By now, many of you have recognized some of the problems facing the two sections in devising your sets of extra credit questions.
The first, and perhaps most evident problem, is the coordination problem among students in each class. How are 300 students to organize themselves to choose a single set of questions?
The second consideration that might occur to you is how to deal with the other class? Of course, the most obvious approach would be to simply write the hardest set of questions possible to try to maximize the extra credit you would receive from inducing incorrect answers in the other section.
Another approach might be to try to collude with the other class to submit sets of relatively easy questions, since the benefit of knowing 10 questions ahead of time outweighs the benefit of 5 points of extra credit.
This, in turn, raises two important problems.
The first is the prisoners' dilemma. Since questions must be submitted in sealed envelopes, it may not be easy to verify what questions the other section has submitted to me, regardless of what questions they might claim to have submitted. It would be entirely possible, and in violation of no rule, for one section to present different sets of questions to me and to the other section.
In fact, this is the most "rational" thing to do, since, no matter what strategy each section elects to pursue (hard questions v. easy questions), either section would be better off by actually submitting hard questions. (You can read about the prisoners' dilemma in your text or online.)
A second potential problem might arise if there are differences of opinion within each section about which strategy to pursue. How will you choose the easy question v. hard question strategy if there is disagreement?
There are still other considerations: what benefits in terms of studying might accrue in the preparation of hard questions, regardless of what's submitted? If there is collusion between the section, how will information about the agreement be transmitted to all students? How might the approval of the whole section be secured for such an agreement? How would such an agreement be enforced?
Again, I encourage you to think through the process as carefully as possible before making rash or sudden choices, and I likewise encourage students to participate in their sections' process and not necessarily go along with a small group that might act on a section's behalf without an open process.
Lastly, don't get so caught up in this thing that you forget to actually study for the exam.
