Patricia,
That's a good platform to try to stick to. Some students want easy (unearned) points to help their grade. The thing is, that usually has little to do with learning. Stick to your guns!
Barry Westling
Thomas,
I think if any adjustments to a grade are made, this is the most fair and equitable way to do it.
Barry Westling
Hi Barry,
Sorry for the misspelled words (have should be having; begining should be beginning) in the previous response. I took a break and am trying to hurry to respond to your messages and did not do a review of my response.
EC is great for the students because is encourages them to do some additional work and hopefully acquire some new knowledge from the work. On the other hand if student think that EC is always available they may not give the required effort to do the work knowing that they can get out of the hole with the extra credit. This is why the EC should not be set up to get them out of the "hole" but only to help them make a small upward advancement.
I have never used extra credit because of the students who abuse the option - it's just easier for me to steer clear because I understand myself well (a peacemaker!) I make sure the students are aware of their status all the way through the course and will offer tutoring to those who may need it.
We used it on a very sparingly basis but now know the complete picture of why there are problems with it. We are now considering using the method of having extra quizzes or assignments done and throwing out a lower score quiz or assignment.
Juan,
Thats a good thing. EC really is about grades and points, and less about learning, which is what our focus should be. I'm all for helping students in every way, but EC only manipulates points and grades.
Barry Westling
I have not had to deal with extra credit in three sememters. I teach for two different schools one does not allow extra credit and the other has strict rule of when, why, and how extra credit can be worked for.
Kelsey,
I agree, and emphasize we should be interested in learning, more than points and grades.
Barry Westling
Juan,
Each teacher and institution has to decide what works best for them. Small adjustments are probably OK, but giving free points for essentialy little work isn't really contributing to learning. For me, I just avoid it altogether.
Barry Westling
My institution does not allow extra credit. I believe this is best. The student gets what the student earns.
Extra credit should have very little impact on the final grade. The only extra credit I have in my classes is for project over and above what is done in class. If a student want to learn more about a topic we covered they can earn up to 10 points but no more. They need to do the research and turn in a paper on the topic selected.
Lynn,
I'm with you. As someone in the medical field, you and I understand that in much of what we teach, there cannot be marginal performance or make-up "extra credit" assignments in order to get a higher (or passing) grade. No one would want to have someone perfom a delicate medical procedure on them if they were not proficient.
I think those advocate for EC are in the libearl arts, where perhaps there is more tolerance for it. But I don't think there much of a place for it in the medical sciences. Each school and teacher has to decide what works best for them.
Barry Westling
I don't give out extra credit in my class. Emphasis should be placed on completing the required assignments that are covered in the course syllabus.
Karl,
Right! I'm with you in regards to EC. It really doesn't help (in an educational sense), and you're right about those who need it least take full advantage. Mainly, EC is about points and grades, while the real emphasis should be on learning. Most EC assignments attempt to raise grades but really don't help understanding the learning that is required for success in a class. Opinions vary, this is mine, but I understand each institution and teacher has to decide what works best for them.
Barry Westling
Extra credit, "Usually", only benefits the students that don't need extra credit. I have to agree with those participants that do not drop the lowest grade and don't give extra credit. Once employeed, if they get employeed, the employer doesn't give extra credit or drop the lowest performance evaluation. People with A or B work ethics and apptitude, for the most part,are successful, C people "can" get employeed and remain employeed..........D and F people, regardless of extra credit or dropped lowest grades are a liabilty to placement and the overall reputation of the school that allowed them to "get through" their training.
Gayle,
There may be a responsible use for EC, and each teacher and institution has to decide where and under what circumstances they use it. My classes use a grading system that is comprised of usually about six main components (homework, quizzes, projects, professional development, mid-term, and final exam), each with a cluster of opportunities for a student to earn points. Giving a point in say, quizzes is no big thing. But a student who is a whole percentage point away from the next grade is not "just a point", but may represent many components - potential learning segments they did not legitimately earn. So for me, I just choose not to go down the EC road.
Barry Westling
I rarely use extra credit in the final grade. I have used it when a student is a point away from the next grade and the students have put a lot into their work. I offered it to all the students when I do use it.
Kathy,
Right. EC distorts the grade and doesn't really help assess the students. To me, it seems EC is about grades and points, while as teachers, we should be concerned about student learning, which, in my experience, EC ddoes not really contribute to very much.
Barry Westling
I don't think that extra credit should be used for final grades because then sometimes the students feel that they can count on that extra credit for part of their grade
Chandra,
For me, in my personal classes, there is no extra credit given, ever. I believe each teacher and institution has to decide what works best for them.
My experience has been that students use EC as a way to bring up their grade or avoid failing a class. They ask to do EC assignments that are "busy", but often have little value towards their learning. I think if an assignment I might give is important (worthy of granting credit), it should be included in the required assignments to begin with. Problems I've had with EC include subjectivity in grading, questions of fairness, good students feeling slighted that weaker students are getting a break, and artifical grade inflation.
What I have allowed is if I give more than 10 quizzes, I may drop the lowest quiz score. Another strategy is to ask a question on an examination that is like a bonus question (usually an essay question), to allow the student to demonstrate their knowledge in a particular topic (this is in addition to the points available on the test). These slight adjustments give a small amount of wiggle room but are distributed to all students and graded in a similar fashion. In general, I think EC is about points and grades, and little to do with learning. This is just my bias and perspective, and I respect that others may have opinions that differ.
Barry Westling
