Barry Westling

Mitali, This sounds like a very good frequency and should give students enough time to make any suggested adjustments to occur to have an improivement in their grade. In some courses studemnts will always be a bit aprehensive before finals regardless what we do, but wondering whether they will pass the course or not is the most stressful. Barry Westling

Regina, I understand you point, and it's valid. I also think there are other ways to effectively motivate students. In the real world of work, we don't give extra credit when we want to motivate employees, but we can praise, recognize, write notes of thanks, and give notice at evaluation time. I believe peer recognition is a very strong motivator. Barry Westling

Mitali, This sounds like a great approach and shows you're thinking about the students level of interest and engagement, while making it a bit fun while you're at it. Barry Westling

Christina-Rose, Yes, and there needs to be enough time after the discussion for improvement to a students grade to occur. Too little, too late can have devastating results. Barry Westling

Christina-Rose, It works for many teachers, mainly for planning what students need most and perhaps can get by with less of. Barry Westling

Christina-Rose, Yes, soft skill are often the thing that keeps someone employed, or gets them fired, even if they are doing the technical part of their job adequately. Barry Westling

Christina-Rose, Time is the enemy of us all. You're right, working smart by careful time planning is essential for effective instruction. Barry Westling

Carmencita, This is usualkly the case, especially after a particularly well conducted field trip. Barry Westling

Vincent, I think this the most sound way to get at a fair and accurate grading system. If we prioritize student learning, then the components that reflect learning and understanding should be given more weight than lesser, busy work assignments that supplement the learning process, such as discussion, homework, and professionalism. Not that any component is not important, it's just some are more important relative to the goal (student learning). Barry Westling

Vincent, I agree that EC is often used as a "bail-out crutch", and if students know that it is used regularly, they will regulary use it! If we are truely interested in student learning, working with them to bring up their grade and understanding of material is a much better approach than just "giving away points" through some marginal EC activity. Barry Westling