Nicolette, I agree that a small amount of bonus points on exams is OK, and legitimate because it is assessing student knowledge, which is directly related to our purpose: - student learning. Too much EC can artifically raise grades, create disputes about the grading process, potentially arouse dissatisfaction among stronger students who feel slighted by the apparent "giving away" of points that they've worked hard to earn, and subjectivity in grading by the instructor. It's for these reasons I choose not to go down that road. Barry Westling