Tokens and Free Passes

Tokens and free passes are a way to create flexibility in managing your class policies and grading. A token or free pass system can involve students receiving anywhere from one to five tokens or passes at the beginning of the term, which they can exchange for an extension on a due date, revision or reattempt on an assessment, missing class, leaving class early, dropping a low score, etc. (Nilson, 2015). Also, students can earn more tokens for behaviors like submitting an assessment earlier than the due date, attending campus or community events related to the course, or completing optional assessments for deeper learning (Leslie, 2020).

Implementing a token or free pass system for your course will help reduce student stress associated with making difficult choices and allow students some privacy and autonomy when making those choices. Students don’t need to divulge personal information through email, and instructors no longer need to manage numerous student requests. Students can redeem their tokens with no questions asked. This type of flexibility reduces instructor bias as instructors no longer need to determine who is worthy of the extension, exception, etc. And every student has the same opportunity to be autonomous and make their own choices.

Lieke van Heumen, clinical associate professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD), has been using a token system in the course Disability in U.S. Society (DHD101) and provides students with two tokens to use for low-stakes assessments. Students can request to receive an additional attempt on a quiz, a redo of an assignment, a free pass on an assignment, a 48-hour extension on a quiz or assignment, or to make up for missing a class.

Students use the journal tool on the course site to redeem their tokens. Students can earn up to two additional tokens by  meeting with a course TA or the instructor or by submitting evidence of a meeting with a course tutor, a writing center tutor, or an Honors college advisor to support their work in the course. Lieke shared that using the token system is an easy way for her to allow her students to take ownership of their learning and shape the course expectations to their needs. This is particularly useful during stressful weeks of the semester or when personal circumstances make full engagement in the class challenging for students. The tokens do not replace accommodations for students with disabilities but are an additional tool to benefit all students in the course.

Step 1 – Determine what tool you will use to manage the system. Examples of tools that could be used are Google Forms, Qualtrics Survey, or a Blackboard tool like Forms, Surveys, Quiz, Journal tools, etc.

Step 2 – Determine how many tokens or free passes students will receive at the beginning of the term. Other considerations – determine if students can earn more tokens or free passes.

Step 3 – Determine what students can redeem the tokens or free passes for. Examples include missing an in-person class, assignment extension, retakes or resubmissions, leaving class early, dropping a low score, etc.

Step 4 – Communicate this new system to your students by adding information to the syllabus and the course site.

Step 5 – Implement your designed token system.

Step 6 – Gather student feedback by creating a simple survey using a Google form, Qualtrics, or Blackboard tool.

Step 7 – Review the design of the token or free pass system and student feedback to adapt the design to address any of the challenges in the system.