I am not a believer of extra credit work. I provide students a syllabus with all the necessary information to complete the course work. If the student misses class, does not hand in assignments and asks for extra credit, I explain that if they had completed the assignments or not missed class there would be no need for extra credit. The only exception I have made for this issue is when I have had special circumstances with a student, this being a death in the family, or where the student has a good reason to have missed assignments or class. Then the extra credit work, points are of the same value as the missed class or assignments. Additionally, I cover this in my syllbi.
Hi Julie,
Good point. Students come to us for learning, not "cushioned gardes". I believe we do our students a disservice if we pad their grade with non-essential work.
Barry Westling
I personally do not allow extra credit. It has been my expreience extra credit is too often used by instructors as a substitute for course work when students are not successful in learning required material. It is difficult to monitor instructor grades when they have cushioned the students' grade sheet with extra credit points.
I not only *totally agree*, but I also follow this as a guidelline.
Claudia,
Many educators in career colleges would agree with you, Claudia. So would the institutions where they work. There is a great amount of scrutiny occurring right now that requires for-profit institutions watch carefully that they are not abusing policies or acting out of compliance - as the threat of Congressional investigations could potentially ruin the business. EC is closely linked with giving away grades (in some instances), so schools are acting with caution.
Barry Westling
I believe that extra credit is fine in elementary school, junior high, and high school, but I do not think it belongs in college, particularly in a career school where the work students should be doing has direct bearing on their future as a professional. If they do what is required and explained up front, they will not need extra credit.
Hi Joseph,
If EC is given when students have completed all of their regualr assignments, then perhaps a bonus point or drop of lowest quiz score may be applicable. Giving EC just to compensate for low performance is a practice I choose not to participate in (that works for me, each teacher and schools has to decide what works for them).
Barry Westling
Hi Lisa,
The worst abuse of EC is giving EC in lieu of low performance for missed or incomplete assignments. But there are creative ways to recognize student effort in a fair way, when it's discussed in advance, available to all, and graded in the same way.
Barry Westling
Hi Sherri,
Good for you for holding your ground. EC rarely helps learning, so regardless of their grades, they "earned what they learned".
Barry Westling
Extra credit should play a very minimal role in the overall grade of a particular course. I have had students ask me for extra credit almost every day because they felt as if they needed it. It was very similar to the need for a drug!
I explained to them that I would not give extra credit because my goal is to teach them the material, not camouflage it with an inflated overall grade. They were upset, but they appreciated it in the in.
This is a tough subject. I rarely give extra credit, but do see the value of giving it on occasion. I think as long as students are not counting on it as a substitute for poor performance it can be a mechanism to show who is serious about making up a few points now and then.
Hi Maksuda,
Although some might call this semantics, the use of bonus questions on a test, or maybe dropping the lowest quiz score (when there are many quizes) is different than just giving extra assignments for poor grades in order to bring the grade up.
Barry Westling
Hi Linda,
I really like the idea of providing additional material for those students that want more than what is planned for the class. The question, and issue is the awarding of points for that activity. Some would say "if it's important and students learn from it, that activity should be added to the regular curriculum". Points alter grades, and that's cool. As teachers we are motly focused on learning. EC given to help raise points is a controversial topic, and each teacher and institution has to decide how they want to address it. For sure, giving EC to make up for poor grades on required assignments, or low points due to abseneces doesn't contribute to a good instructional plan for the student, in my opinion.
Barry Westling
I do not typically incorporate extra credit into my grading. There may be some very rare circumstances that may warrant extra credit. In the case that I do allow extra credit, I let the student develop a plan for the credit and I sit down with the student and evaluate exactly what their idea would be worth.
Giving extra credit,shows that you are a nice teacher and you care about them doing better, but its important to keep it small,so students do the other work. Also keep it consistent and make sure all students get a chance to get it. You don't want to get in trouble for showing favoritism, by giving extra credit to only the students that ask. I think haveing extra questions on the exam for extra credit is nice, because there might be one or two questions on there that are too difficult. Also this makes students feel that they have a chance to do better.
Extra credit points are given in my classes if a student wishes to further delve into a topic presented in class. They have to include a presentation on what has been learnrd to the rest of the class. This allows students that are on the cusp of two grade levels to improve their grade, but they have to work extra hard for extra credit. It also gives each student the opportunity to do research on topics that peak their interest and share it with the others.
Hi Adam,
EC tend to help grades but in my experience, do little to really help students improve their learning. But thats my opinion and policies vary. I try to always ask, what's in the best interest of the student.
Barry Westling
Very little in my opinion. It's great to help students out a little but if we are talking more than a few points overall, I think it is wrong.
Hi Andrew,
The way you use this is great. I would call it more of bonus system, rather than extra credit. While some would argue that is just semantics, I would disagree. EC is giving points beyond what is required to make up for missed work that is required, while a bonus question system gives recognition for knowledge gained and is an opportunity for the students to show it!
Barry Westling
I have used extra credit in my electrical course before. I came up with 2 ohms law word problems and gave them a month to get both problems right to replace their worst homework grade. I have been doing that for 3 terms now and only have had 1 person get them right and only 3 or 4 even try them. I feel extra credit can be a good thing as long as it applies to the material. If they can answer those problems I know that they have an uderstanding of electricity and of Ohms and Watts laws.
