How to Get Extra Credit in Your History Course

First: What I do not give extra credit for ...

In my teaching career I have discovered a policy followed by some professors with which I tend to disagree. It goes something like this: if you are struggling to get a good grade, if you do some extra work, that may contribute to a higher grade at the end of the course. The problem with this policy, as I see it, is that the extra credit work is judged on quantity rather than quality. Simply put, I do not believe that if a student is doing “C”work and submits extra material, also of “C” quality, that somehow equates to “A” or even “B” work. Put it this way: Two Fords don't make a Cadillac; two hamburgers don't make a sirloin steak; and two sloppy jobs don't add up to a good job. When you go out into the workplace, your employer is not going to be impressed by a large quantity of mediocre work; your boss will be impressed by high quality work, done in a timely manner. Also, I find that students who want extra credit generally have trouble keeping up with the pace of the course. So I wonder how a student who is already behind can improve his or her position by doing extra work.

What I do give extra credit for ...

1. Improvement. College is a learning experience. You should not only learn new facts and ideas in a course, you shoud also learn new skills or improve on old ones. Thus if your first written requirement is mediocre, but you repsond positively to comments and suggestions on later papers, that is taken into account. Thus your final essay grade is more than just the average of your submissions.

Exams are somewhat different. The problem with giving extra credit for improvement on exams, or with throwing out the lowest grade, as some teachers may do, is that is seems to me an invitation for you to blow off part of the course. I'm not saying I ignore improvement on exams, but do your best all the way through and you'll have your best shot at a good grade.

2. Extra Site Visits. I became interested in history visiting historic sites when I was stationed in Europe. My interest was raised further when my wife and I adopted the hobby of visiting state capitols as we traveled in the U.S. I think you can learn things from site visits that you cannot get any other way. You may earn extra points for any site visit for which you submit a brief report documenting your visit, up to a total of 100 points.

3. The Web Site

The Sage History and Academic American Pages are a collaboration between the author and students who use it in studying American history. Any endeavor of this kind profits from the input of users. In past semesters students have made suggestions and offered constructive criticism about these pages, with the result that this site is now more useful to you than it would otherwise be. Several former students have made web sites of their own and linked to this site, and others have used the site to keep in touch after moving on to other phases of their education. Some of my teaching colleagues also link to this site.

As the learning process becomes more connected with information technology, understanding how things work on the Web is useful. Thus I encourage you to think about what is on these pages and to offer your own suggestions for improvement. For this I am happy to give you extra credit in your courses.

Why does this rate extra credit when other extra credit work does not? Two reasons: First, it requires careful and close reading of the material, which contributes to good learning. Second, it provides a valuable service to other students.

4. The Lulu Text

Starting with the Spring Semester 2007 I have offered students the opportunity to purchase a printed version of the text from Lulu.com. Purchase is completely optional and is solely for your convenience. Everything in the Lulu text is on the web site. Converting the text from web to print takes time, however, and I am my own editor, proofreader, etc. If you find typographical or other errors on any page in any of the texts and email the page and line or location, I will give extra credit on the same basis as for the web site.

• Find useful web sites that contribute to your understanding of history and which you think might interest others. E-mail me the URLS at hsage@cox.net
• Find errors or inconsistencies in the documents and text in these pages, pointing out things that are unclear.
• Make suggestions about ways in which this web site might be more user friendly. 
  • Are the pages too long? 
  • Are there too many links? 
  • Are the directions adequate? 
  • Are the graphics useful or distracting?
  • Should there be more graphics?
• Be sure to include the url of the page, which you can easily get by clicking in the address bar, copying and pasting the url into your message.
• Anything else you think of ...

How much will it be worth?

I don't believe it is useful to say “X points for each link” or for each typo discovered because I am interested in quality, not quantity. I have some sense of how much effort goes into working on a web site and doing research on the Internet, and will grade your efforts accordingly. It will be helpful if you include with your suggestions a brief summary of how you went about discovering whatever it was you discovered, so that I can share in your learning process. A serious effort will earn a serious reward.

Thanks in advance.

History 121 | History 122 | Sage Home

Updated January 2, 2008