Extra Credit Rules, Sociology 377A

The basic rules for extra credit:

1) You can do as much extra credit as you wish.

2) You are NOT penalized if you do not do extra credit. That's why it's
called EXTRA credit - it's over and above class material

3) Extra credit might seem a lot of work for just a few points, but it's
EXTRA! It's not an entitlement. It's simply a chance for you to add points
to your final point total when we add them up at the end of the term.

4) You CANNOT use extra credit to move into the A range. You must earn
an A based on your point total WITHOUT extra credit. Extra credit is
helpful to keep a B, or, if you final point total is below what's needed
for a B, to move your grade up (assuming, of course, that the extra points
are enough to move you from a lower range of, say, D or C, into the B
range)

5) With so much extra credit available, students are not cut slack if
they fall just a few points short of the next higher grade. One reason for
extra credit is to help students who might be on the borderline. Thing
is, you must EARN your grade.

6) Students caught plagiarizing or cheating will lose extra credit privileges,
and serious infractions might be reported to Student Judiciary.

7) How is it added? Let's say that there are 500 points in the class.
We add up all the points from your REQUIRED work:

    a) Assume that you have a total of 385 points (a strong C). After we
       add required points, we then add your EC. Let's say that you have
       earned 20 points of extra credit:   385 + 20 = 405  (81 pct).
       That gives you a final grade of B

    b) Assume that you have 440 points (88 percent, or a B+) after adding
       your required work. You've done 20 points of extra credit. Sadly,
       you still get the B, because extra credit CANNOT move you to an A.

    c) Assume that you have 290 points (59 pct). This is an F. But, you've
       done 110 points of extra credit. 290 + 110 = 400: You get a B in
       the course.

<--Return to Jim Thomas's homepage

Page maintained by: Jim Thomas - jthomas@sun.soci.niu.edu