this is a very challenging question because on health and science courses, sometimes students want the ability to make up for bad quizzes by doing extra work for extra credit- this i play on a case by case basis, depending on the situation but my take on this is i give the extra opportunity to the entire class and therefore everybody gets the extra point.
Kendalle,
Good point. My general take is to not give EC, but at times, I have relaxed my position when I felt there was a justified need. For instance, once I stepped into a class mid-semester and had to take over. I felt I didn't want to penalize students for administrative decisions. There are probably other reasonable situations where EC is appropriate - as a rule, I don't go there.
Barry Westling
I feel that by offering extra credit it allows the students to slack off. They know they have the opportunity to make up the points with the extra credit. I do not offer it. Unless I see that a majority of the class is struggling with the course.
Syed,
Almost any assignment that demonstrates learning is worthwhile. My personal perspective is that extra assignments should not replace the value or credit for regular assigned course work. Dropping the lowest quiz score, giving a bonus essay question on an exam are variations of extra credit that are really a part of the regular assignments.
Barry Westling
I make sure my students are given extra credit assignments which are separate then their regular assignments. They need to go beyond regular class activities to obtain this extra credit.
Students that tend to complete these assignments shows that they are serious and committed to their career goals.
Rick,
Right, the issue with extra credit is not the the activity or assignment, but the points or credit given. I'm all for students who want more and are not interested in points that'll improve their grade.
Barry Westling
I can see where extra credit can be a sticky situation and become so very quickly. On the other hand non point extra projects allow students to further their craft and provide further learning opportunities.
Cindy,
Each has to decide what works best for them. Some institutions give mandatory guidelines about extra credit. For me, anything that demonstrates learning is worthwhile, whether credit is given for it or not.
Barry Westling
I believe that extra credit is something that probably does not affect final grades but just exams. I do not give extra credit on every test.
Susanne,
On one level, awarding EC is a decision that should be left up to the instructor and institution policy. In law, there is a "clean hands" doctrine, which implies a plaintiff cannot expect favorable treatment if they are complicit to illegal activity. Applied to the classroom, and in my opinion, a student ought not receive favorable treatment (EC) if they have been negligent in submission of required assignments, homework, or projects. But there are circumstances where EC can be beneficial, most importantly when it demonstrates learning and enhanced understanding in addition to the required assignments.
Barry Westling
Hello Barry and Fellow Instructors,
In my undergraduate classes, I do not offer extra credit. I believe that students should be completing the assignments and in class activities. I do not believe that it is fair to other students who do the work. In my upper level capstone classes, I offer students the opportunity to do special individual projects for extra credit. What are your thoughts on offering extra credit to first year students?
Susanne Marshall
Diana,
I like that perspective.... what would an employer do? However, work and school really are different, because the expectations are a bit different. I shy away from extra credit too because I want to measure student learning as accurately as possible, and too much "flex" will skew the accuracy.
Barry Westling
I have never been a fan of extra credit. I have had many students ask for extra credit in order to make up for assignment grades they failed to do in class. I try to mirror my class as if it was a work environment. A boss would not give the employee extra credit for making up work missed. As with everything there are extreme cases, such as hospitalization. Sometimes it is appropriate to make exceptions but that should be spelled out in the course outline
James,
Higher grades are a good thing, but if we want grades to reflect learning that's occurred, extra credit ought to to play little to no role. Extra assignments are great, but those should be above and beyond the required work -- and there are other ways than "points" to recognize students for special class assignments.
Barry Westling
None. If they do what is assigned there is no reason to give extra credit just ot boos the grade.
Melville,
My preference is to not award EC, just because my focus is on measuring learning, and I think giving EC skews the grading. I'm not opposed to bonus questions, or dropping the lowest quiz, because students have legitimately earned (or not earned) these points.
Barry Westling
My school only allows extra credit to be given if the entire class has an opportunity to earn it. So, under this type of policy, I could not give students extra credit upon request or for doing special projects. If extra credit is offered, I'm not sure I see any purpose behind it other than either rewarding a student who has gone beyond the standard work or for giving a student who needs to make up at least one assignment an opportunity to do so. Thus, if we don't want to serve those goals, then it shouldn't be offered at all. However, in the latter case, the point value would not be more than the value of one missed assignment. I generally offer either one opportunity at the end of the course, or one at midterm as well. This gives the students each an equal opportunity to utilize this tool. In reality, as many times as I've offered extra credit, only about 5% of students have taken me up on it. So, they mostly seem to see it as extra work rather than an opportunity. I find students wanting to do make-up work a much larger problem.
Best wishes,
Melville Petrosky
John,
Sure, we want to be fair. I always try to look at "what is best for the student". However, I'm not a fan of EC myself.
Barry Westling
Extra credit has its own value for the subject matter but it should never be utilised as to regain better grade in class. For someone who may have missed classes the extra credit can be highly useful project to have a better understanding of the subject.
Andrea,
Used appropriately, extra credit in small increments can help with morale and grades. This is an area of grading that has to be addressed by the individual instructor and institution.
Barry Westling
