Flexibility in grading and deadlines increases student participation, assignment quality, pass rates, and achievement (Hills & Peacock, 2022), but flexibility can create other issues.

Since the pandemic “students now seem to have 'this expectation of endless flexibility’” (Supiano, 2023, para. 19). Students can take advantage of instructors (Weimer, 2017) and instructors are left evaluating excuses, deciding where to draw the line and how to be fair. Responding to individual requests for assignment extensions, make-up exams, and extra credit can become a sizeable workload with large classes. “Many professors suspect the extensive flexibility students now expect might also be undermining their learning” (Supiano, 2023, para. 13). With too much flexibility, “students can get overwhelmed, mismanage their time, and lose the sense of continuity within a course” (Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, n.d., para. 3).

It’s important to strike a balance between ‘total flexibility’ and ‘toxic rigor’ to support learning (Supiano, 2023). Using tokens allows instructors to give students the level of flexibility that enhances student learning without it being a free-for-all. Instead of adjudicating requests, instructors can fairly provide flexibility within a constrained system.

In turn, students can manage for themselves when they want to spend a token, “empower[ing] them to make decisions about how to prioritize their academic work, balance deadlines, and manage their time” (Hills & Peacock, 2022, p. 14). Students report that having extra time when needed from this type of built-in extension system improves the quality of their assignment (Schroeder et al., 2019). Giving students control over their learning increases their accountability and facilitates self-regulated learning (Hills & Peacock, 2022).

Implementing a token system can also promote equity in the classroom. Proactively designing courses to accommodate learners with a wide variety of experiences and contexts fits within the framework of Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2024; Hills & Peacock, 2022).

UDL is a framework to guide the design of learning environments that are accessible, inclusive, equitable, and challenging for every learner. Ultimately, the goal of UDL is to support learner agency, the capacity to actively participate in making choices in service of learning goals (CAST, 2024, para 1.).

A token system or late bank specifically addresses UDL Consideration 7.1 — optimize choice and autonomy — by providing choice related to the timing of task completion.

While a token system within the UDL framework benefits all learners, it supports many marginalized populations in particular, including: non-traditional students, students of color, women, first-generation students, low-income students, students with disabilities, neurodiverse students, LGBTQIA+ students, and undocumented or DACAmented students.

Nontraditional students

Nearly three-fourths of U.S. college students are nontraditional students. While definitions vary, nontraditional students generally include students that: enroll one or more years after graduating high school; have earned a GED certificate; are 25 years or older; have caretaking responsibilities for a child or adult; work full-time; are financially independent; or take classes on a part-time basis (Muniz, 2022). A major barrier in degree persistence for non-traditional students, who are disproportionately women, people of color, and first-generation students, is experiencing interrole conflict between their different roles as student, parent/caretaker, and employee (Markle, 2015; Rothwell, 2021). It's not hard to imagine most students—nontraditional or not—needing an exception at some point in the semester given their other roles outside of the classroom.

Students not privy to the “hidden curriculum”

The students that arguably are most in need of an exception are least likely to ask for one. Women request fewer deadline extensions than men despite feeling more time stress (Flaherty, 2021; Whillans et al., 2021). Asking for an exception to course rules is part of the 'hidden curriculum' of higher education, "the set of tacit rules in a formal educational context that insiders consider to be natural and universal" (Jaschik, 2021, What is the "hidden curriculum"? answer, para. 1). First generation college students, which are nearly a third of all first-year students (Seale, 2019), many of whom are also low-income and underrepresented minorities, often have to learn the 'hidden curriculum.' In contrast, "those with prior knowledge (students with similar educational backgrounds to the new educational context) believe [the tacit norms and rules] to be natural, universal and simply 'how it’s done'" (Jaschik, 2021, What is the "hidden curriculum"? answer, para. 2). Many students simply may not know that they can ask for an exception.

Students with disabilities

A deadline extension accommodation is common for various disabilities (Hills & Peacock, 2022). As of 2020, the Center for Students with Disabilities provides services for approximately 4,000 students with disabilities (Center for Students with Disabilities, 2020), which is about 12% of UConn students (University of Connecticut, 2020). However, not all disabilities are diagnosed, and not all students with diagnoses access accommodation. “In a national longitudinal study in the United States (n=3,190), Newman and Madaus found that only 35% of post-secondary students who received special education services in secondary school disclosed their disability to their college (2015), citing concerns about stigma and discrimination as their main reasons for not disclosing (2015)” (Hills & Peacock, 2022, p. 5). Students with multiple marginalized identities, such as students of color, are contending with multiple layers of stigma and discrimination, are often less likely to receive a diagnosis, and may be more hesitant to disclose or seek support (Chrysocchou, Syharat, & Motaref, 2023).

Neurodiverse students

Students with some specific types of disabilities, such as neurodiversity and mental health challenges, can particularly benefit from a token system. Neurodiversity encompasses “neurological variations in human populations that result in differences in brain structure and/or function [and] often include[s] variations in learning, mood, attention, socialization, and other mental functions” (Chrysocchou, Syharat, & Motaref, 2023 slide 2). These variations come with strengths and challenges, and a token system specifically supports neurodiverse students’ challenges. Challenges include focus, memory, motivation, and working efficiently, which often can be accommodated with exceptions such as deadline flexibility and the ability to redo coursework. As with any disability, multiple layers of identity and stigma create barriers to accessing services and accommodations. Specific to neurodiversity, women are often underdiagnosed (Chrysocchou, Syharat, & Motaref, 2023; Hills & Peacock, 2022) and there is a “larger overlap between neurodiversity and LGBTQIA+ identity” (Chrysocchou, Syharat, & Motaref, 2023, slide 10).

A token system allows instructors to accommodate students with disabilities, particularly neurodiverse students, needing course exceptions regardless of diagnosis and documentation.

Students requiring privacy, such as undocumented and DACAmented students

Lastly, some students may not want to disclose the reason they need an exception. Many populations already described may be reluctant to "out” themselves for fear of stigma and discrimination, whether it be caregiving responsibilities, poverty, or disability. Additionally, undocumented and DACAmented students may need an exception unique to their immigration status; these students may not want to disclose that information in a request for an exception for fear of notification to immigration authorities, deportation, and family separation (Connecticut Students for a Dream, 2022). While the Dean of Students can provide students with some privacy from disclosing to instructors, it still requires student disclosure, and not every need for flexibility is an "extenuating circumstance."

A token system can promote equity by making the hidden curriculum explicit and exceptions available to everyone (Orón Semper & Blasco, 2018). Students don't need to have prior knowledge, worry about potential repercussions, or weigh disclosing personal information. This type of flexibility is ideal for optimizing learning in that it allows everyone access to successfully progress in their learning (Hills & Peacock, 2022), not just those privileged enough to ask for an exception or not need one in the first place.

In the wake of the growing student mental health crisis on college campuses, institutions are investing heavily in improving student wellness (Mowreader, 2024). While some students with mental illness and addiction can be served by the Center for Students with Disabilities, many students with mental health disabilities struggle with obtaining a diagnosis and accessing accommodations (Hills & Peacock, 2022).

Moreover, “students without pre-existing mental health needs can experience periods of reduced well-being” (Schroeder et al., 2019), and “mental health struggles that do not meet the criteria of a diagnosable disability can also impact student learning” (Hills & Peacock, 2022, p. 6).

Adhering to deadlines is a common challenge for students experiencing mental health issues. With these issues climbing at an alarming rate — 88% of students report feeling overwhelmed by all that they had to do at least once in the last 12 months — most ‘normal’ students likely need an exception at some point in the semester (Hills & Peacock, 2022).

When students have access to extensions through a late bank system, students overwhelmingly report that it reduced their stress. Even students that do not use an extension report that just knowing the extra days were available lowered their stress (Schroeder et al., 2019).

While a token economy has the potential to promote equity in the classroom, some ways of implementing the system can negate those effects.

Earning Tokens

Consider the method of earning tokens. Do you give everyone the same number of tokens or do students earn tokens throughout the course? Giving everyone the same number of tokens takes away the ability to use tokens to incentivize certain behaviors. Only awarding tokens for attending class or turning in work early may disadvantage populations already marginalized in higher education and most in need of flexibility. You might balance this by giving all students enough starter tokens while also allowing students to earn tokens for behaviors you want to incentivize.

Leftover Tokens

What do you do with leftover tokens? Some instructors allow students to cash in unused tokens for extra credit, the ability to skip the final, or some other privilege (Nilson, 2014, 2016; Talbert, 2021). This can encourage hoarding (Talbert, 2021) and negates using tokens to enhance learning and increase student achievement of learning objectives. Since your already privileged students are less likely to need to use tokens and are better able to hoard/save them, this setup can maintain the systemic status quo. You might balance this by limiting how many tokens can be cashed in at the end of the course and being thoughtful about the reward. Consider treating tokens like coupons in that they have no cash value and expire.

For whatever reason, some students are confused by the concept of tokens. It’s a novel approach to late and make-up work, and some students can’t wrap their heads around it. Anecdotally, the students who struggle with the token economy system the most seem to be students who already routinely ask for extensions. They are already knowledgeable about the ‘hidden curriculum’ and have used this system to their advantage. The token economy system violates this construct and confuses them. A few even become angry at this perceived loss of privilege.

Related to the novelty, students also forget that tokens or the late bank exists. It's recommended to do a thorough explanation and walk-through at the beginning of the course with a few more reminders throughout. (Talbert, 2021). If you send out regular announcements reminding students of upcoming deadlines, which is best practice (Morrow et al., 2022), consider adding a reminder about using tokens on extensions.