Extra Credit and New Instructor Mistake
I had to laugh when I read the section on x-tra credit. I recently made a rooky mistake with x-tra credit. I thought I was being "smart" by giving students the opportunity to re-take a test. My goal was to give the students interested in learning a second chance of success. This was the first quiz and scores ranged from 10%-35% or 90%-100%.
I'll spare you all the details, but I am curious if you have any advice on how I can fix the problem at the end of the term?
Test retaking should only be used when the z-curve shows a high percentage of failing vs passing. Let me skip that 'statistical murmur' and say that when I assess the scores of my students, I look for consistencies in their responses. If I notice a high number of incorrect responses to the same or similar question, then I need to do a remedial test. I will give a short quiz only, then I take the average of their scores. Usually this allows those that did well to continue doing well and does not change the grade that much, however those that didn't do so well, get the chance to bring that grade up. Don't worry about rookie mistakes, they will help you be the best in the long run.
