Extra Credit
This one seems to be the territory to the lower scoring segment of the student population. The ones that fear for thier grade. I agree that extra credit is for everyone and it needs to be administered to ensure the learning objectives are laid out and accomplished for each student. Hard exams are a good area to put extra credit questions as some may welcome the chance to net zero a few wrong answers.
Traneika,
These sound like great ways to encourage students and assess their knowledge and comprehension. Many instructors would not accept the substitution of points earned through required assignments in lieu of points earned for optional assignments. If this is working for you, keep up the good work. Sounds interesting.
Barry Westling
I think "adult learners" actually benefit in several ways by allowing extra credit. Poor attendance and low test scores seems to be the "pitfall" of most. I assign extra credit throughout all my courses. It ranges from pop quizzes(relevant to content), one page summary on specific topics, and critical thinking exercises. To each its own! However, I find those who show up late, have poor test scores, and don't participate in class will not do the EC assignments. So, I think EC can be a great tool to show that as an instructor you are making an extra effort for students to learn and help their grades.
Trina,
I try to relate matters as it would be in the work setting. We don't get extra credit at work to make up for low performance or missing assignments. At work, the annual appraisal and merit review system are the place to measure work conducted over a sustained period of time. As it is at work, there are many similarities for doing the same in school.
Barry Westling
it is true when you have student that try to be in class on time every day and have home work and assignments on time..should treat it different by giving extra credits once in a while.
Khalid,
I have a different view. I think students should be required to do their assignments and receive the grade they earn from their efforts. I'm in a medical setting and there is nor room for "half-knowledge". Also, in almost any work setting, there is not going to be an extra credit component to their work, so I feel we should set up students to expect that there will extra chances when mistakes are made at work.
Barry Westling
extra credits should be given to those studentd who are attentive,punctual and completing their assignments in time
Jason,
I'm with you. Although I want to be fair and reasonable, poor academic perfomance, excesssive absences, unwilligness to make improvements are good reasons to be "rewarded" with the opportnity to not do assigned work but get credit for student-initiated assignment/project as compensation. It's not fair to students who struggle just as much but complete assignments, projects, course work, quizzes and tests, and accept they grade they earn. Another example is in the work setting, where there is no EC for poor work performance.
Barry Westling
I am personally not a huge fan of extra credit. If a student is capable of doing extra credit then they are capable of completing the course material and earning a grade. I have built in policies in the event of illness, etc. If students are aware of the possibility of extra credit then I fear that they will use it as a crutch and potentially slack on completing course material.
Thomas,
I think each instructor and institution should decide if and under what circumstances EC should even be given, if at all.
Barry Westling
I also feel EC is a good chance to allow students a little extra help. But I feel extra credit should be definitive questions. I won't give any that could be graded by opinion, that tends to lead to accusations and problems within the class.
Richard,
This scenario may work for you and others who feel giving some leeway is valuable. My suggestion is that the ground rules are preestablished, witten in the syllabus, and discussed at the beginning of class. One of the biggest complaints about EC is "it's unfair" and "it's awarded subjectively". These would be components advantangeously to avoid.
Barry Westling
