroom sleeping
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A little boy falls asleep in class because his parents and the school's administration allow him to get away with it.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I mean, yeah, poor buddy isn't going to know how to read or be able to have a future because we refuse to hold kids to standards due to their trauma or whatever. We just need actual therapists and counselors in every building. Here we are approaching the end of the year!
    via u/Emerald_and_Bronze
  • lame_sauce9 Expect sappy emails from at least half of them trying to emotionally manipulate you to let them turn it in late
    via u/lame_sauce9
  • calladus First year college students are too often last year college students.
    via u/calladus

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