The Office of Accessible Education (OAE) thank our faculty and staff for their support and collaboration. We appreciate the significant contributions you are making to ensure an accessible and inclusive environment at SCU during the temporary online transition as a result of the COVID-19. We understand the process of implementing accommodations in an online format may be challenging, and we’re hoping we can provide guidance regarding the implementation of common accommodations, as well as information surrounding additional academic adjustments that may need to be considered on a case-case bais.
Please note: OAE remains operational during this time, however, the office is not proctoring exams due to the provisional switch to the online format.
Though we have transitioned online temporarily, OAE students’ Eligibility Letters will continue to show their approved accommodations “as is.”
We understand and acknowledge some accommodations are not appropriate for the online format.
However, Eligibility Letters unfortunately cannot be modified to reflect accommodations for the online format only.
Please contact OAE (408-554-4109; oae@scu.edu) for clarification.
The University has instructed faculty to record lectures to create access to course content for all students.
Though the recordings of "live lectures" will remain the primary notetaking method during the online transition, for any online courses where a Notetaker has signed up, OAE will match the Notetaker accordingly to the class.
- Notetakers will be assigned as in previous quarters and we ask that you assist in recruiting notetaker if one has not already been assigned.
- For OAE students who are approved of a Notetaker (as an accommodation) and enrolled in courses that we’re not able to retain a Notetaker, and for OAE students who are approved of Audio Recording of Lectures (as an accommodation): OAE asks faculty to please record “Live lectures” and upload them to Camino so registered OAE students with notetaking accommodations may access the lectures.
- For assistance with posting videos to Camino, please contact Academic Technology (email "caminosupport@scu.edu" or call 408-551-3572).
- If you’re using Zoom as a meeting platform for lectures - Zoom allows you to record lectures and embed captions/transcriptions directly to your recordings.
- Click here to learn more about Zoom transcriptions and captions.
- Please share Powerpoints and/or pictures of whiteboards for “Live lectures” with students.
- Recordings and slides need to be made available to students within 24 hours from the “Live lecture” meeting time.
As long as the Shelter-In-Place order remains and/or all classes are being offered online, OAE will not be proctoring exams since classes and exams are being offered in the online format.
As a result, an Alternative Testing Guideline (ATG) will not be required by OAE during the online transition.
HOWEVER, once the Shelter-In-Place order is lifted and students return to campus, the ATG will be required (if you wish to have OAE assist with proctoring).
- Accommodations such as Alternative Test Site or Breaks During Exams will not apply as accommodations in the online format. It will be the OAE student's responsibility to find a quiet space and take breaks as needed.
- Time accommodations (1.25x, 1.5x, 2.0x, etc.) will continue to apply.
- Faculty can use these steps to differentiate a quiz if they need to alter due dates or times for one or many students. This is for students who will be taking the same quiz but at a different day or time.
- Faculty can use these steps to moderate a quiz if they need to provide additional time or attempts for an individual student. This is for students who receive additional time, for students who inadvertently submit their quiz, or for students who need additional time or attempts due to technical difficulties occurring during the quiz. Make sure the quiz does not close before the additional time for a student is up. The "Available Until" date and time should be the time the last student has to complete the quiz.
- Faculty can use these steps for duplicating a quiz and these steps for differentiating a quiz if they need to provide the quiz in alternative format. This is for students who do not have a device compatible with LockDown Browser or LockDown Monitor.
- For assistance with Camino, please contact Academic Technology (email "caminosupport@scu.edu" or call 408-551-3572).
- For accommodations questions, please contact OAE (email oae@scu.edu or call 408-554-4109).
It is critical that exam files are accessible to allow students with electronic readers and/or dictation accommodations to access the exams.
- If files are not accessible, please use the online tool CONVERT.
- Please be aware that the Respondus Lockdown Browser mode has limited accessibility for students needing to use speech to text software (i.e. dictation).
- Due to the nature of some students’ disability and assistive technology needs, modifications to timed online exams may be necessary. For example, faculty may need to substitute a question asking a student to draw a figure/illustration with an essay question or multiple choice question.
- For students where modifications to timed online exams are essential, OAE will work with you and the student to determine reasonable accommodations.
Consideration Adjustments
For students with chronic conditions that are episodic in nature, there may be periods of time in which they are too unwell to attend class or to submit an assignment by an established deadline, as their condition may be unpredictable and inevitable despite ongoing health and time management practices. When a student needs flexibility in attendance and/or extension on assignments, faculty should always consider the request on an individual class basis, allowing for diligent and critical analysis of how the request is essential to the class learning objectives and pedagogical components. If you believe additional absences beyond the stated policy would fundamentally alter the nature or essential elements of your class, or assignment extensions are not possible, then instructors should consult with an OAE Adviser to determine reasonability.
In order for OAE students with “electronic readers, dictation, and or e-text” as an accommodation to access files, all files uploaded to Camino or shared directly with students must be offered in an accessible format.
- Print documents - If you have an original Word document, you can save the document as a PDF file to be uploaded to Camino.
- When you click “Save As” in the Word document, change the file type to PDF in order to create the accessible document.
- Please keep in mind, documents that have been printed and then scanned into a PDF version are NOT automatically accessible (even though they are a PDF). For these documents, you will need to use our online tool CONVERT.
If you need assistance with making your content accessible, please contact Academic Technology (email "caminosupport@scu.edu" or call 408-551-3572).
Audio files - Transcripts should be provided for audio files to allow students to read the information provided in the recording.
- If the content you are presenting is widely available, there may be a transcript already available online.
- If the file is short enough, you can create a transcript yourself (in a Word document converted to a PDF) and post it in an accessible format along with the audio file.
- If the file is too long to convert yourself and a transcript is not available, you can contact Academic Technology for support or OAE at oae@scu.edu.
Video files - Closed captioning should be provided for video files to allow students to read the information while watching the video.
- There are companies (such as YouTube) which offer free, automated closed captioning services. Since these services are automated, please be advised that there are occasional mistakes in the transcript. Videos with clear speakers provide the best results.
- If you need assistance, please contact Academic Technology for support or OAE at "oae@scu.edu".