VIRGILIO, We want to help students when we can. But I choose not to use EC, as I don't think it helps, but does promote entitlement and creates a false sense of performance in the mind of the student. EC is not a reality in the worforce, so it ought not be a part of a technical education. I find difficulty with objectively grading EC, there are nearly always issues or feelings of unfairness by some better performing students, and the biggest point is the questionable amount of learning that results. EC is about points and grades, I am interested in student learning, and if life circumstances impact learning, that's unfortunate. I will do what I can to assist, but not monkey with their earned grades. That's my choice, my opinion, my bias. Each teacher has to decide what works best for them. Barry Westling