thinking about accessibility in a remote learning environment?
TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. 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: