This Faculty FAQ addresses some of the most common questions faculty ask about the DSC and student accommodations. If you want more information, check out the Instructor Resource page, or contact dsc@uci.edu.
How should I approach referring a student to the DSC?
If a student in your course expresses a need for academic accommodations, and is not currently registered with the Disability Services Center, please provide them with the following information:
How to Register for Services:
To register for services, students should visit our webpage, Register with DSC, and complete the DSC Intake Form.
Once an Intake Form is completed, the DSC will be in contact with the student to schedule an intake appointment with their assigned Disability Specialist. All intake appointments will be conducted via phone or zoom until further notice. Students will be asked to email documentation provided by a qualified healthcare professional to their assigned Disability Specialist.
How do I grant access to my TAs or Administrative Staff to “Manage My Courses”?
To grant access to Teaching Assistants or Administrators, enter their UCInetID in the Admins textbox (separating multiples with commas) and clicking “Edit Admins.” If you experience any difficulty, please reach out to DSC Testing for additional assistance.
How can I see a list of my students registered with the DSC and their accommodations?
To access a comprehensive list of students in your class and their individual accommodations, visit the “Manage My Courses” page on our website. Clicking this link will prompt you to log in with your UCInetID, then to enter the course code(s) for the course(s) you are teaching. Once you have reached the Instructor page for a course, a list of students will be displayed along with their accommodation details.
How do I ensure that my online course is accessible?
Visit the Resources for Instructors page on our website for accessibility-related resources to use in a remote learning environment and beyond. This is being actively updated throughout the quarter.
Helpful Tips for Accessibility:
- Captions should be provided on all online lectures or visual content. Zoom has a variety of accessibility features, including tools for managing manual captions!
- When including images in lectures or exams, adding a brief description of the image is a great way to accommodate those who utilize a screen reader.
Will the DSC be proctoring exams for students receiving testing accommodations?
Our office is now open for test proctoring from the hours of 8:00am-4:45pm. We will be proctoring exams that are being taken in-person on campus. In general, students registered with the DSC should be afforded the same testing environment as their peers to the greatest extent possible. This means that, if you are proctoring an exam through Canvas, all students should be able to take the exam through Canvas. Since we do not have access to Canvas course spaces or other systems used for remote learning, we are unable to extend test time for those who require it which means that professors will need to be cognizant of students’ testing accommodations and ensure those are implemented in the remote setting (such as extended time). Please visit the Resources for Instructors page on our website for helpful tips for providing testing accommodations via Canvas, or other online platforms.
Do I need to send my exam information to the DSC as usual?
Since our testing center is now open for in-person exams, we will need exam information at least 5 business days before the scheduled date. This means that we will need to know the exam date and time as well as all the relevant proctoring instructions. This information can be sent to dsctesting@uci.edu.
How can I extend students’ test/quiz times within online testing platforms?
The following are helpful sites that provide guidance for extending test time for those who require it as an accommodation:
If using Canvas:
Once I Publish a Timed Quiz, How Can I Give My Students Extra Time?
Once I Publish a Quiz, How Can I Give My Students Extra Attempts?
If you experience any difficulty navigating these resources, please reach out to DSC Testing for additional assistance.
If you are using Respondus Lockdown Browser, ProctorU, or another proctoring system to deliver your exam, note that further action may be required to ensure that students with Assistive Technology needs are able to do so. If you have questions, please reach out to DSC E-Text.
What if I receive an accommodations letter on the day of an exam?
Per our testing policy, students are told to give a 48 hour/2 business day notice for implementation of testing accommodations, such as extended time. In the remote environment, this policy still stands. If you were to receive a accommodation letter the day of an exam, you would not be obligated to provide the accommodation for that exam. It is solely up to your discretion whether or not you have been given adequate notice to setup student accommodations prior to an exam when that notice is within 48 hours. In some cases, a student’s disability-related needs may necessitate rescheduling an exam for a later time when their accommodations can be implemented. For example, if a student breaks their dominant hand and cannot write, the faculty and DSC would need time to collaborate in order to meet that student’s needs. These situations would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
How much time should I give to students receiving testing accommodations?
Please note that each student may be receiving individualized testing accommodations. For example, one of your students may be receiving 1.5x Extended Test Time while another is receiving 2.0x Extended Test Time. Each of these students should be allowed the specified additional time listed on their accommodations information. The following is a breakdown of how to calculate extended test time:
STANDARD EXAM DURATION x ACCOMMODATION = EXTENDED DURATION
| Standard Duration | 1.25x | 1.5x | 2.0x |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 min | 63 min (1 hr. 3 min) | 75 min (1 hr. 15min) | 100 min (1 hr. 40 min) |
| 80 min | 100 min (1 hr. 40 min) | 120 min (2 hours) | 160 min (2 hr. 40 min) |
| 120 min | 150 min (2 hr. 30 min) | 180 min (3 hours) | 240 min (4 hours) |
| 170 min | 213 min (3 hr. 33 min) | 255 min (4 hr. 15 min) | 340 min (5 hr. 40 min) |
My exam is take-home and/or not timed, what do I need to do to accommodate students?
The accommodation for extended test time is to be applied to timed exams only. If a student expresses a need for further accommodation as it relates to non-timed exams or assignments, please have them reach out to their Disability Specialist with those concerns. Caveat: If you are giving all students two hours to complete what you consider to be a one hour exam, this would be considered “timed”. You would still need to calculate extended time accommodations based on the two hour time given to all students. Whereas, if you give students a 5 day window to complete an exam, and a timer is not counting down once they begin, this would be considered “not timed.”
I am delivering a quiz at the beginning of class and plan to lecture directly after. How do I accommodate students with extended time on exams?
In this situation, you may want to consider starting students with extended time testing early so that all of your students would be finishing the exam at the same time. This allows all students to attend the lecture. If this is not possible, please ensure that all students will be given access to any lecture content they may miss due to extended time testing accommodations.
What should I do if something goes wrong with a student’s extended time during an exam?
If a student’s testing accommodation was not given to them appropriately (e.g. they were kicked out of a Canvas exam early), email DSC Testing and the student’s Disability Specialist (found on the student’s Accommodations Letter) as soon as possible to come up with an agreeable solution.
What should I do if a student is experiencing a disability-related issue during an exam?
If a student is experiencing a disability-related issue that is inhibiting their ability to complete their exam (e.g. panic attack), please direct the student to their Disability Specialist for support.
For all other questions, please contact the DSC Front Desk at (949)824-7494 for further assistance from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday
For after-hours assistance with any mental health-related concerns, visit the following resources provided by the Counseling Center:
My student has an Assistive Technology accommodation, what should I do?
If a student requires assistive technology, the DSC will be working with that student to ensure they still have access to what they need. Most of these are compatible with online testing systems, but if there are any suspected issues, we’ve encouraged students to reach out to us. It may be the case that a student will need to do a “test run” for an exam prior to a real one to make sure that their Assistive Technology is compatible. Resolving any issues will require collaboration between the student, their Disability Specialist, and the professor. Any questions related to Assistive Technology can be addressed to DSC E-Text.