I really like the idea of 1 token for advance permission to turn something in late and 3 tokens for turning something in late without prior permission. I tried the former without the latter this semester for the first time and students just ignored it. They're turning things in late without permission and technically that means they should fail the course (since on-time submission is part of the specifications for every assignment). But I can't make myself fail someone for turning in a small assignment late. I should have thought of this in advance, but I had assumed the system would work and they just wouldn't turn stuff in late... It may be, as you suggest, a fundamental lack of understanding of tokens.
The care and feeding of tokens
I really like the idea of 1 token for advance permission to turn something in late and 3 tokens for turning something in late without prior permission. I tried the former without the latter this semester for the first time and students just ignored it. They're turning things in late without permission and technically that means they should fail the course (since on-time submission is part of the specifications for every assignment). But I can't make myself fail someone for turning in a small assignment late. I should have thought of this in advance, but I had assumed the system would work and they just wouldn't turn stuff in late... It may be, as you suggest, a fundamental lack of understanding of tokens.