Hi Kym: Great analogy - thanks for sharing. I think there's a couple of version of informing students. Of course, the formal way, sitting down with a student and informing them where they stand with points or a grade. Another version is less formal and involves a more personal touch, along the lines of encouagement and providing caring advice. Yet another might be concurrent, such as during the class, asking for feedback from students and, based on their responses, providing a cue to the degree the student has adequately answered the question. All methods, if done with respect and coutesey, should be appreciated by the student. They should be able to see the "value of their future investment grow". Regards, Barry