I think extra credit is important in a class like mine. I teach culinary bakeshop. Some students really want the opportunity to get a little more from the course. So I have 20 total points available in 1 point assignments that make students go a little deeper on the daily objective. In the end they add up to an additional homework assignment. They can help take a B+ to an A.
College Credit for College Work:
I recently had a discussion about this with a class.
You see, some students wanted an extra credit option for the class. I agreed to work up a list of suggested subjects and the value of each project. When I presented the list to the class there was a change in attitude and no one decided to tackle an extra credit project. I concluded the students didn't think the extra work was worth the effort required and I have not offered extra credit again.
As for the role of extra credit in the final grades, I will offer this again in the future if I see the need or if the students ask for it. As for the grading, I may give it 2-7% of the final grade and make sure the subject and effort is a benefit to the students.
Although I don't use extra credit excessively, when I do it continues to be a part of the learning curriculum, in which a student must demonstrate skills, abilities or understanding. Also, the extra credit is created to be objective. In addition, it is always offered to every student, regardless of their current grade in the course.
I don't think it should make the differce between passing and failing, but may be helpful to add a few points in an area of study that a student is having trouble in.
Extra credit is such a judgment call and can create discourse among students.
I do, however, do bonus questions on quizzes and exams. So those students who excel and work hard can earn over 100%.
Our college policy forbids extra credit. This has been a very good thing for both the instructor and the student. Instructors do not have to worry about how to quantify extra credit, or make sure that all students have fair access to it. Students in turn are accountable for the regular assignments, which helps them focus on the true essence of the class.
When I first started teaching I got easily sucked into the extra credit allowances. However, I started to pull away from it when it got abused and I heard statements like "what extra credit can I do" as soon as they turned in a test or quiz. It seemed there were 2 types of students who always wanted it, those that really wanted that "A" and those the glided through the course by the skin of their teeth.
Fortunately, our school doesn't promote extra credit and therefore I have elimiated it altogether. With the exception of adding a question at the end of the test that is included in the same point content offered but is a question that they can show me what they have learned in a different way.
Extra credit should be used very sparingly. I tend to only allow those who have extraneous circumstances, or those who are teetering between two grades to make up work. The make up work I allow usually demands an out of class, real world application of course material.
Our institution has forbidden the use of extra credit because of the arbitrariness its administration. in addition, too often it was used in lieu of missing assignment.
Before taking this course, I took a hard line on extra credit. I still don't really think it has a place in adult learning but I can see how it can be good to reward a student interested in completing a special project outside of the course curriculum.
I agree that extra credit is just that.....extra. i will not allow students extra credit when they are not even doing the required work.
Hi Patrick:
When you say "adds to the fury of my teaching", do you mean that it creates more work for you?
Most institutions don't allow the use of extra credit. If an instructor is at liberty to use it, then it should be given out equally to all students in an unbiased way.
Regards, Barry
Hi Joseph:
Many institutions are of the mind of your physics instructor - if we allow overuse of extra credit possibilities, it may create a scenario whereby a student who is barely passing slips by without really having the ability to demonstrate they've learned anything.
Regards, Barry
Hi George:
Most institutions are in agreement with you - extra credit should be a reward, not a means to pass a course if the student is barely passing.
If used at all, it needs to be given out to everyone in an unbiased way.
Regards, Barry
I use extra credit through out the course and let the student know that if they do not need to use the extra credit for a test ( which they can only agree to using it before they take the test) that they can bank extra credit points to use towards their final exam. It give the student something to strive for and students have gone the whole qtr not using extra credit until the final.
I like to give an extra credit question at the end of an exam that is an open ended question. There is no right or wrong answer instead a question that allows the student to express what they have learned in class.
Hi Faith, I think many schools are moving away from extra credit, and like you, I think this is the best policy. Students need to be encouraged to work effectively throughout the class, and not put wait until the end of the class to give it their best efforts. Lyn
Hi all, I do not offer extra credit, and this is not an option at the University where I teach. I feel this is a good policy.
I have, in the past, offered extra credit but sparingly. My thought was that it needed to be made available to all students and not just to some, to help those that might want to "pull up" a grade.
I might add a short extra credit essay question to a test, for example, worth only about 5%. It was graded just like any other essay test question, so getting points for it were not guaranteed.
I let students know that this was a one time opportunity for the test; if they did not answer it during the test, they could not do it later after they got a score for the test.
I felt this was fair since it was offered to all in the same way. And it was offered consistently throughout the class and not just at the end which is a time that many students do ask: "Is there anything I can do extra to pull up my grade?" I feel that effort should be consistent throughout a class and not a "last ditch" effort. :-) Lyn
My college does not allow extra credit anymore. When it did, I found that it would "pad" the final grades of those students who completed it so it was not a true reflection of their competency in the course. I agree with my college that extra credit should not be used at all.
I do not use extra credit anymore. In the business environment, we have deadlines to meet, and no one is rewarded for not having work done on time. I have had more bad experiences than good. I inform the class on week one that there is no extra credit. Soemtimes I feel I'm being too harsh when a student is one point from an A at 89% and wants to do extra credit to get an A.
