Using Extra Credit to Facilitate Extra Learning in Students

Fuad, Muztaba; Jones, E.J.H.

doi:10.5815/ijmecs.2012.06.05

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Providing extra credit opportunities is a highly debated pedagogical question. − Students ask for these opportunities, since they want higher grades, and faculty sometimes agrees in hopes of motivating students. Although it seems that students are most motivated when a task’s effect is framed as an explicit loss, in line with the principles of loss aversion, carefully created extra credit opportunities may relieve students from test anxiety and lead to increased performance in solving more challenging problems .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also acknowledge that the implementation of extra credit is a highly debated topic, which may benefit students with existing higher grades . On the other hand, it can lead to increased performance in solving challenging problems and relieve students from test taking anxiety when created carefully. , …”

Section: Limitations Implications and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…66 On the other hand, it can lead to increased performance in solving challenging problems and relieve students from test taking anxiety when created carefully. 15,50 We advocate for the implementation of low-stakes exams, especially since it has been shown to have positive effects on learning outcomes for students from marginalized backgrounds and for students who find studying difficult. 64,65 However, the practitioner has to be careful to not make an exam so low stake that students lose motivation to prepare for the assessment.…”

Section: Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Flipped Online Active Learning Environment for Large General Chemistry Courses

Brady

Voronova

2023

J. Chem. Educ.

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In this work we discuss the implementation of a flipped active learning classroom model in large general chemistry classes at the University of Nevada, Reno. The flipped setup is detailed with survey results on student perception toward the design of a course. Although our recommendations were originally tailored to the online environment, the setup was implemented in an inperson active learning class accommodating teaching after the pandemic. We evaluate the average final examination scores when traditional in-person, emergency remote teaching, online, and in-person flipped learning environments are used across six semesters (Spring 2019−2022). To provide insights to the practitioner, we discuss the principles used to create a flipped schedule, effective prelecture videos, and the number of examinations used. We found that flexibility in a well-organized course with clear expectations and fast communication are some of the most important elements of course design.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitations Implications and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Flipped Online Active Learning Environment for Large General Chemistry Courses

Brady

Voronova

2023

J. Chem. Educ.

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“…The inclusion of extra credit (EC) in a course has been used in an effort to address a variety of pedagogical goals, including to improve student learning [2,3], reduce procrastination [4], promote additional work [5], and increase attendance [6]. However, the presence of extra credit in courses has long been a subject of debate, typically advocated by students excited by the opportunity to earn extra points but treated with skepticism by instructors [7] who question their pedagogical utility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the impacts of extra credit modules on students’ learning experience in a 100-level electrical and computer engineering course

Smith,

Bhowmik,

Chen

2023 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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This Complete Evidence-based practice paper investigates students' perceptions regarding the presence of two extra credit (EC) modules on parallel computing topics in an introductory electrical and computer engineering course. Prior work investigating these EC modules showed a high participation rate (48-60%) across and high performance (80-88%) on the end-of-module EC quiz across three semesters [1]. The presence of extra credit has long been a topic of discussion in education, gaining strong arguments both for and against its inclusion in curriculum. Those opposed to extra credit cite ethical concerns related to grade inflation and question the utility of providing students with extra work that is not distributed as a traditional assignment. However, prior work has suggested that EC, when carefully designed, can have affordance such as motivating additional learning. This paper seeks to extend the previous, quantitative findings relating to these parallel computing EC modules by investigating students' motivations for completing or not completing the modules, as well as impacts on anxiety, effort, and learning. In doing so we seek to understand the affordances and drawbacks of extra credit in an effort to provide further insight into how to effectively design and deploy EC in introductory engineering courses.A survey, consisting of a mix of five-point Likert items and short answer questions, was distributed to a large introductory electrical and computer engineering course across two semesters gaining 105 responses. The Likert questions related to: 1) students' motivations for completing the extra credit, 2) perceived learning gains from extra credit opportunities, 3) interest generated in the topics EC assignments covered, and 4) the relationship between anxiety and the presence of EC in the course. Survey responses for a set of short answer questions were analyzed with multiple rounds of inductive coding. In cases where a large number of related codes emerged, axial coding methods were used to extract thematic groups.The following are results from the Likert questions and analysis of the corresponding short response questions. For those respondents who did complete the EC modules, the primary motivations they identified were: 1) maximizing their grade either by supplementing their current grade or protecting it from potential deductions in the future, 2) exploring new concepts, and 3) the approachability of the assessments due to their perceived low difficulty level and time requirements. Similarly, among those respondents who did not complete the EC modules, they stated a lack of time and no need for the extra points as the primary reasons.Students overwhelmingly indicated through their Likert responses that they were willing to put large amounts of effort into extra credit assignments even in cases where they were only worth a few points. When asked about the factors that influence that effort, responses expanded upon the notion of 'grade protection' with some responses indicating that, if the time and poin...

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