I like to use extra credit for small items, things that do not effect the students final grade a whole lot. For example I have extra homeworks that are not required for my class.
Any student that is willing to do these extra homeworks, I give one extra point per homework on thier quiz. So if someone does three of the extra homeworks I give them three bonus points on there quiz. The outcome on the final grade is minimal but the effect on the students learning experience it much greater.
Fedele, this is an excellent way of keeping the student motivated - they gain extra points but as you mentioned, the learning experience is far greater. Great tip!
Our school does not have any grade flexiblity
for extra credit but the faster students
and more advanced students are usually
very enthusiastic about repairing training
aids because this usually requires work
at a higher level and presents them with
a greater challenge, and these are the
students that need it to keep their interest.
I like extra credit because it will usually help
those students who need just a few extra points.
It seems these students are the ones that will go
that extra step. I only give at the most 10 points.
Lydia
Okay, I'm a little confused. In my "previous teacher training" I was told by my director not to offer extra credit. Then I was told if it was offered, to be fair and legal, it had to be offered to all students in the class. When I've offered it to all students, the high achievers almost always do the extra credit work and then expect points that will always put them over an "A" when the grading scale is suppose to be no higher than 100% (in other words, they expect an "A+). How do I reward my high achievers while giving points to other students that require makeup?
Hi David,
Extra credit is a challenging area to delve into. If you are going to give it how can you be fair to all of the students?
I don't give extra credit in my classes due to some of the reasons you listed in your forum response. I do give professional points that can be earned by completing work in a timely and professional manner. I do offer students an opportunity to redo certain parts of their work if it does not meet the standards for the course. It is extra work for the opportunity to earn additional points within a category (professional points). The professional points of sufficient to help boost a student to another grade level or drop their grade if not earned. The professional points can be earned for attendance, being on time, completions of case studies, group work, etc. I keep the students informed about the number of professional points they have throughout the course phase.
I have found that it is better to give straight letter grades (A-B-C-D-F). The straight letter grades are straight forward and I don't get into point values of 1 point here 2 points there with students trying to earn a plus or minus.
Also, I have found that with extra credit there can be no limit. Students will want to earn extra credit for everything so they can pad their points.
Gary
In the event that a student fails an exam or written test, I allow the student the option of doing a make up research assignment (extra credit). Once completed, the maximum point value of the assignment would be 50% for the failed test. This 50% is still considered a failing grade, but isn't quite as harsh a blow as a zero-to the over all grade for the test missed. This assignment may be used once per semester. The make up work is usually centered around writing a research paper on current trends and/or techniques featured on the subject matter at hand.
Hi Raymond,
This is a good way to give students another chance in case they really have blown a test but are still wanting to be successful. The point value does help them but doesn't replace it totally so they still have to work hard to complete all of the requirements.
Gary
I usually have a grading scale for extra credit which turns around 10 to 15 pts which most of the time can help some of the low test grades.
