When is attendance essential?
Consider the following.
- Do students interact with each other and with the instructor?
- Do student contributions in class constitute a significant component of the learning process?
- Does the fundamental nature of the course rely on student participation as an essential method for learning?
- To what degree does a student’s failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
- What do the course description and syllabus say?
- What method is used to calculate the final grade?
- What are the classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?
When are deadlines essential?
Consider the following.
- To what degree does a student’s failure to submit work timely constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
- Does the fundamental nature of the course rely on meeting deadlines as an essential component for learning?
- What do the course description and syllabus say?
- What method is used to calculate the final grade?
- What are the classroom practices and policies regarding deadlines?
Process
- The Disability Center determines whether the accommodation(s) are reasonable. We explain to students that this does not mean that they can miss as many classes as they want or that they never have to submit work by the established deadline. Also, students are responsible for completing all course work. Finally, we explain that students are responsible for discussing their accommodation(s) with their instructors.
- Students are responsible for initiating the conversation about their accommodations early in the semester. Accommodations cannot be provided without discussion between instructors and students. In the event students register late in the semester or delay in delivering their accommodation memos, their instructors are not expected to provide any retroactive accommodations. This information may nonetheless prove useful, even late in the semester.
- Instructors should assess the impact of attendance and deadlines on the class and determine what accommodations can be made. Flexible attendance and deadlines are not necessarily appropriate for classes in which student learning is assessed in the classroom or where absences place undue burdens on instructors. Instructors and students can use the discussion points at the end of this guide to address all aspects of courses, including how to accommodate attendance and deadlines when students miss homework, projects, papers or exams. Instructors and students also should discuss instructors’ expectations in the event students miss classes or deadlines. Successful implementation of these accommodations requires instructors to be very clear about their expectations.
Class instruction form
- We have created a class instruction form to assist faculty and students in the implementation of these accommodations. Please complete the class instruction form each semester for each course you teach. The form will ask you about your course structure, attendance and deadline policies and how that policy is adjusted for students who are eligible for these accommodations.
- After you submit the class instruction form, each student’s access advisor will help you communicate these expectations to these specific students. These policies should be determined based on the structure of your course, not by the individual student’s disability.
- To complete this information, you can visit your instructor portal in myAccess. Below you will also find your a link to the class instruction form.
- We are available to provide support for instructors and students regarding these accommodations. Feel free to contact the Disability Center at any point in the process.