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Extra Credit Assignment Ideas that Support Student Learning

Classroom Management , Project-Based Learning , Writing

Close to the end of the semester, you likely get requests from students to complete extra credit assignments. You might be looking for extra credit assignment ideas , or maybe you’re wondering if extra credit should be allowed in the first place. Maybe you find last-minute requests annoying – grading extra credit projects can be frustrating and confusing! In this blog post, I’ll share some reasons to consider extra credit in your classroom. It can be an enriching learning opportunity for your students. You’ll also receive some examples of extra credit assignments , along with some strategies to stay organized with extra credit assignments.

Is Extra Credit a Good Thing?

Not everyone agrees that students deserve extra credit. Many teachers believe in only assigning “regular” credit. Sometimes the top performers in our class request the opportunity to boost their grades. Oftentimes, students who have unfinished assignments or lower grades request extra credit too. Teachers who do not assign extra credit often decline these requests to emphasize the importance of turning in regular assignments on time .

Meanwhile, some teachers do not assign extra credit because their schools do not allow it. School-wide policies may not permit extra credit in order to promote equitable grading practices. Before you decide whether or not you will offer extra credit, be sure to check your school’s policy.

Equitable Extra Credit Policies

Another place to consult before assigning extra credit is with any staff that teaches the same course as you. If either one of you approaches extra credit differently, your students may interpret this as inequitable . One of the main reasons that teachers believe students do not deserve extra credit is that it is unethical. There are ways to ensure that extra credit is equitable, but you will need to ensure that your colleagues are in agreement .

Students deserve extra credit when it is an opportunity offered to everyone . To ensure that your policies are ethical and equitable, do not assign extra credit on a case-by-case basis. This does not mean that everyone needs to complete an extra credit assignment. This also does not mean that every extra credit assignment needs to be the same. Equity is about access . Case-by-case simply implies that you should not approve extra credit for one student and deny it for another – unless there is a valid reason to do so.

Whether you believe students deserve extra credit or not, be sure to include your policy in your syllabus . If you allow extra credit, you may also wish to note your requirements. These can include when and how to request extra credit opportunities. Mondays Made Easy includes an Extra Credit Application with our Editable Full Course Syllabus Template .

Why Should Teachers Give Extra Credit?

Teachers should give extra credit if they support differentiation for students. When implemented properly, extra credit assignments can be a fantastic way to differentiate for different learner profiles. Many teachers hold the belief that a student’s grade in a course should reflect their understanding of the curriculum. In an equitable setting, there should be several opportunities to demonstrate that understanding.

There are multiple reasons why a student may perform poorly on an assessment. There are also multiple factors that may prevent students from being present in class or turning in work on time. Extra credit assignments, when assigned to correlate with your curriculum requirements and course expectations, provide students with another opportunity to meet course standards .

This is especially true if the extra credit is able to assess learning goals while catering to different learning styles . I saw a great example the other day of a student who baked a literal cake of symbolic elements from The Great Gatsby. Their write-up described the literary elements in the novel in relation to the cake: from rum-flavored icing to pearl necklace piping, this culinary creation fused course requirements with the student’s passion!

Tips for Assigning Extra Credit

One reason why teachers hate extra credit is that it can be a real headache! Keeping track of extra credit assignments and due dates requires additional effort on our part. On top of that, grading additional assignments around report card time is stressful. Thankfully, these hardships are minimized with a simple system in place.

Mondays Made Easy’s FREE Extra Credit Application is a great tool to help you keep track of extra credit assignments and requests. Students typically ask for extra credit in person; an application provides a paper trail for these conversations. Additionally, an application provides space to note assignment instructions and due dates – if your students are anything like mine, they might need a reminder about these details.

Extra credit applications can also double as a metacognitive reflection tool . I often have students explain why they need the extra credit in the first place. This provides them the opportunity to reflect on their performance and participation in the course. If the same student repeatedly asks for extra credit in your class, it can also be useful to have a record of each request . This can provide you both with documentation to discuss the student’s habits and performance.

A final reason why I love using extra credit applications is that they encourage students to be proactive . I introduce my extra credit application with my syllabus at the start of the course. I notify students that I require extra credit applications to be submitted three weeks before report cards. This sets the expectation that extra credit requests should not be made last minute. I also schedule assignments to be turned in before grades are finalized. This eliminates any last-minute grading .

Extra Credit Assignment Ideas for English Class

To simplify extra credit assignment ideas, you can adopt the popular approach of offering an assignment re-do to students. This is the easiest way to avoid additional grading while accommodating extra credit requests.

Another approach to extra credit that requires very little assessment is to implement a pass system . At the start of the semester, you can provide each student with a number of passes. For example, each student might receive three hallway passes and one late pass. In order to receive extra credit, students must have all of their passes remaining at the end of the semester. If your school policy allows, you can give students bonus points for simply showing up to class on time and avoiding hallway distractions.

For novel studies , you can offer students the opportunity to create a movie trailer. This example for an extra credit assignment idea requires a bit of effort, but it is a great alternative assessment for older students . A movie trailer will prompt students to avoid simple plot summaries and establish characterization and theme. To facilitate this assignment, Mondays Made Easy offers a Movie Trailer Project Outline and Rubric .

If your students have written research essays , you can offer them the opportunity to turn their work into a “ real-world resource .” A “real-world resource” is any type of media or document that delivers students’ research to the general public. This example of an extra credit assignment is a great opportunity for differentiation because it allows students to be creative and select any medium they like. Mondays Made Easy also offers a Real-World Resource Assignment Outline and Rubric .

Aligning Extra Credit Assignment Ideas with Your Curriculum

When it comes to selecting an extra credit assignment idea, the most important consideration should be how the assignment aligns with your curriculum. If you’re not sure what to assign for extra credit, one option could be to review the student’s performance . If they scored low on a particular assessment, it would make sense to opt for an assignment that covers similar curriculum strands .

For example, the Common Core State Standards require students to “write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence” ( English Language Arts Standards – Writing – Grade 9-10 ). If your student requesting extra credit scored lowest on an assessment for this strand, it would not be best practice to assess an argumentative writing assignment.

Mondays Made Easy’s Extra Credit Application prompts students to reflect on their performance in your course. It also offers them the opportunity to suggest extra credit assignment ideas . Oftentimes, students are able to recommend an assignment idea that evaluates similar skills to those that were evaluated poorly on a previous assessment. If their recommendation doesn’t align, you can facilitate a conversation to guide them in the right direction. This is a great way to implement differentiation and student choice . It also enables you to incorporate your students’ examples of extra credit assignments into your curriculum. Students have great ideas, and I’ve benefitted from reusing their suggestions with future classes!

Extra Credit Assignment Ideas: Important Takeaways

Assigning extra credit remains a matter of personal preference. You know what works best for your students, and your professional discretion will best determine whether or not extra credit is an opportunity that they need. As mentioned, it is best to check if your approach aligns with your school policy and your colleagues’ practices. If you do decide to offer your students extra credit assignments , I hope that the suggestions and ideas in this blog post support you in your efforts!

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5 Extra Credit Activities That Promote Engaged Learning

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The end of the semester is approaching quickly. Only two more weeks of coursework before finals week arrives. At this point of the semester, it’s not uncommon to receive requests for extra credit opportunities. I’ve never received an extra credit request from a student, though, because I build in multiple opportunities into the semester. There’s a lot of debate over whether extra credit should be an option in the classroom. Personally, I believe that if students are willing to put in extra effort to complete additional work, then they should have that opportunity. I’m more than willing to allow students to increase their project grades by a few points by completing additional activities that require students to deepen their understanding and abilities to apply what they’ve learned. Here are five forms of extra credit activities I offer in my various courses. [ A video version of this information is included at the end of this post, too!]

Responses to Classmates’ Work

In my literature courses , my students are required to complete 3-5 literary analysis discussion posts throughout the semester. They post them using our LMS forums tool. The forums are set to not allow students to read earlier posts in a specific forum until they themselves have submitted a post. At that point, the rest of the posts are revealed and they are free to reply to them. Once the deadline for a post passes, I change the setting so that all students can see the posts even if they did not complete one. Students have at least double the number of possible forums to post to than required of them, so they can pick which required texts they are most interested in analyzing before they are discussed in class.

As this is a digital assignment that all students easily have access to via our course website, I always include an extra credit opportunity at the end of the assignment sheet. Students were required to complete 3 posts in this semester’s ENG170 . The assignment equates to 15% of the student’s course grade. With this grade dynamic in mind, my students could receive up to 10 points extra credit on individual posts by completing the activity below. The language that follows is copied directly from my assignment sheet:

Extra Credit: Up to 10 points total

• Additional quote(s) and analysis that support their points
• Additional analysis of the quote(s) they used that further support their points
• Quote(s) and analysis that can counter their points
• Additional analysis of the quote(s) they used that counter their points
• A discussion of why their points/arguments are significant
• There is no word requirement for these comments. The detail you put into them and/or the points you make in them will equate to the amount of points you receive for each comment. Once you receive 10 points total, you will not be able to receive more of this extra credit, though additional comments can help with your participation grade in a manner similar to the Discussion Addition forums.

Very few students tend to take advantage of this extra credit opportunity, but I offer it every time I use this assignment. The students aren’t required to reply to classmates who submitted a post to the same forums they did. So, while a student might not have written a post about El Deafo , this extra credit activity gives them the chance to earn points by thinking further on a text that they originally passed on analyzing in written form. If they do respond to a post from a forum they chose earlier in the semester, then they’ve chosen to approach a text they’ve analyzed from an angle they might not have thought about on their own. In either case, students gain more literary analysis writing skills and work on rhetorically responding to someone else’s analysis rather than just always writing their own without any concern to the complications of collaborative writing.

Creative Project

This extra credit activity is posted during Week 1, but it’s not due until the last day of class. In contrast to the activity above, this project is not attached to any one assignment. For my children’s literature courses, this activity takes on the form of creating a picture book or first chapter of a graphic novel. In my YA literature course , they have the option of writing a piece of fanfiction based on one of our required texts. Here’s the assignment from my ENG170 course:

Step 1: Create a picture book or graphic novel chapter

You can work with one partner or by yourself. The picture book should be at least 14 pages long; the graphic novel at least 8 pages in length. The picture book can be a narrative or concept book. Your intended audience should be children, though you can pick any age group. It should be designed to look like a picture book or graphic novel (front cover to back cover, not just the story). 

Step 2: Write a Reflection

Write a short reflection (400 words or more). In it, discuss topics like how you came up with the idea for your book, why you decided to create this idea, why you designed the book the way you did (colors, shape, materials, etc.), what message(s) you want (or don’t want) your reader to get from the book, etc. Submit this reflection into the “Extra Credit Project” assignment link. If you work with a partner, each of you must write a reflection.

This project is much more popular with my students. Most complete the project without a partner, but I’ve seen some amazing writer and illustrator pairs. Most tend to create a narrative picture book. Graphic novel chapters are very rare. Students can earn up to 5 points extra credit on an exam by completing this activity, depending on the detail of their reflection and effort in creating their children’s text. We spend so much time analyzing the content and design of visual texts. This activity allows students to learn first hand just how hard creating these texts can be. Putting in the effort to experience this creative process and reflect on it is worth adding a few points to an exam that they might have struggled with because of how much information is included in this prerequisite course.

Digital Project

A new extra credit activity I offered this semester is the “class blog” project. Our LMS has a blog tool that allows students to construct a collaborative blog on our class website (so there is no need to grapple with creating their own blog or posting to the online public). So far, no student has posted to the blog. But, they have three more weeks to post. Here’s the assignment description I created for my students:

You can blog about anything related to children’s literature/media and culture. There is no word requirement for these blog posts. You can post as many as you want and include as much detail as you want. The more detail/depth you include in the posts, the more points you will earn. Just make sure it’s your own writing, and if you cite someone else in your posts, make sure to credit them. Once you receive the 5 points available for this extra credit, additional posts can function similarly to the discussion addition forum posts in regard to improving your participation grade. Here are some ideas for what you can blog about, though you might come up with other ideas:

• Children’s literature book reviews
• Children’s movie reviews
• Children’s app reviews
• Your thoughts/opinions about something going on in the media that connects to children’s texts or children in general
• Your experiences reading to children at a library or at home
• Your childhood memories of reading/watching one of the texts we’re reading for class
• Your ideas for how you’d teach a children’s text in your future classrooms

You can also reply to others’ blog posts. It’ll likely be harder to earn the same amount of points in comparison to creating your own, but replying is an option for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable creating their own posts. If your post inspires a lot of comments, this community response can also increase the amount of points you earn for that post.

Like the creative project, students can earn up to five points extra credit on an exam by completing this activity. In adding this activity, my hope was to inspire students to connect our class to the world outside the classroom. I consider what I teach to be incredibly relevant to my students’ lives outside the classroom. Getting students to have that same belief can be difficult, so I created this extra credit opportunity so that students would have reason to put in extra effort to make these connections. I’m curious to see if any student will do so in the coming weeks.

Event Attendance and “Takeaways” Response

ISU’s English department hosts the Lois Lenski Lecture every spring semester. We invite a children’s and/or young adult literature scholar to speak at our campus and host a Q&A session after their talk. I’ve learned so much from these presentations, and always mention them to my children’s and ya literature students. I also offer extra credit if they attend the event and write up a “takeaways response” to it that night. They submit them digitally by midnight, or just turn it in physically at the lecture.

This semester, my students have the option of exploring a children’s literature display at our university library. A special collections display was created by students in a graduate course. If my students explore it and write up a response to it, they can receive a few extra credit points were they most need it (up to 3, depending on the detail in their response). They had two weeks to complete this activity. Fewer than a handful did so. This activity and other events are great for helping students see how others outside the classroom study and use children’s and YA literature. Note: The takeaways can’t just be regurgitated facts. Students have to reflect and metacognitively respond to what they’ve heard/seen during the event.

Aesthetic Additions

I include this option when students complete a highly visual project. For the picture book festival activity I’ve used in past ENG170 sections, students could increase their poster grade by up to five points depending on the effort they put into designing their posters. All students were automatically eligible for earning these points. Students could earn a high grade as long as they included all the required material on their poster. But, if their posters’ design aesthetic was well thought out, extra credit points could be earned. Some students focused on emphasizing the content of their text (crafting a tree on a The Giving Tree poster), while others focused on the medium (designing their poster as a TV screen when analyzing Gilmore Girls ). Most students tend to receive only a point or two for this extra credit opportunity, but I’ve been amazed by the thought and effort put into a few poster designs over the years. It livens up my grading experience at the end of the semester too, which is always welcome.

Final Thoughts

Of the five activities listed above, four were options in this semester’s ENG 170 course. Giving my students the chance to earn up to 23 extra credit points likely seems excessive to some of you reading this post. Here are a few points I’d like for you to keep in mind, especially if you’re considering what extra credit activities you might want to offer next semester: 1. In a 30 student course, usually less than half the students will attempt even one of the extra credit options. 2. Less than a third will attempt more than one option, and they are often the ones that don’t even need extra credit. 3. It’s rare for a student to earn the max number of points for any of the activities because of how much extra effort and work I expect from them in order to gain these points. 4. The only activity that creates the opportunity to gain 10 points is the forum posts extra credit. These points are added to individual posts rather than to the activity grade as a whole. In this specific case, one post equates to just 5% of their overall course grade. 5. If students are willing to put in the extra time and effort, and the activities actually require them to learn something, why not offer them the opportunity for engaging in additional ways with the course material?

I’ve never regretted including extra credit options in my courses. Few students take me up on my offers, and a bump up in their overall grade definitely isn’t guaranteed. But, by having these activities in my course design, I’m making clear to my students that hard work will be rewarded and that doing poorly on one assignment doesn’t mean they’ve done irrevocable damage to their course grade > GPA > financial aid/grad applications. Even one offer of extra credit can demonstrate to students that we as instructors understand that sometimes they need an extra chance to show their willingness to put in the effort to learn and grow. Why not give them that chance?

>>If you’d like to download a PDF that lists the various extra credit activities described above (and a few other activity ideas!), just subscribe to my blog. You’ll receive access to all my blog-related PDFs and will receive an email every time a new blog post goes up!<<

Do you include extra credit opportunities in your courses? If so, share what activities you offer in the comments section below!

Assignment Examples , ELA , Full Archive , Teacher Life , Teaching Tips

College Courses Course Design extra credit Pedagogy Teach

February 18, 2020 at 4:15 PM

Awesome suggestions!

February 20, 2020 at 2:20 PM

I’m glad you like them!

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• Educational Assessment

Extra Credit Assignments: An Innovative Approach

• February 3, 2010
• Tena Long Golding, PhD

My students are always asking for opportunities to earn bonus points. I offer a variety of assignments during the semester, but they still want bonus points, which they seem to think are easier to obtain than the required points. Generally, I’m opposed to bonus options because I feel that if students are struggling with the current assignments, they do not need an “extra” assignment for extra credit. In addition, the word “bonus” seems to suggest something for nothing. I want my students to realize that grades are earned, not given. However, I recently tried a bonus activity that benefited my students and also met my expectations for a substantive learning experience.

The end of the spring semester correlates with increased absences and assignment apathy. The weather is beautiful, my classes are in the afternoon, and student attendance drops. In addition, students in my classes are preservice teachers who must do a minimum number of field observations in area schools before the end of the semester. Those who have procrastinated start feeling the crunch and begin to miss class in order to complete the required number of hours. Those attending class often arrive unprepared. Clearly, this is not the easiest time of the year for teaching.

In a mathematics class for prospective elementary teachers, we had been working on a particular section for several class sessions, so students had more time than usual to complete the homework assignment. On the day this homework was to be discussed, I decided to offer a bonus activity. I created a sheet with 11 problems that applied many of the concepts we had covered in previous class sessions.

Students could earn one point for each problem solved correctly. The problems had to be worked out during the allotted class time, and students could not begin working until a trade had occurred—the bonus sheet in exchange for completed homework. This trade made the students accountable for previously assigned work and removed my fear of giving them something for nothing. Students who had not completed the assignment had less time for the bonus opportunity because they had homework to finish up first.

An interesting classroom dynamic occurred after I explained how this bonus opportunity worked. Many of the students with their homework done began helping students who had not been able to work through all the homework problems. Students who had not even started the homework began to work diligently in order to have even a little bonus time. As I walked around the room, I heard not only the buzz of mathematics but also comments like “I told Julie she shouldn’t miss class” and “I knew I should’ve done my homework!”

I want students to be successful in and out of the classroom. This means learning the mathematics we’re covering in the course. But I also want students to realize they are ultimately responsible for their own learning and accountable for their actions. The bonus problems reviewed concepts that the students needed to know and understand. By design, the activity reinforced the responsibility of students to complete assigned homework. Since the only students who received few or no points were the students who missed class or had not completed the homework assignment, the lack of bonus points earned was not the fault of the teacher (e.g., test too hard, too long) but rather the consequence of a personal decision.

The bonus activity was a success and is a practice I’ll repeat. My students were delighted with the opportunity, and I was guilt-free. The activity let students know that I am sensitive to their needs and ideas, but it also showed how a missed class is a missed opportunity—and that doing your homework pays off!

Tena Long Golding, is an associate professor of mathematics at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Excerpted from Bonuses of a Bonus Assignment! The Teaching Professor, June-July 2008.

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Create an extra credit assignment.

Extra credit is currently not a default option in Canvas. However, you can give students extra credit using a variety of options. Below we will discuss how to create an Extra Credit assignment by giving them a point value of 0. We will also discuss how to create extra credit assignments through Assignment Groups. There will be an additional list of resources at the bottom of this page that will explain more methods on how to award your students extra credit.

Each method has its limitations, so it's important that you determine which method works best according to your needs.

On This Page

Zero Point Value

Assignment groups, additional resources.

This method involves creating an assignment that has a point value of 0. Then, once the assignment has been completed by your students, going in and manually changing the grade accordingly. If you have weighted assignment groups, this will give extra credit to whichever group the assignment is located.

Create an assignment

Give the assignment a Point Value of 0

Complete the rest of the necessary information

This method doesn't have any restrictions on which submission type you choose. If you have weighted assignment groups, select which group you would like to place your assignment in.

Have your students complete the assignment

Manually give your students points in the gradebook

You do this by simply going to the gradebook, locating the column that contains your extra credit assignment and adjusting their scores accordingly.

You can award your students extra credit by creating an assignment group and assigning it a designated weight. You do this by making your extra credit assignment group exceed the 100% total sum and placing your assignments within that group. 

If you place multiple assignments within an extra credit group, it's important to note that the grades of all of those assignments will get aggregated together. To avoid this, you can create multiple assignment groups with one assignment placed in each. 

When using this method, it is recommended that you make each of the extra credit assignments worth 0 points until the end of the semester. This Instructure forum page best explains why.

Below is how Canvas calculates the weights in assignment groups.

Standard Grading Approach: (Points Earned / Total Points Possible) = Total Score (as percentage) Weighted Grading Approach: Where En = Points earned in assignment group n, Pn  = Total points possible in assignment group n, Wn ­= Weighting for assignment group n, as decimal (e.g. wn = 25% = .25) (( E1 / P1 ) * 100)W1 + ((E2 / P2 ) * 100)W2 + … + ((En / Pn) * 100)Wn = Total Percentage 

Grading With Assignment Groups

Create an assignment group

Enter a Group Name and a desired % of the total grade , then click  Save

Create a new assignment

If you already have the extra credit assignment created, move it into the new group.

Give the assignment a Point Value of 0 until you near the end of the semester

You may want to notify your students that they won't be able to see the effects of the extra credit until the end of the semester. Again, this Instructure forum page explains why (under the Note: ).

Edit the Point Values accordingly at the end of the semester

• 5 Keys to Grading
• Extra Credit for Individual Quiz Questions
• Instructure Community - How do I give extra credit in a course?

Brightspace Support

Extra credit, Bonus items, and exceeding 100%

In Brightspace, there are a few different ways you can award extra credit to a student, and allow a grade to exceed 100%. This guide will explain each of these situations, and how to set it up in your course.

• Allow extra credit points on an assignment
• Create an extra credit assignment (bonus item)

Allow a grade Category to exceed 100%

Allow the final grade to exceed 100%.

Updated April 2020 Printable version

Allow Extra Credit points on a Grade Item

These instructions are for giving extra credit points (i.e. Award 105 points to something worth 100 points). With this setting, students are allowed to earn more than the maximum points on a grade item.

• Go to Course Admin -> Grades -> Manage Grades
• Go to the Grade Item you are working with and select Edit Grade Item.
• In the edit screen, scroll down to the Grading section and check the box labelled “Can Exceed”. Click Save and Close.

Create an Extra Credit assignment (Bonus item)

In Brightspace, an extra credit assignment is called a Bonus Item – all points given are treated as extra credit. Using a Bonus Item will allow students to earn extra points without changing the final calculated grade.

Note: If you put a Bonus Item in a gradebook category (this is common), be sure that you also complete the step of allowing a grade Category to exceed 100%. 

• In the edit screen, scroll down to the Grading section and check the box labelled “Bonus”. Click Save and Close.

A grade Category contains one or several Grade Items in your gradebook. If you have bonus items in a category, you will want to make sure you have allowed that category to exceed 100%. This way the student’s bonus points will count toward their total grade, and not just that category.

• Go to the Category you are working with and select Edit Category
• In the edit screen, scroll down to the Grading section and check the box labelled “Allow category grade to exceed category weight”.
• Click Save and Close.

If you have Bonus Items or Extra Credit in your course, you may want to allow students to exceed 100% for their final grade. Here are the instructions on how to allow a Final Grade to exceed 100%.

Note: Please do not change the name of your Calculated or Adjusted Grade items in the gradebook.

• Go to Final Calculated Grade or Adjusted Calculated Grade , depending on how your gradebook is set up. Select Edit.
• In the edit screen, scroll down to the Grading section and check the box labelled “Can Exceed”.

Instructional Technology Blog

ITG supports faculty use of technology for teaching and learning at Emerson College

• by Isobel Rounovski
• December 12, 2023 August 17, 2023

Setting Up Extra Credit in Canvas

One of the most common questions we get each semester is about how to set up extra credit in Canvas. There are multiple ways to do so, but we’ll go over the two most common methods in this blog post.

Create an extra credit assignment using weighted assignment groups

The first method for setting up an extra credit assignment is to add an extra credit weighted assignment group containing only the extra credit assignment. For example, let’s say you add an Extra Credit assignment group worth 3%. Your grading breakdown may look something like the following:

Since all the assignment groups total to 100% before the extra credit group is added, the addition of the extra credit group means that each student now has an opportunity to earn up to an additional 3% on top of their final grade. It also means that no student will be penalized for not completing the extra credit assignment, since everyone still has an opportunity to earn a full 100% over the course of the semester by completing all the other assignments.

You can only use this method if you already use weighted assignment groups.

Create an extra credit assignment with zero point value

The other method is to add an extra credit assignment worth 0 points, but then grade it out of a predetermined, non-zero point value (and let students know ahead of time how you’ll be grading the assignment). You can use this method regardless of if your assignment groups are weighted or unweighted. 

The weight of the extra credit assignment depends on whether you use weighted assignment groups or not, and how many points your other assignments are worth. We’ll go over a couple examples that show how you can calculate the weight of the extra credit assignment.

Example 1: weighted assignment groups

For this example, let’s say that you want to add an extra credit discussion, and your Discussions assignment group is weighted at 20%. You have 10 discussions in the group already, worth 10 points each. Remember, the extra credit assignment you add as the 11th discussion to the group will be worth 0 points, but graded out of a non-zero point value. In this example we’ll say that the discussion will be worth 0 points but graded out of 10 points.

The discussion group still is worth a total of 100 points, but students can now earn a maximum of 110 points. This means that the total maximum credit a student can earn for the discussions group weighted at 20% is (110/100)*20% = 22% contributed towards their final grade. Since the pre-extra credit maximum percentage possible for discussions was 20%, and now students can earn up to 22%, in effect the extra credit assignment is worth 2% of final grades (in other words, each student now has an opportunity to earn up to an additional 2% on top of their final grade by completing the extra credit discussion).

Example 2: unweighted assignment groups

This example involves a grading set up that uses a lump sum of point values to calculate final grades, rather than using weighted assignment groups. Let’s say the point value for all assignments in the course is 200 points, which means student’s final grades are calculated by taking the total points earned for all assignments divided by 200 points possible. You add an extra credit assignment worth 0 points, but it will be graded out of 10 points, meaning a student can now earn a maximum of 210 points out of 200. A student earning the maximum number of points would have a final grade of 210/200 = 105%, which means that by completing the extra credit assignment, a student can earn up to an additional 5% on top of their final grade.

Grading students who do not complete the extra credit

Regardless of which of the two methods you may use, when grading the  extra credit assignment it’s best to excuse students who do not complete the assignment rather than give a zero. 

Giving those students a zero will not penalize them since the opportunity for each student to earn a full 100% for the course is still there, but note that if a zero for the extra credit is applied before all other assignments are graded, the zero will artificially deflate grades (giving the appearance that students are being penalized for not completing the extra credit). This happens because any yet-to-be-graded assignments are ignored by Canvas in final grade calculation. Therefore, the best way to avoid this is to mark students as “Excused” rather than giving a zero. Any student who is marked as “Excused” for an assignment will have that assignment excluded from their final grade calculation.

Need more help with setting up extra credit?

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or 617-824-8090 for further assistance.

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Extra Credit Assignments

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Can I add an Extra Credit Assignment in Canvas?

The answer is YES! There are several methods for adding extra credit in Canvas.

To learn more about extra credit in Canvas and the best ways to add it to your course, see the guide below.

Click here for a guide to Extra Credit Assignments in Canvas

Click here to view an example of an extra credit assignment in Canvas

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How to Make Extra Credit Your Students’ Responsibility

“What can I do so that I don’t have a D in art? Can you give me some extra credit?”

I wanted to yell, “Why didn’t you do the work I assigned!?” Instead, I took a deep breath. Slightly, only slightly, I unfurrowed my brow and agreed my student could write a paper for extra credit.

Later, buried under a pile of extra credit papers, covered in paper cuts, I decided things had to change.

You may be wondering, why offer extra credit in the first place?

While most of my grading focuses on process, not product, there are always students focused on the perfect grade. Simply put, wanting an “A” holds students back from taking risks. Letting students know that extra credit is an option helps them risk failure.

Having extra credit as an option is also a powerful tool when talking to parents. When parents call, frustrated about a low grade, you’re able to remind them there is a way to raise that grade. This practice places ownership of the grade back onto the student.

But how do you assign extra credit in a way that makes sense for you and your students?

3 Guiding Principles for Assigning Extra Credit

Depending on the age of your students and the nature of your school environment, you may need to make adjustments to the plan below. Use these guiding principles as a way to reflect on your current extra credit procedures.

Principle 1: Extra credit is extra work for the student, not for you.

As much as possible, extra credit should be extra work for the student, not you. Often, you’re the one creating, explaining, and assessing the assignment. Instead, it should be the student creating, explaining, and playing a role in assessment. One way to do this is to have students complete an extra credit proposal in which they have to take the lead.

You can download an example below to use in your classroom.

Download Now!

This form makes it the student’s responsibility to come up with an idea for extra credit work. They must explain why it’s relevant, propose how much it should be worth, and how it should be assessed.

Although the responsibility is on the students, you’ll want to make sure they have a few concrete examples to use for inspiration. You can see two examples below.

I would like to create and submit five mug designs instead of only the required two.

This is relevant because it’s forcing me to take the concepts and techniques that we’re learning about and apply them in three new ways. My additional designs will continue to follow the project guidelines and constraints.

I should be able to earn five extra credit points per each completed additional mug. The project is worth 30 points for two mugs, so it seems fair to ask for half of those points for creating three additional pieces.

I will complete all pieces at the same time the overall assignment is due. I plan to spend time working on these pieces during study hall. This will also push me to use my time wisely, and make it easy for my additional pieces to fit into the firing schedule.

I propose you assess this project using the rubric already in place.

I will need access to additional clay and glaze to complete my extra credit assignment.

I would like to come to the art room during my free period to clean and organize supplies.

This is relevant because we all work best in an organized space. It also connects to the National Core Art Enduring standard , ” Artists and designers balance experimentation and safety, freedom and responsibility while developing and creating artworks.”

I should earn six extra credit points. I’ll be spending an hour of my time organizing and reflecting on the best way to use, clean, and organize tools.

I propose you assess this project by my completion of all items on the following checklist:

• All materials are put back into their proper location and supply sheets are updated.
• Paintbrushes are washed and put away.
• Tables, counters, and sinks are wiped and clean.

I plan to complete this on March 5th during my study hall with you. No additional materials are needed.

Principle 2: Extra credit must be completed within a specific time frame.

Most students wait until the last minute to ask for extra credit. Make students aware of when they can and cannot submit proposals. For example, I don’t allow students to submit extra credit during the last two weeks of a marking period. Throughout the marking period, students complete grade reflection sheets , and are reminded if they are unhappy with their grade, the may want to consider submitting an extra credit proposal.

Principle 3: Completion of an extra credit assignment does not automatically result in extra points.

Students often think that because they completed an extra credit assignment, they will receive points. Make it clear to your students you do not guarantee any extra points, reinforcing that they must earn them.

Explain to your students submitting poor quality work for extra credit can result in them earning zero or even negative points.

When to give negative points.

If a student does a poor job on their extra credit assignment or tries to game the system, it may warrant taking away points rather than giving them.

Here are three examples that may warrant a deduction:

• A student chooses to write an artist research report. However, it is full of grammatical and factual errors or includes plagiarised material.
• A student chooses to write a two-page paper about an art-related topic. But, they manipulate the spacing and the font to make their piece of writing seem longer than it actually is.
• A student chooses to write extra comments during a class critique. However, they don’t follow the critique format or give shallow feedback like, “This is cool.”

Having guiding principles sets clear expectations for your students. From the start, students understand that while extra credit is an option, it is extra work, and is not guaranteed.

How are you currently dealing with extra credit in your classroom?

What adjustments do you need to make to your extra credit policy to make it more effective for both you and your students?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Amber Kane is AOEU’s Director of K–12 Curriculum and a former AOEU Writer and high school art educator. She believes questioning and a focus on the creative thought process helps students uncover their personal voice and impact others.

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Go Big Before Going Home: Finish the Year with a Collaborative Paper Mache Sculpture

5 Art Activities to Unwind After Testing and Portfolio Submissions 

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15.3: Should teachers allow extra credit?

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• Jennfer Kidd, Jamie Kaufman, Peter Baker, Patrick O'Shea, Dwight Allen, & Old Dominion U students
• Old Dominion University

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By: Lindsey Layne

"I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.-Socrates

Learning Objectives

• The reader should be able to understand reasons why teachers allow extra credit -The reader should be able to understand different types of extra credit

Introduction

In today’s schools teachers are skeptic about whether or not to provide extra credit opportunities to their students. It is at the teachers discretion to implement this practice in their classroom. Some teachers oppose giving their students the chance to increase their grade with this option while others believe it is necessary.

What is extra Credit and how is it used?

Extra credit is an optional assignment of some sort that a student can do to boost his/her grade. Teachers can present an extra credit assignment in many ways. It could be a presentation, a paper, a book report, a visual aid and so much more. It serves more than one purpose when also used as a review for a test or lesson. Sometimes the points earned will only be added to a test or other assignment and other times teachers choose to put it towards a final grade. Usually these assignments are worth no more than 20 points, except for in rare cases. An example of an extra credit assignment could be related to a test. The teacher may not take up homework for an entire lesson on Rational equations. Completing the homework will be at the students discretion and on the day of test they can turn it in for 5 extra credit points on the test.

Optimistic view of Extra Credit

Teachers choose the route of extra credit assignments for many different reasons. Everyone has unpredictable things happen within their lives and sometimes it can impact sleep, time to study, or even being able to attend school. Extra credit can ease this stress and fill the gap.Usually teachers who believe this option is a positive thing, do it because they believe it allows for less stress on the students. If a student was just having a bad day and did not get the grade they hoped for on a test, they know that they can complete the extra credit assignment to boost their grade a little. Another reason may be for the simple experience of what the assignment entails. For example, if the option is to create a video or a power point presentation on the civil war, it would give the students some personal interaction with the subject matter. This knowledge could be beneficial when completing other assignments that involve the civil war. Lastly, a teacher may implement extra credit opportunity to benefit themselves. Some teachers believe that the grades the students receive is a direct reflection of how the teacher is doing their job. If most of a class bombs a test, the extra credit will hopefully relieve some of the worries that their teacher may have.

Pessimistic view of extra credit

On the opposing side of the extra credit issue, teachers can view this educational option as a negative thing. “Some teachers have a policy of no extra credit work. They feel that every student has the opportunity to do what's necessary and if they don't, they should experience the consequences.” (The English Teacher) They may think it gives the students an excuse not to do their best on a test or assignment. "The existence, or the hope of extra credit may induce students to prepare less carefully for exams and papers with the expectation that additional points can be earned on future assignments," (Wilson 2002.) If not all of the students choose to take advantage of the extra credit, the grade outcome can contain too much of a gap. The grading of additional assignments that only few students completed can also get very confusing and cause issues for the teacher. The “no extra credit” route can teach students the responsibility of planning for their test without hesitation. (The English Teacher.)

Closing the gap

When a teacher feels skeptic not to allow extra credit but still wanting their students to do well, they may try to result to something different to make it seem fair. Teachers may not like to allow extra credit to boost any grades but they could have a rule where if more than 70 percent of a class fails or receives below a 65 on an test, the teacher will implement a curve. This could be only for tests so that way students will not count on extra credit points and still do their best. The curve could be added in any way to try to make the class average within the passing zone.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

1. What is the term for an optional assignment that can boost a student’s grade?

b. Extra credit

c. Homework

2. If a teacher wants to implement a different route other than extra credit to boost their students grades on a test, that has stipulations and the students would be unaware until after they took the test, what would the teacher do?

a. Allow a presentation to earn 5 points

b. Throw out the test and put a 100 in grade book

c. Implement a curve to put class average above passing

d. Allow for a retake to only few students

3. According to the article which example best describes a situation that could cause a student stress

a. Parents divorce

b. at the hospital all night

c. not enough sleep

d. all of the above

4. According to article which option best describes a reason for a teacher opposing extra credit?

a. teacher doesnt feel like grading extra assignments

b. students should learn that planning ahead and studying is very important without hope of extra credit

c. the test was easy enough without offering extra credit

• (Danielson, L The English Teacher. Retrieved March 19, 2009, from Teaching Strategies Web site: http://teacher2b.com/strategies/excredit.htm
• Wilson, Mark (2002). Evidence that Extra Credit Assignments Induce Moral Hazard, Atlantic Economic Journal, Retrieved March 19, 2009, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6413/is_1_30/ai_n28912014

How do I give extra credit in a course?

Mar 28, 2024 • knowledge, article summary, article body.

You can give students extra credit using a variety of options.

If you are weighing your assignment groups, please pay attention to how weighted groups can affect the Gradebook if assignments are worth zero points.

If you have drop rules set in an assignment group, adding extra points may affect your students' scores.

Option 1: Create New Assignment with Zero Point Value

Create a new assignment worth zero points and select any submission type.

After students complete the extra credit assignment, add points to any other assignment submitted by the student in the Gradebook.  

Option 2: Add Extra Points to an Existing Assignment

Add extra points to an Assignment you've already created. Manually enter the extra points in the Gradebook.

For example, this assignment is worth 40 points. Adding 5 extra points will bring the assignment total for this student to 45 points. The added points will increase total points calculated in the Gradebook's final grade.

Option 3: Add Fudge Points to a Quiz

You can use Fudge points within SpeedGrader to add points to a quiz. Fudge points allow you to manually adjust an overall quiz score.

Note: Fudge points provides the students with a note on their quiz review page once grades are posted, illustrating how many points the quiz was adjusted by.

Student view:

Option 4: Create Extra Credit within a Rubric

Add an additional Criterion to a Rubric for extra credit. Make sure you make the rubric worth more than the assignment and you can give students extra points or not without affecting the actual assignment points.

Option 5: Add Extra Points using a Rubric in SpeedGrader

You can add extra credit using a rubric in SpeedGrader. Enter a point value that is greater than the points possible for a criterion [1].

The Total Points calculation will reflect any extra points awarded for each Criterion [2].

Note: For SpeedGrader to automatically update the rubric point value for grading, select the Use this rubric for assignment grading checkbox when adding the Rubric to an assignment . Otherwise, you can update the grade field manually.

Option 6: Add Extra Points using SpeedGrader

You can manually add extra points by editing the grade shown in the Grade field in SpeedGrader.

Option 7: Create Extra Credit with Assignment Groups

Assignments in an Extra Credit assignment group should be graded at the end of the course, after all other course assignments are graded.

All other assignment groups in the course should have at least one graded assignment in order for the extra credit assignment group calculation to correctly affect student grades.

When assignment groups are weighted, Canvas will not calculate grades for an entire group that has no points possible. Therefore, for extra credit assignments to calculate correctly in weighted groups, they must be housed within an existing assignment group that has at least one assignment worth more than zero points.

Errors with Weighted Assignment Group

If you create your extra credit assignments with zero points within their own assignment group, but you decide to weigh your assignment groups, your extra credit assignments will not calculate correctly within Canvas.

Canvas cannot calculate assignment groups where there are no points possible. For example, if the student has 12 points of 0 points possible, Canvas can't determine the impact to the overall grade because 12 cannot be divided by 0.

An error will appear in the total grade column. In this example, the two extra credit assignments (both with zero possible points) have been placed in an assignment group called Extra Credit.

However, the assignment group has been weighted. The warning notification indicates that the score does not include Extra Credit (as an assignment group) because the entire group has no points possible.

In this situation, the assignments will have to be moved to another assignment group, or you will need to include an assignment within the Extra Credit assignment group that has at least one point possible.

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July 16, 2021

Elevate Back-to-School Series: Extra Credit, Curving Assignments, and Penalty Points

Learn about advanced grading options in the facts sis gradebook.

If you’re a teacher, you may be wondering how you utilize advanced grading functionality like adding extra assignments or curving assignments within FACTS SIS. Or, you may need to place penalty points on homework that wasn’t turned in on time. The following tips will give you a quick rundown on how to use these grading options in the FACTS SIS gradebook.

Helpful Tip: We recommend reviewing the Gradebook Basic Setup episode in the Elevate Back-to-School Series to understand the basics before diving into these advanced gradebook options!

Extra Credit

What student doesn’t love extra credit? As a teacher, you can give out extra credit points or even create an extra credit assignment for your students. There are two easy ways you can add extra credit:

• You can add bonus points to an existing assignment by adding the bonus points in the “Bonus” column.
• You can give out an extra credit assignment by creating a normal assignment and titling it something like “Extra Credit Assignment.” You can then grade the assignment and give those extra points to the students who completed the assignment. If a student did not complete the extra credit assignment, you can leave the cell blank.

Curve Assignments

Take control and help your students succeed by curving assignments. You can curve the assignment for just one student or the whole classroom. In the gradebook, click on the icon “Curve Grades.” That will show you the highest, lowest, and average grades for the assignment. You have the power to decide how much of the assignment should be curved.

Penalty Points

In a perfect world, all assignments would be turned in on time! Penalty points give you the ability to deduct points from an assignment if a student doesn’t turn in their homework assignment on time, or if they forgot to add their name or date on their homework, for example. The gradebook allows you to add penalty points in the “Penalty” column. If a number is placed in this cell, it will automatically deduct points from their assignment grade.

Helpful Tip: You can make comments in the “Note” column to add the reason why the student received penalty points.

Helpful Tip: When adjusting a student’s grade by adding extra credit, curve, or penalty points, the row will turn yellow.

We’re constantly working to elevate your education experience and make it easy for you to adjust your gradebook to match your grading needs whether it’s giving extra credit, curving assignments, or assessing penalty points. If you want to see these tips in action, watch the Extra Credit, Curve, Penalty Points, and More episode of the Elevate Back-to-School series.

For more information regarding other helpful topics, please register to watch our Back-to-School series .

Felicia Lopez

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'Atlas' review: Jennifer Lopez befriends an AI in her scrappy new Netflix space movie

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, here comes a movie where Jennifer Lopez tries to out-sass a computer program.

Jenny from the Block is in her Iron Man era with “Atlas” (★★½ out of four; rated PG-13; streaming now on Netflix ), a sci-fi action thriller directed by Brad Peyton ( “San Andreas” ) that pairs two hot commodities: a pop-culture superstar and artificial intelligence.

The movie shares aspects with a bevy of films like “Blade Runner,” “The Terminator,” "The Iron Giant" and “Pacific Rim,” and it’s best to not think too hard about the science involved. Yet there’s a scrappiness to “Atlas” that pairs well with a human/machine bonding narrative and a fish-out-of-water Lopez trying to figure out how to work a super cool, high-tech armored suit and not die spectacularly.

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But “Atlas” doesn’t have the best start, beginning with the mother of exposition dumps: In the future, AI has evolved to a dangerous degree and a robotic terrorist named Harlan (a charmless Simu Liu) has turned genocidal, wanting to wipe out most of mankind. He’s defeated and retreats into space, vowing to return, and in the ensuing 28 years, counterterrorism analyst Atlas Shepherd – whose mother invented Harlan and made him part of their family before he went bad – has been trying to find him.

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She’s distrustful of Al and also most humans: The antisocial Atlas’ only true love is coffee but she’s also crazy smart, and she figures out the galaxy where Harlan’s hiding. Atlas forces herself on a military space mission run by a no-nonsense colonel (Sterling K. Brown) to track down Harlan, but amid a sneak attack by cyborg bad guys, Atlas has to hop in a mech suit to survive. The caveat: to run the thing, she has to create a neural link with an onboard AI named Smith (voiced by Gregory James Cohan).

Streaming preview: 15 new movies you'll want to watch this summer, from 'Atlas' to 'Beverly Hills Cop 4'

Obviously, there’s a climactic throwdown with Harlan – you don’t need ChatGPT to figure out the predictable plot – and there are plenty of action scenes with spotty visual effects. But “Atlas” cooks most when it’s just Atlas and Smith, sniping and snarking at each other: He fixes her broken leg, her cursing expands his vocabulary, and slowly they figure out a way to coexist and become a formidable fighting unit. 

Lopez does well with the buddy comedy vibe as well as her whole "Atlas" character arc. The fact that she starts as a misanthropic hot mess – even her hair is unruly, though still movie star-ready – makes her an appealing character, one you root for as she becomes besties with a computer and finds herself in mortal danger every five minutes.

While “Atlas” doesn’t top the J. Lo movie canon – that’s rarefied air for the likes of “Out of Sight” and “Hustlers” – it’s certainly more interesting than a lot of her rom-com output . Her action-oriented vehicles such as this and the assassin thriller “The Mother,” plus B-movie “Anaconda” and sci-fi film “The Cell” back in the day, show a willing gameness to venture outside her A-list box.

It also helps when she finds the right dance partner – in this case, a wily AI. And in “Atlas,” that unlikely friendship forgives the bigger glitches.

Apple launches iPhone trade in promotion, get boosted credit for a new iPhone for a limited time

Apple has launched a limited time promotion, offering boosted trade in values when buying a new iPhone. From now until June 3, customers trading in their iPhone 11 or newer at the Apple Store can get extra credit towards the purchase of their new phone.

The value of the promotion isn’t that dramatic, however. Depending on model, the trade-in amounts have increased by approximately $10-$30 as part of this promotion.

The trade-in promo was leaked last week by Mark Gurman. However, Gurman reported that the boosted trade-in credit would apply only to purchases of the iPhone 15. However, the official terms of the deal indicate it can be used towards any new iPhone purchase, not just the 15 range.

As previously mentioned, the extra trade-in amounts aren’t significantly increased, but any extra dollars for your old phone is better than nothing.

As of last week, you could trade in an iPhone 13 mini at Apple for up to $270 value. Under this promotion, Apple says you can now get up to $300, a $30 increase. An iPhone 13 is now worth a maximum of $320, rather than $300, an increase of $20.

Similarly, the iPhone 14 Pro Max can now be traded in for an extra $20, up to $650 compared to $630 previously. However, the increases for iPhone 14 Pro Max is only worth an extra $10 during this promo period.

As always, trading in your phone at Apple is a convenient and simple way to upgrade. However, for the best deals, you may want to look elsewhere. Third-party trade-in services typically offer higher rates.

Official Apple promotions like these are rare, although not unprecedented. The existence of this scheme may indicate that Apple is trying to juice iPhone sales during the current quarter, and that customer demand is falling behind expectations.

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Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog . Message Benjamin over email or Twitter .

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