I agree. If a student does want to go "the extra mile" shouldn't extra credit be used as a challenge? I'm a firm believer in the grading process, but I do think there are always exceptions.
Megan
Extra Credit is not allowed at my campus. So to make sure students will succeed prior to the final exam or even the weekly exam. I do a quiz verbal or written. This will show me what I need to discuss in further detail to ensure that they are ready for the exam. Once the exam is taken and scores are in that's it.
KAI,
My focus is on learning and for me, to award extra credit dilutes the accurate reporting of student learning, potentially can inflate grades, can be construed as unfair (by the stronger students who don't need it), and could be a bit slippery and subjective to grade. However, I understand each instructor and institution has to decide what works for them.
Barry Westling
Whenever I do assign extra credit I offer it to the entire class. The points are minimal no more than 25% of any exam or assignment. I add these to the original exam or assignment not to exceed the total points possible in the original assessment. When I do assign it I am looking for a mean or average in which the majority fall below 60%. So far this seems to work.
Janis,
Many instructors would agree with this sentiment. EC may a role in some classes, but for me, I prefer not to use it in substitution for learning the assigned material in class.
Barry Westling
I agree I believe extra credit may actually discourage students from completing the course assignments.
Doris,
In some courses, EC is probably okay. In my medical courses, awarding EC could have dangerous results, as students need to know the material. If a student is missing a lot of time, perhaps a LOA is needed, or retaking the class. But I have difficulty for my classes giving EC points for assignments when the assigned work has not been completed. It's not fair to other students, and may not even be safe. However, I believe each instructor and institution has to decide what works best for them.
Barry Westling
Bev,
You're right. I read things instructors do all the time and realize, "wow, I hadn't thought about that". I've found these lessons to be beneficial both as instructor and student.
Barry Westling
I feel extra credit work should be given when a student has missed great deal of time or when the students' grades are below the norm. I feel if extra credit is going to work let it work during the course and not toward the final grade.
The extra credit I assign is generally a challenge, above and beyond the normal. I can see how dropping a low quiz score, or Bonus essay would also be beneficial. Guess that's why we hove these great forums.. Gives me food for thought. Thank You.
Bev,
I think each instructor and institution has to decide what policy works best for them. I drop the lowest quiz score and often give a bonus question (essay) on a final that allows a student to demonstrate knowledge beyond what I choose to assess them on. For me, I feel this is enough of a boost to accommodate any bad days they may have encountered. Much more would be literal grade inflation, in my view.
Barry Westling
Extra credit can be very helpful to those students who are trying very hard to juggle, Life, kids, Job, Finances, and Oh yes- education. If they had one bad week, that shouldn't define their success or failure. We all have a bad moment, If they are between and A or B by a small margin, I say by all means, give them the chance to get that A. Sometimes we all need someone to believe in us , I like being that person.
Amy,
Yes, these reasons are among the many that gives substance to not awarding EC.
Barry Westling
Tamara,
I tend to favor not giving EC. It's not given at work, so I feel it is not appropriate for the classroom setting that is geared to prepare graduates for their chosen career.
Barry Westling
Agreed. When I first began teaching I did offer some EC, however, I soon learned it did nothing to help the learning process. It did infact, artificially raise grades and was often abused by students who did not do the required work.
Unfortunately my program does not award extra credit. Sometimes I wish that it did because it will give them an opportunity to catch up but then again it could be unfair to others who tried hard from the beginning.
Gregg,
This is certainly a reasoned viewpoint, and not even disagreeable. What my practices are based on are the abuse many students take, and the complaints of the very students you describe, the ones who in spite of life's obstacles do good work in the midst of lifes struggles. Perhaps in some professions, "padded grades" don't matter much. For me, in he medical classes I teach and supervise, there is little room for students not demonstrating minimal knowledge and proficiency in skills that involve procedures involveing the health, safety, and wellness of the hospitalized patient.
Barry Westling
Charles,
If students want to do more work than expected, I think that's admirable and should be encouraged. However, to expect EC folr that work (perhaps as the sole motivation for doing so) has not been a favorable choice for me, based on many years of past experiences trying diffirent motivational strategies. For me, I simply don't award EC, especially if it's in substitution for required assignments.
Barry Westling
Larry,
I think this is a wonderful idea. The trouble with most EC assignments is they award credit for non-assigned work in substitution for assigned work, which really diminishes the focus of the course, is difficult to garde fairly, and if not open to or required by all students, some may claim "unfair" (usually the stronger stidents who don't need the EC points). In general, I believe all assignments should be approved by the instructor and with few exceptions, be required of all students.
Barry Westling
I like using credit and therefore disagree with the majority of these posts. Career students are facing issues that the "typical" college student (ages 18-22) are not. When I attended college at age 18, I never had to worry about caring for a sick child preventing me from studying, or a job forcing me to work extra hours and miss classes. Extra credit assignments give an opportunity for these well-meaning, hard-working students to make up some lost ground that real life imposed upon them. Yes, other students in the class who didn't face these difficulties then also get to increase, and possibly "pad" their grades, but the hard workers will do the work, and there is nothing wrong, in my view, in allowing them to benefit from it.
