Extrinsic Rewards
What extrinsic rewards do you use and which ones do you find the most effective?
Heather, I do like this approach. Just make sure you are fully aware of your institution's policies on social media and student interaction. For some institutions this would be a severe violation of a social media clause in their contracts. If your institutions does not limit this type of student to faculty interactions then I am 100% in agreement and love this approach.
James Jackson
LINKA, I love this idea and have seen and heard of this being done very successfully. When I was teaching technology courses I would setup a lab environment where students broke up into groups and they could assist each other or ask questions of the instructor to resolve their technology problems but had to use their points as money to purchase what they needed. If they retained a majority of their points which meant they did not need too much assistance from the instructor or other teams then they received a higher grade than those that spent all of their points. Completing the assignment guaranteed at least a grade of "C" which was the motivation to ask questions of other groups or the instructor but those groups that studied and were able to collect points from other groups were the ones that received the highest grade.
James Jackson
In today's tech-centered society, I like to use Facebook as recognition and reward. They love this! While they may not be as motivated to impress myself or their classmates, they ARE highly motivated to showcase their learning with friends and family.
I am trying something new this quarter with my students by treating my classroom as a medical billing and coding office. I am their "employer" and they are referred to as "employees" who are receiving "on-the-job" training. They actually receive "paychecks" that reflect their attendance. I print out paystubs from a free online software, www.paycheckcity.com. They are actually excited to see what there pay could and would be based on them coming to work, being late, or being absent. They actually remind me of when payroll is! There will be a real prize of some kind at the end of the quarter to the "employee" with the most money earned and/or the highest grades in the class.
It's a very good idea giving an extra points to the students .The instructor gives an extra points in the imaging lab for scanning challenging patients.
Ma. Louella, different students are motivated by different things. For some the extra points will be worth the extra effort while for others recognition may be more of a motivator. Each student is different and this is why it is critical to know each of your students and what motivates them to do their best work.
James Jackson
Giving extra points for their participation encourages the students to participate more. Example is when the students donate their blood or offer their veins for phlebotomy, they are rewarded extra points that go towards their classroom participation.
I agree that it takes a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, as well as knowing the personality of the students. While one student may love to be recognized in class, another may find it to be embarassing (even if for a positive reason).
Gregory, public praise, personal approval, and grades. Some students say they do not care about their grade but in my experience every student cares but some are better at hiding it when they are not happy with their overall scores. Students love to hear their name in the classroom with a few exceptions. By knowing which of your students are extroverts and which are introverts you can better evaluate how best to reward them for a job well done. For the introverts they appreciate a private moment with the instructor and acknowledgement of their good work. Once students identify these reward opportunities with associated classroom behavior and outcomes they tend to find ways to achieve more to earn more praise and higher grades.
James Jackson
