This line is one of the most popular utterances a professor will encounter in their careers. It is a simple question with several complex layers attached to it that there is no single proper answer. One thing is for certain, the person who asks this question has concerns about their grade, but what are they really asking?

The rarest type of student who asks this question is the academic overachiever. They typically ask this question early and often because they closely monitor their grades like a helicopter parent (maybe they are in training to become one). They want to maintain a great GPA and scrutinize (or agonize over) every grade they receive. They are adorable at first, but quickly become an annoyance if they question your methods too hard. That is why a detailed rubric explaining criteria is helpful when dealing with them. It may be tedious, but it prevents these unnecessary headaches.

A more common variation is the borderline student-athlete. They are normally calm in class, but the first major blow to their grade usually has this type of student asking what they can do to improve their standing. They don’t really care what the material is, they care that their marks are high enough so that they can still be eligible to play their sport. Their need to improve is not about mentally improving, but improving their chances at earning playing time. This is why I tell my students at the beginning of the semester that they should care more about keeping me happy than their coach because my grade could determine if they are eligible at all.

The third variety are the ones who have done nothing during the semester and are looking to salvage a passing grade any way that they possibly can. When they pose the question, I am hard pressed to say anything nice to them. Now, I understand that there are some students who are working a job while they go to school and I try my best to work with them. However, I can’t help a student if they do not tell me what is going on. I don’t have ESPN so I cannot read their minds.

I do not give out extra credit. I have several issues with the concept. Chief among them is the idea that students are asking to do something “above and beyond” what is expected in the class to earn a more favorable class. Why would I allow somebody to do something extra when they can’t do the minimum of expectations to begin with? As if placing a Band-aid on a several lacerations is going to stop the bleeding that is your eventual F for the course.

The second and third types of students are the ones who molded my perspective on extra credit. They blow my mind with the amount of faith that they place in extra credit. I believe that they have more faith in extra credit than they do for their respective deity they pray to.

In order to keep student requests at bay, I state on the first day that I do not issue extra credit for anything. I don’t care if mobsters kidnapped their grandmother and threaten to have her swim with the fishes if the student doesn’t pass the class, I will not bend on this. Besides, Nana had a good run, and if you loved her, you would have studied more often.

I am not saying that method is better than yours. However, I will say that whichever stance you take, you stick to it and don’t let “learned helplessness” influence your judgments.