Extra credit should not have an important weight in final grades. At the same time they should have some significance to encourage students to collect them. Extra credit should be limited to help a student to move up about 5 points maximun in the grade scale. Thus a student who scores 86 (B or B+) for a course can improve their grade to 91 (A- or A) by doing extra work with more challenges than regular work completed in the course.
Daniel,
I can only say each instructor and institution has to decide what works best for their students. I personnaly don't give EC per se, although I have given a bonus question on an exam or dropped the lowest quiz score as an "adjustment incentive".
Barry Westling
I believe in evaluating extra credit with questions that require extra thinking and processing. By doing so, student can make up a low grade on a quiz that was taken on a bad day, or maybe a missing assignment.
Suzanne,
I don't give EC at all, and it's a practice and policy my students know and adhere to from day 1. Most of my experiences have not been good ones involving EC. In some settings, perhaps it has an acceptable role. For me, I just don't go down that road.
Barry Westling
I agree with Jeff. If you are unable to complete the assignment on time and turned in by the due date, that most likely means you were not trying your hardest. If you a valid excuse with valid proof, I do not allow students to make up their assigments. When I give a project, I give it weeks in advance and I continuesly remind students that in every class when the due date is for the assignment. I still have students that do not complete the assignments. I have had students ask for extra credit and they are usually the students that rarely show up to class or rarely complete assignment on time. I am sorry but I will not give extra for students that do not try.
Paul,
Many institutions are beginning to lean this way, I think in part due to pressure from payers of education in career schools (i.e., the Feds) to produce real results in the form of prepared workers that get real jobs. In the real world, there is no EC, and employees are held accountable for their work duties. So boosting grades to look good may have worked in ythe past, but less and and less anymore.
Barry Westling
I agree and in fact, my college has banned EC completely. Oddly enough the students regularly ask me about getting EC. I know there is a place for it, but it's real easy to "just say no" in this case.
Elizabeth,
Right. I see two main users, those "go-getters", and the "likely to fail group". For me, in both cases but for different reasons, I have chosen not to offer extra credit. I'll give bonus points on an exam, and drop the lowest quiz score (because I give a lot of 10-point quizzes). I feel these are enough to compensate for fairly and accurately reported grades and true degree of material learned. EC distorts gardes, is subjective, is more about points and grades than learning. I have had few good experiences with EC, so I just don't give it (and student's know not to ask).
Barry Westling
I have, from time to time, given extra credit for doing an assignment beyond what is required. This assignment is made available to all the students and is only worth a few additional points. In terms of how this will affect their final grade, if the percentage were very near the cut off point I suppose it might possibly improve their overall grade. The interesting thing is that it's usually the go getters who already have an A that will do the additional assignments.
Extra credit should compliment class lesson. I rarely give extra credit and when I do it is in the form of a project. The project builds upon class experience and gives students the opportinity to express understanding of subject matter. Having students deliver and present to class builds student confidence.
Kathryn,
I have used essay style question(s) in an exam as a way to offer "bonus" points and perhaps measure the students learning a bit more accurately. For these questions, the bonus points represent a very small percentage of the total exam score. As a rule, I do not give extra credit to the degree that it would affect a students grade. I want to measure learning, not be in the point-giving business. However, I do let students do extra work (non-assigned workbook, project, papers, etc.) with the student knowing in advance no extra points will be given. In these instance, my reward to them is praise and recognition to them and their class, something often more valuable than points.
Barry Westling
I love the idea of giving an extra credit question at the end of a test that simply asks the student to discuss something he or she learned that was not on the test. I have students become very disappointed when they have studied hard for a test and then were not reworded by being able to show off their knowledge.
Kathy,
I think there are many differing opinions about extra credit. In general, I feel if there is information I want students to know, then it should be required information, and not assessed as extra credit (which suggests "optional"). For me, I choose not to give it. However, I understand each instructor and institution has to deicide what works best for them.
Barry Westling
Tricia,
Extra credit is really about grades and points, and little to do (in most cases) with learning.
Barry Westling
I have never given extra credit to only one individual student. I have, however, posted a couple of random questions up on the board for the entire class to answer for an extra point or half point to be added to their exam grade. I think that if you assign extra credit assignments, then the only ones that will complete the assignment are those that are dedicated students that don't need the extra credit or those that are failing and are grasping at straws to pass the course.
I 100% agree. I know allot of instructors who give extra credit. I do not agree with it.
Jaime,
I agree it should not be called extra credit if there are points (10% of the grade) already allocated for participation. Otherwise, a student could chhoose not to have any class participation and loose 10% of their grade, but then ask for EC to make up for the lost points. I never award students (with points) for substituting required, expected work for EC work.
Barry Westling
I think on tests/quizzes extra credit should not be given. As our school works, 10% of the grade is class participation. I think if any extra credit is available (a game,jeopardy. etc) should be given there. It should also be done with all students and as a groupd activity. However it should not be called "extra credit", i like to say "extra class participation" grades
Juliana,
Everything you've mentioned is great and I like the sentiment. Anything that helps students learn is terrific, and fun activities can be meaningful ways to reinforce needed knowledge. It's the awarding of points that I have difficulty with. In my view, if an activity is fun and students enjoy it, they will not care whether there are points given for participating. As someone in healthcare too, I want students earning points and grades that accurately measure their learning, i.e., I don't want a "C" student earning a grade of "A" (as the result of extra points), then going out to clinical practice with incomplete knowledge or sloppy clinical skills. They call this grade inflation and for me, I choose not to give extra credit. But each teacher and institution has to decide what works best for them, and I can acknowledge there are different views.
Barry Westling
I slightly disagree. Yes, we are teaching adults. But even adults need fun and flexibility at times.
When I do give extra credit, I make it very minimal, and use it only during a game which is played toward the end of a course. I usually format the game to be a review of all the material which the students have been tested on thus far, and it is very similiar to Jeopardy.
This gives a student an incentive to participate, and allows the students to feel as though the classroom can be fun, entertaining. It inspires them to retain the knowlege of their past exams.
