Virginia Tech and other institutions are all moving toward the type of learning you see in this class, where students take responsibility.
Similar behavior is required by most employers.
The course materials, and explanations of them at the start of the semester, clearly warn you about procrastination, assuming that you will be mature. The instructor and GTA will continue to treat you this way, and will not force you to adhere to particular deadlines. Office hours and lab hours may become very busy with queues of students. Systems may go down or experience delays due to heavy loads, and this situation will not be considered an acceptable excuse for not completing work. This is EI's web site with links to both Compendex Plus and EI Page One and many other features.