extra credit
how do i know if i'm give extra credit to the wright students
Leigh,
Well, if it works for you, that's great. As an employer, I don't give or get extra credit for my responsibilities. I wouldn't want to set up my students for less than optimal expectations in their work setting. But I do see your point and it does not seem excessive.
Barry Westling
I don't know what types of situations the other instructors on this post are involved. I teach @ an adult technical college. I do use extra credit sparingly. Many of my students have complicated work, & family lives. Many of them have to miss class to attend to family business or have a work shift during class time. On my test, I often include a 6 point bonus questions. Also a couple of times during the quarter I give extra points for doing extra homework or doing a poster in addition to their oral presentation.
These few extra points allow the ones who missed a few class points to maintain their desired grade point average. If my student's grades drop below the level they desire, often they stop coming to class & give up.
I feel extra credit gives a helping hand to the ones who deeply care... The slackers NEVER, NEVER take advantage of extra credit.
Guy,
Great. We are teachers, not grade givers. EC is about points and grades and mostly has little to do with learning. A good teacher demonstrates willingness to "work with the weaker students" to get them up to par. That's a much better approach than to passively allow some weak EC assignment make up for poor performance in the class.
Barry Westling
I do not not give extra credit. During students assessments I see if some one is struggling and I bend my teaching to allow more time for that student to grasp what I am teaching. I find this helps them as well.
Hi Adnan,
I generally do not give EC for any reason. I spell this out at the beginning of a new class, it's written in the syllabus, and I adhere to it regardless of the circumstances. I'm all for extra assignments that contribute to improved learning, and I welcome students who wish to pursue these kind of activities. I just don't give credit for it. EC is about grades. I think our classes should be about learning. This is my bias and opinion. I recognize this is controverserial, and other opinions my vary.
Barry Westling
extra credits encourages student particpation and to get more involved with the topic. Also helps them to take their hesitations out.
Hi Robin,
I think grading should be based on the stated learning objectives. Assigning weights to grades sometimes by trial and error, but over time, we find the greatest weight are placed on the areas that are most important. Fair, consistent, informed grading policies will provide the best outcomes. And if it were me, I would try to avoid relying or even using EC unless it's mandated by some institutional policy.
Barry Westling
