thinking about accessibility in a remote learning environment?

Thinking about accessibility in a Remote Learning

Environment?

VIRTUAL Q & A WITH MCGILL'S OFFICE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Gift Tshuma

Rakhee Chowdhury

Access Services Advisor

Exam Centre Manager

Today’s webinar will cover:

• What is the Office for Students with Disabilities?

• What is Universal Design for Learning?

• What do I need to know to plan for a Remote

Learning Environment?

• Q & A

If you have any questions…

Please feel free to submit any questions throughout the

presentation via private chat.

We will answer all your questions at the end of the

presentation.

This session will be recorded

What is the Office for Students with Disabilities?

What is the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD)?The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support

services and reasonable accommodations to undergraduate,

graduate and postdoctoral students with documented

disabilities of either a permanent, temporary, or episodic nature.

The OSD fosters an accessible and inclusive university

experience for McGill’s diverse student population in

collaboration with other Student Services and the wider McGill

community through resources and services.

How many students are registered with the OSD?

13901569

1887

2078

2313 2344 2337

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016 2016 - 2017 2017 - 2018 2018 - 2019 2019 - 2020

Who can register with the OSD?*

*Based on internal OSD statistics from 2019-20 school year

Hearing impairment

1%

Organic impairment

11%

Motor impairment

2%

Visual impairment

1%Multiple impairment

22%

Attention Deficit

Disorder

18%

Learning disability

10%

Mental health disorder

34%

Autism spectrum disorders

1%

What services does the OSD offer?

Accommodations and supplemental

supports for registered students are

based on

BARRIERS

This may include:

Exam

accommodations

Note taking /

Note sharing

Learning

Resources

Adaptive /

Assistive

Technology

Alternate TextIndividualized

case support

What type of exam accommodations do students typically receive through the OSD?

TimeAdaptive and/or

assistive technologyEnvironment

The OSD is currently in the process of planning for a very limited on-campus presence for Fall 2020.

We will have more concrete details outlining what this means in the coming weeks.

What is Universal Design and why is it important?

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

• Is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal

opportunities to learn.

• Provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and

assessments that work for everyone.

• Not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather a set of flexible approaches that can

be customized and adjusted for individual needs.

• Not a prescriptive checklist or formula with set methods and tools to be applied in

every situation.

Why is UDL important for higher education?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

• Provides useful guidelines for developing curricula, selecting materials and creating

learning environments that takes into account a wide variability of learners in higher

education environments.

How can I implement UDL within a class or exam setting?

2

Expression

How do I involve my students in

the learning process?

3

Engagement

How do I ask my students to

demonstrate their knowledge?

1

Representation

How do I present the essential course content to my

students?

How can I implement UDL within a class or exam setting?

1

Representation

How do I present the essential course content to my

students?

→ Does your course syllabus clearly describe the content and your expectations of the students?

→ Do you present your information in multiple formats?

→ Do you provide students with various formats of assignments and assessments?

How can I implement UDL within a class or exam setting?

2

Expression

How do I involve my students in

the learning process?

→ Do you encourage your students to demonstrate their knowledge in ways other than traditional tests and exams?

→ Do your assessments measure students’ achievement of the learning objectives, as stated on the syllabus?

How can I implement UDL within a class or exam setting?

3

Engagement

How do I ask my students to

demonstrate their knowledge?

→ Do you offer a variety of ways for students to express themselves and to interact with the course material?

→ Do you give prompt and instructive feedback on assignments?

What do I need to know to plan for exams in a Remote Learning Environment?

Are accommodations

required in an online learning and assessment

environment?

YES!

THE SAME LEGAL REQUIREMENTS TO

PROVIDE DISABILITY-

RELATED ACCOMMODATIONS

EXIST IN THE ONLINE

ENVIRONMENT.

If exam duration < 48 hours Time-based accommodations

apply

Students are given

3 hours to write their exam

Students are given 48 hours

to access their exam

If exam duration is

48 hours or more

Time-based accommodations

do not apply

Students are given

48 hours to write their exam

Students are given

48 hours to access their exam

What is the responsibility of the students?

Students must register for their exam accommodations at least 7 days

prior to their scheduled exam using the OSD’s exam sign-up form.

Any student reaching out to their instructors directly regarding their exam

accommodations must be redirected to the OSD Exam Centre.

What is the responsibility of the OSD?

1. Process students’ exam accommodation registrations.

2. Verify students’ accommodations.

3. Coordinate with instructors to confirm exam details.

4. Communicate the students’ accommodations to instructors and/or exam

administrator approximately 3 business days prior to the exam.

What is the responsibility of the Faculty?

1. Communicate assessment details for the exams in your course with the OSD by

completing the Exam Instructions for OSD form as soon as possible.

You may choose to complete the

form only once by informing the

OSD of all upcoming

assessments in your course.

What is the responsibility of the Faculty?

Prior to each assessment, the OSD will inform you of students’ names and

accommodations via e-mail. This information is confidential and should not be shared.

DateFamily

Name

First

nameStudent E-mail

Course

NumberSection

Accommodations

(View Calculator/Legend)

4-Aug Simpson Homer homer.simpson@mail.mcgill.ca FOOD 101 1 T1/4 SW

What is the responsibility of the Faculty?

2. For time-based accommodations, you will need to calculate and adjust the exam

parameters for each student.

https://www.mcgill.ca/osd/authorized-accommodations

What is the responsibility of the Faculty?

“Authorized Accommodations: Legend and Calculator”

• This resource was created by McGill’s OSD to best guide Faculty & Staff when

providing students with their approved exam accommodations.

• The calculator generates the exam time for students, according to their time-

based accommodations.

• The legend provides additional information to consider depending on the type

of accommodation.

What is the responsibility of the Faculty?

3. Communicate with students if there are any modifications to their exam start time or

duration.

I would like to give all of my students

extra time for their exams.

Is this possible?

YES!

How?

BY PROACTIVELY

INCORPORATING

PRINCIPLES OF UDL IN THE

PLANNING PHASE OF

YOUR COURSE.

THIS MEANS,

COMMUNICATING THAT

EXTRA TIME WILL BE

PROVIDED TO ALL

STUDENTS (UDL) IN YOUR

COURSE SYLLABUS.

IN MOST CASES, THIS

WILL REDUCE THE

NEED FOR TIME-BASED

ACCOMMODATIONS.

How?

For timed exams:

Double the exam duration to

address learner variability (UDL)

+ up to 30 minutes to address

connectivity issues (TLS)

Sample syllabus statement for UDLFor this course, I am adopting flexible assessment strategies that create greater access for all

students by incorporating principles of Universal Design for Learning. As such, I have taken into

consideration the variety of learner needs and barriers that students may face in this course and

have designed the assessments with these considerations in mind. Additionally, I recognize

that any student may experience unexpected interruptions in a remote learning

environment. Therefore, additional time has been built into the assessment

strategy to address these potential barriers. Because of these modifications, authorized time-

based accommodations for students registered with OSD will not apply.

There may be exceptional circumstances in which disability-related accommodations may still be

needed. If you feel this is the case for you, please reach out to OSD via email

at exams.osd@mcgill.ca. They will assess the situation and coordinate with me when necessary.

Assessment Time needed to write Time allotted

Quiz #1 45 minutes 2 hours

Midterm 1.5 hours 3.5 hours

Frequently Asked Questions

I expect that an exam will take 2 hours for students to complete, but I am giving the entire class 4 hours to complete it to allow for

UDL principles.

Do I still need to provide accommodations?

* This chart and more

detailed information

can be found in our

Faculty Guide

I am planning to have students take 12 mini quizzes in line with

the TLS assessment strategy guidelines. Do I have to change

individual times for OSD students for each quiz?

Q & A

Where can I find

additional support?

Instructor FAQ and

Faculty Guide on the

OSD website

Guidelines for the Remote

Teaching Context

Webinars

UDL resources :

Curriculum Planning:

Course Syllabus

How do you teach?

A quick UDL Checklist

Why consider UDL?

Building an Accessible

Course in myCourses

Best Practices for

Equitable & Inclusive

Student-Centred Learning

Trainings on Accessibility

for Staff & Faculty

Contact us

For student advising-

related inquiries:

For exam-related

inquiries:

disabilities.students@mcgill.ca

rakhee.chowdhury@mcgill.ca