Extra Credit (Using Weighted Grading)

[ltb103]

How do you calculate extra credit in a weighted grade format?

1.)  Example 1:  Add an extra credit grading "group" and give that group a percent of what it is worth.   Sample:  There are several groups in the gradebook Participation - 20, Discussion - 30, Exams - 50.  Your students can earn extra credit completing an additional assignment.  The three groups listed prior: Participation, Discussion and Exams all equal 100.  You make another assignment group titled Extra Credit and give that group 5%.  Now you total grading is out of 105%. 

OR

2) Example 2:  Add extra credit points to a already existing group, using the same example as above, we have three grading groups: Participation - 10, Discussion 30, Exams - 50.  To add extra credit points you would add a assignment within an existing group, let's say Participation,  There are 5 assignments in Participation and those 5 assignments equal 10% of the grade.  Now you add another assignment to participation labeled Extra Credit. 

Which is correct? 

Also, should the "treat ungraded assignment as zero" option be checked?

[kona · Accepted solution]

 @ltb103 ​, technically both are correct, but will change the way the extra credit is calculated into the final grade. My recommendation is to check out this blog - Extra credit using weighted assignment groups. - by stefaniesanders and see if that helps clear things up!

[kona · Accepted solution]

 @ltb103 ​, technically both are correct, but will change the way the extra credit is calculated into the final grade. My recommendation is to check out this blog - Extra credit using weighted assignment groups. - by stefaniesanders and see if that helps clear things up!

[Stef_retired]

 @ltb103 ​,  @kona ​ has directed you to the blog post I wrote about using weighted assignment groups to assign extra credit, and I hope you find it useful.

I want to address your last question: "[S]hould the "treat ungraded assignment as zero" option be checked?" This is a view-only setting in your Gradebook which does not affect what your students see in their own Grades tabs--so you can use it, or not use it, as you like, as long as you keep in mind that enabling it does not actually enter zeros that students will see; the only way to do that is to actually enter zeros where warranted. For a fuller explanation of how that toggle works, please refer to How do I treat ungraded assignments as zero in the Gradebook?

[ltb103]

Hello,

I called Canvas Support and according to Landon at Canvas support here is the solution (keep in mind this is for a weighted grade book): 

Solution

Place the extra credit item in an already existing Assignment GROUP.  (This is consistent with the Canvas Guide documentation.  https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2874 - skip down to Weighted Assignment Groups) Do not give that assignment item a point value.  If students completed the extra credit you must manually add their extra credit points to the extra credit item.  Obviously those that didn't do the assignment get a "0".

Landon stated that if you have an assignment category worth 5% of the grade and all of the other assignments are worth 100% the total grade is now 105% and everyone's grade will be calculated on a 105% scale.  He also said, that if you give an extra credit ITEM a point value inside the extra credit assignment group you are now punishing those that did not earn the extra credit.

[kona]

He also said, that if you give an extra credit ITEM a point value inside the extra credit assignment group you are now punishing those that did not earn the extra credit.

This is incorrect, and yes, I've tested it a number of times to prove this to faculty. Granted the grade won't calculate correctly until all the grades are in the gradebook (which is why stefaniesanders​ recommends making the category worth zero until the end), but it will not penalize students who don't do the extra credit.

[ltb103]

Hmm, that is interesting because it seems to go against what he said. 

[kona]

Go to your Test Environment in Canvas and test it. That's what I did and it does calculate correctly - unless of course something drastically changed in the gradebook since I tested this last (I think it was Dec last time I checked it).

[ltb103]

I am going to test this in our environment.  Thank you for your response!

[Stef_retired]

 @ltb103 , I've been using the method described in my post for years, and I can assure you that it does not penalize students who do not submit the extra credit assignment, as long as you don't change the weighting of the group from 0 to whatever you want it to be until after all other assignment grades have been entered (ideally at the very end of the semester).

[ltb103]

I recieved a email today from Landon, whom I talked to on the phone yesterday at Canvas Support:

Hi Lisa!

I apologize for any confusion from our phone call yesterday about setting up the extra credit assignments within your grade book.  I was mistaken when we talked about how to properly setup the overall extra credit assignment group.  It does look like you need to have this as a pointed assignment and you would grade the assignment like a normal assignment.  I am sure that you have received the guide HERE explaining how to setup an assignment group extra credit group. 

Once again my apologies for the confusion!

Landon Coburn

Support@instructure.com

ref:_00DA0Ibsk._500A0UEvBA:ref

[bruni · Accepted solution]

All, true extra credit does not raise the original total possible score over 100% (not possible); rather it gives the student doing the extra credit an opportunity to make up some points to add to his/her total point score for the class. So, for example, if a student has 95 points out of 100 points possible for a class in which 100 pts. is 100% of the class, and that student does a 10 point ExCredit assignment, and scores 10 pts, he/she only earns 5pts because this brings the grade up to the 100 total points possible. ExCredit does not add points to the Course Total Points. That would make it unfair to those who do not do the ExCr assignment. ExCr done correctly, does not penalize students who don't participate. They simply get the point total they earned doing regular assignments, without doing the ExCr work.

[kona]

 @bruni , If you are using a weighted gradebook and you make your total percentage that your course is worth over 100% - which many people who use weighted gradebooks in Canvas do - then yes, you can score more than 100%. We actually have had students do this in a few courses (but don't get me started on the course rigor...). This has been tested and tried a number of times and documented on the following- Extra credit using weighted assignment groups.

Yet, it doesn't penalize the students who don't do the extra credit because their grade is still technically out of 100%.

[bruni]

Hi Kona,

Therein lies the problem why some instructors are confused by weighted grading. You can have points totalling over 100 no problem, but your total course percentage cannot be over 100%, regardless of confusing terminology Canvas folk or others use to describe weighted grading. If you carefully read the Extra credit using weighted assignment groups. link you provided me, you'll see that people only think they're giving more than 100%, but Canvas always calculates the grade by adjusting to a total of 100%. Look at what they do with their example. Think about it, logically. You can't have more than 100% of anything, just like you can't "give a 150%" as the saying goes. You either get this or you don't, with all due respect.

[kona]

Where does it say that Canvas always scales the grade, this is what I saw...

Now, when the final exam grade is added (let's say they got a 42% on it), you have 90*20%+60*50%+42*30%+100*10% = 18+30+12.6+10 = 70.6% for the class. Since there is now 110% possible, which is more than 100%, Canvas doesn't scale the result to make it worth 100% and so the extra credit works the way people expect.

[Stef_retired]

 @bruni , I created that resource for extra credit using weighted assignment groups, and I've been using that method for years. As  @kona ​ has stated, and as I can tell you from experience, Canvas does not scale the grade--nor does it adjust it to a total of 100%. Using weighted assignment groups that total 104%%, Canvas will diligently award a student who has a perfect score on every assignment, and who has completed the extra credit, a grade of 104%. I appreciate your semantical argument about not having more than 100% of anything, but it does not have relevance here. A student can in theory earn a grade of 104%, but in practice, the grading scheme will award that student the same A as one who has achieved a grade of 98%.

[bruni]

Hi Stephanie,

"A student can in theory earn a grade of 104%, but in practice, the grading scheme will award that student the same A as one who has achieved a grade of 98%." That's my point. All true ExCr is ultimately (regardless of semantics) added into a course total of 100%, as I first mentioned.