Michael, My slant on this is a bit different as I'm in a medical specialty where grades and points are not as important as student learning, and demonstration of clinical proficiency and performance. It's a cliche, but who would want a "C" student working on them (partly due to EC on an assigignment)? I know it's kind of a stretch, and grades are important. For me, I just choose not to go there (with EC). Each teacher and institution has to decide what works best for them. Barry Westling