there are some other ways to control student behavior, and each faculty member must weigh the pros and cons of using them. For example, one wayto encourage students to attend class,get there on time , and stay until the end of the class period is to give a pop quiz or other surprise in-class written assignment each week, sometimes at the beginning of class and sometimes at the end. This offers a form of extra credit to students who are present because students who are not there get a zero. Unfortunately, this strategy will cause more uninterested students to attend class simply so that they will be there when the pop quiz appears. You may therefore end up with a louder, more disruptive class and with more students working crossword puzzles during your lecture because the only reason they are there is to get the extra points.
Another example is the use of assigned seats, usually with students sitting in their discussion sections. This allows teaching assistants to take attendance and can make it easy to deduct points for poor attendance, thus encouraging good attendance. It also cuts down on side talking because students are separated from their friends. But, notes Amy Allen, assigned seating is unfair to those dedicated students who would normally come twenty minutes early to class to get a front-row seat. About these strategies designed to control the behavior of less motivated students, Allen says, "I wouldn't sacrifice my A students to get through to my D students.