Examination Accommodations

FAQs regarding Assessments/Exam Accommodations for students registered with the Disability Support Service.

How do I know if a student has been recommended reasonable accommodations such as exam accommodations?

The Disability Support Service (DSS) provides staff with access to an internal Sharepoint site that lists student reasonable accommodation details. Access to this site requires the staff member to be set up with permission, which is available through the School/College Office, or through the DSS.

How are exam accommodations provided for end-of semester exams?

The Disability Support Service liaises with the exams office to ensure students registered with DSS have their recommended exam accommodations applied for end-of-semester exams. These are the exams that are listed on students' personal exam timetables.

If a student has an in-class or online exam, how are their exam accommodations provided?

In-class (departmental)  exams are timed in-class or online exams that are organised and run by the Module Owners for their Modules. Students are entitled to reasonable accommodations for these exams.  

If a module has a timed in-class or online exam, then the Module Owner puts relevant exam accommodations in place. The Disability Support Service asks students to contact Module Owners to request relevant recommended exam accommodations as soon as they know an exam is scheduled. The exam accommodations recommended for a student by the Disability Support Service apply for timed course assessment such as exams. However, some of the recommended accommodations may not be relevant and this will depend on the specific exam. Extra time will almost always be required when it has been recommended for a student. Lecturers can also request that students let them know if they are registered with the Disability Support Service and have additional exam accommodation needs.

How do the SLD sticker/marking guidelines work? 

The SLD marking guidelines are available here and provide guidance on how to read and assess the work of a student with a Specific Learning Difficulty/Dyslexia. The sticker is a notification attached to the exam book by the Exams Office, which indicates that the exam is the work of a student with an SLD/Dyslexia and the SLD marking guidelines should be used when assessing the paper.

SLD sticker/marking guidelines generally only apply to timed assessments such as exams, not to assignments where students have a few days or weeks to complete the assessment. SLD sticker/marking guidelines should be applied in timed assessments (even if typed) as students should not be expected to use their limited time in such assessments to check spellings - standard software often does not pick up on spelling errors for students with a specific learning difficulty/dyslexia.

Do SLD sticker/marking guidelines apply to any other forms of assessment?

Students registered with the DSS have been supplied with Grammarly and Texthelp to assist with spelling and grammar for take-home essays and/or assignments.  If students with a specific learning difficulty have a lot of take-home written assignments, they may plausibly argue that they are disadvantaged relative to others if being held to the same standards of spelling, grammar or structure of written work; so some flexibility with marking, or deadline extensions, may be required here (on a case-by-case basis).

Should students receive extra time for exams if it is a recommended reasonable accommodation?

Students sitting timed assessments should be granted additional time if recommended, usually an additional ten minutes per hour.  At the end of the standard time, please be aware that students availing of extra time will still be sitting their assessment even though other students may have finished, therefore exam conditions should continue for the full duration of assessment.  Also, consideration to privacy should be given since a student may not have disclosed their entitlement to extra time to the rest of the class.

Does extra time apply to untimed assessments? 

In general, if students have a few weeks to complete take-home assessments, this should be sufficient and additional time will not need to be automatically allocated.  However, students with accessibility requirements may still need extra time - for example, students with visual impairments who may require materials in an alternative format; or students who depend on screen reading software, or other accommodations to complete their work. As a result, some flexibility with respect to deadlines may be required due to impact of disability – students should liaise directly with module leaders on this as every situation will be different.

Can I simply extend the overall time of the assessment rather than assigning extra time to specific students?

No. Students who have been recommended extra time as a reasonable accommodation should receive that time over and above the allocated time for the timed assessment. This is to ensure that the student is receiving their reasonable accommodation.  If providing extra time is an issue, you should consider an untimed exam as an alternative solution.

Will students be able to use Texthelp as a reader when taking an online (off-campus) exam? 

Students who rely on TextHelp as a reader in exams should already have been issued a version for home use (by DSS) - the only time this would not apply is where a student doesn't have their own laptop.  Students can either access the free trial available from https://www.texthelp.com/ or students can be directed to download Texthelp from the ISS Webpage: http://www.nuigalway.ie/information-solutions-services/servicesforstaff/software/softwarelist/software-accessibility/texthelpreadandwritegold/ and refer back to our Assistive Technology Officer (contact disabilityservice@universityofgalway.ie) for additional advice if needed.

I have a student who uses a scribe as one of the reasonable accommodations on their LENS report. Can this student still avail of a scribe for their timed assessment? 

If a student normally uses a scribe for their exam they should be offered significantly more time in the online timed assessment so that they can use assistive technology instead of a scribe.  Assistive technology options include using screen reading software to access the questions and/or Dragon Nationally Speaking software to type the answers. This may also involve the student having to describe graphs/diagrams instead of drawing them. In some cases it may be necessary to offer an alternative form of assessment such as an essay or assignment.  If a student requires any assistive technology, or training in the use of software, they should be referred to their Disability Advisor or our Assistive Technology Officer (through disabilityservice@universityofgalway.ie).

Can a household member act as a reader/scribe for a student doing an online exam who would usually receive these supports for university examinations? 

The Disability Support Service recommends the use of assistive technology, or an alternative form of assessment, instead of a household member acting as either reader or scribe for students. 

If a student with a disability reports that they are struggling with all the new technological demands, what can I do? 

Students should be referred to the Disability Support Service for advice and training with assistive technology options.  Students can contact their Disability Advisor (as detailed on the student’s LENS report) or email disabilityservice@universityofgalway.ie .

If I need to contact the disability support service for advice, or to seek clarification, who should I contact?

Staff can contact the student’s Disability Advisor (as detailed on the student’s LENS report), or email disabilityservice@universityofgalway.ie if the Disability Advisor is on annual leave.