If you see students in costume around campus this week, don’t be spooked–it might be for extra credit.
Several professors in various departments at the University are offering extra credit to students who dress up in Halloween costumes this week.
Biological sciences graduate student Gabriela Ayad, a teaching assistant for Biology Laboratory for Science Majors I, offered 3% extra credit for students who wore any Halloween costume, but 5% for students who wore Halloween costumes that had to do with something they learned about in the biology lab.
Ayad offered extra credit because she considers Halloween the most important time of the year.
“It is the pinnacle of absolute, unnecessary excess and fantasy, an excitement and horror of course,” Ayad said. “It’s always been my favorite holiday and it’s always been something I try to infuse into every element of my life. This was a great opportunity to make the lab fun.”
Ayad offered more extra credit if her students came dressed as something they had learned about in the lab to encourage them to become more interested in the lab.
She said some students dressed as cows since they had used cows’ blood in a lab, one student came as a spectrometer, a measuring tool they had used in the lab, and one student came as a leaf. Freshman biological sciences pre-dental freshman Kylie Madere dressed as the spectrometer.
“I think the teacher offered the extra credit because it allows students to have fun with bio lab during the week of Halloween, and makes the three hours more enjoyable,” Madere said.
Instructor of record and communication studies graduate student Laura Carper teaches Interpersonal Communication, and also offered her students a small amount of extra credit for dressing up.
Carper said she got the idea from one of her students who said their history professor was offering extra credit for wearing a costume.
Her class is learning about family communication, so Carper found a way to tie trick-or-treating as a child into this discussion.
“I was already planning on dressing up for Halloween myself, as an instructor,” Carper said. “What better way to encourage identity and involvement within the classroom?”
Carper said the bonus given to her students wearing Halloween costumes will be .25% of a bonus point, and she will be dressing as Princess Leia for the occasion.
Mass communication freshman Caroline Haynes, a student in Carper’s class, said she isn’t dressing up because it’s such a small bonus, but other students in her class are.
“I think our professor does it to make people excited to come to class,” Haynes said.