Grades: Bonus
Bonus Item Resources through D2L Brightspace
Learn How to Use Bonus Points in D2L
To learn more, visit:
About bonus grade items at D2L
D2L Gradebook Extra Credit at Michigan State University.
Extra Credit at the University of Arizona
Faculty FAQs About Bonus Items
What if my grades appear to be inflated?
Keep Your Grades Updated.
Keep your current grade up-to-date by making sure to routinely enter new grades - including zeros for late work that is not yet submitted.
For any zeros, you may want to include a comment encouraging students to submit late work for full or partial credit if you allow for this.
At Pima, your default grade book in D2L Brigthspace is set to "Drop Ungraded Items" which ensures that all students begin with an A (100%) rather than an F (0%). While some faculty adjust this default so that students begin with zero points and level up as they progress, most use this default. For our default, this setting accurately reflects the current overall grade only if all new grades are entered in a timely manner after they are due - including zeros for non-completion.
The Impact of Early Bonus Points
When bonus points are awarded early in the semester, they may temporarily inflate the current overall grade (i.e. what is called the "Total Calculated Grade" in D2L Brightspace). This is true both in points-based grade books and in weighted (percents) grade books in which bonus item weights should be considered in proportion to their category weight. If this dynamic is not directly communicated to students, or adjusted in some way, this practice can create a false perception of success.