What is your interpretation of "midnight on 3/8?" Does that mean when the clock rolls over to midnight the evening of 3/7, or when the clock rolls over to midnight the evening of 3/8? And do you believe your interpretation is necessarily the same as any other given person's?
Again, the question is what would a reasonable person assume. I can tell you from experience people do not always interpret, nor mean, "midnight on such-date" to be the technical by-the-clock definition. It will happen at midnight on 12/31 - New Years!! Except that is technically midnight on 1/1.
If, instead, you say "at 11:59pm on 3/8," that makes it obvious the assignment is due before the clock rolls onto midnight the evening of 3/8.
It does NOT make it clear it's due before the clock rolls to 11:59pm.
One COULD assume "at 11:59" means "before 11:59." The question is would a reasonable person assume that. I submit not.
Again, the question is what would a reasonable person assume. I can tell you from experience people do not always interpret, nor mean, "midnight on such-date" to be the technical by-the-clock definition. It will happen at midnight on 12/31 - New Years!! Except that is technically midnight on 1/1.
If, instead, you say "at 11:59pm on 3/8," that makes it obvious the assignment is due before the clock rolls onto midnight the evening of 3/8.
It does NOT make it clear it's due before the clock rolls to 11:59pm.
One COULD assume "at 11:59" means "before 11:59." The question is would a reasonable person assume that. I submit not.
I always made things due "some time on 3/8" and then wouldn't care as long as I had it in my box when I graded sometime on 3/9.