extra credit
I do not believe in it. It is mostly used by students that do not need it. Unfair to the students who could use it , but do not have time to do it.
I agree! Students know from the first day of class what is required of them in terms of exams, quizzes and homework assignments. I have found that students often fall back on extra credit when they know it is there.
In our Medical Assisting program, extra credit is a must. We use the extra credit for students who volunteer for injections and blood draws. It is a motivator for our students.
Untrue, many students that do this work are those that need it. THose that study hard and are a few points away from the grade they need. aslo, offers oppurtunity for those who know the material but just test poor.
Hi Tiffany - Thanks for your post to the forum. Your policy on extra credit makes a lot of sense.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I used to let students earn extra credit during activities or class partcipation to use on their test and sometimes they wouldn't do so well on the test that the extra credit actually pushed them to a passing grade which in the end meant they didn't really understand the material and didn't need to retest so they just would slide by. I now give extra credit for doing homework or I will assign an extra project or paper to be due so they have the choice to bring their grade up that way. Testing is used to see what they have learned and if we give extra points on a test that will better their grade then most of the time the students has in their mind well I passed that chapter I will just move on to the next. I like the idea of the student making the effort to bring their grade up by putting in the extra effort outside of school. I do not give class time for this as it takes away from learning the material for that day.
Hi Nathan - Now you have me guessing! Blue corn? Blue cheese? How often have you had to buy pizza? LOL! Susan
The topic starts when we're talking about physical contaminates in foodservice and a picture of a blue bandage is shown as an example. I ask the students if they know why bandages and gloves used in the foodservice industry are often blue, the answer is because there are only three naturally (uncooked or processed) occurring blue foods known in existence and so blue sticks out in food. My extra credit question that is worth the maximum allowed to offer in a class (2%) is simply "what are the three blue foods?" As an added bonus I tell the students that if anyone gets it right that I'll buy pizza for the last day of class. I give a due by date for their final answers and them wait until after the final test to give them the answer. Because I know it's already bothering some of you, no, blueberries are not blue, they are purple.
Not always no, pretty much all of the students get envolved in this project and it takes more resaerch than what's available on the internet so more often than not the people who get close to the correct answer either got lucky or did a TON of research. In the past if extra work or easy extra credit was given it is almost always the students that don't need it that complete the extra work, that's the beauty of this super hard extra credit assignment, it get's everyone envolved and thinking all phase long.
Hi Nathan - Thanks for your post to the forum. Do you find that the students who manage to find the correct answer to the challenging extra credit questions are also the ones who have the highest grades already? Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I assign extra credit that is nearly impossible so I can stimulate the thought process and then I hold back the answer until the end of the phase. This has grown to become almost a cult status to those who get the final answer.
I agree with using extra credit to help a student who is struggling but making an effort to do the work. I have had students who had wonderful work ethics and skills, yet didn't do well academically (test-taking). I have given them extra-credit work to do, to demonstrate what I feel they already KNOW but have not been able to demonstrate on a traditional test. I can usually recognize students who will do well in the workplace and hate to have those who don't test well, lose out!
I agree with Sharon, I no longer agree with providing extra credit. I have found it allows students to slack off and pick and choose what they want to do. Not reality.
The last time I did offer extra credit I only allowed students to earn it if they had every thing completed. It cut the number of participants to nearly zero.
Just a few thoughts
Extra credit can assist that student who may be struggling with the particular tests but know the materials. All students learn differently and providing them all different way to demonstrate that knowledge is a fair assessment and ensure all students are earning their grade.
I have used additional tasks for extra credit in the past as additional relevant and useful skill sets but I put restrictions on my students that they may only work on extra credit projects when all their required tasks are completed successfully.
I think extra credit can be used as a positive. I feel that if the students participate in the extra credit it adds to learning - for those who do not participate it is their choice. It is optional.
I do believe in giving extra credit, but I also try to give time in my class to do the progect. This way is is the choice of the student if they want the extra points.
I do not beleive in extra credit, as students earnt heir grades and should not be given extra.
I'm with you. I actually work at a university that will not even allow instructors to give extra credit, nor can we grade for attendance or participation. I feel extra credit is used as a "last resort" for students that are not doing well. Students who do well, don't need it. As far as not being able to grade for attendance or participation, I give a short quiz (very short) at the beginning of every class. If the class starts at 11, the test is given at 11. If you miss class, or are late..you just earned a zero. This is the only way of getting around the attendance policy.
Hi Summer - I agree - it is not fair to offer a chance to "pass" to students who have done little work in the class until the very end. Best wishes- Susan
