Frequently Asked Questions (Faculty and Staff)
As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (Section 504), an “individual with a disability” is any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of such impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment. Wake Forest is required by Section 504 and the ADA to ensure that every student has meaningful access to all programs, services, and activities and to provide appropriate academic accommodations and services as needed. The Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success and The Office of Academic Advising also work with students who have temporary impairments—such as broken limbs and concussions—that may affect them for limited periods of time to assess whether the students qualifies for reasonable accommodations.
Students who have been approved for an accommodation from our office will authorize an electronic letter to be sent to you notifying you of approved accommodations. Students are instructed to follow up with faculty members at the start of the semester to discuss how the accommodations that were approved by our office will be implemented. You may log into the faculty portal at any time to see all students in your class who have requested accommodations.
The CLASS encourages students to discuss their disability-related needs with their instructors as early as possible, and the goal is to have electronic accommodation letters distributed to faculty within the first two to three weeks of each semester. Faculty members may not set an absolute deadline by which students must discuss academic accommodations (e.g. “within the first two weeks of the semester”). Instructors may expect students to request services in a manner that is timely with respect to the action needed (e.g. five business days before an in-class examination for extended test time).
You can find more information regarding disability services, the faculty portal, syllabus statements, test proctoring and the faculty advisory board on our Info for Faculty and Staff page.
We encourage students to coordinate the logistics of the extended time administration with individual faculty members. Some students choose to arrive early and start the exam before other students, while others will choose to stay later to finish the exam. Alternatively, some students and faculty members choose to make arrangements with other space available in the department. Faculty members should select the room and assure that the circumstances of the exam are comparable to those in the main exam venue. For example, students in the separate room must receive announcements, corrections, clarifications, etc. comparable to students in the main testing venue, and should have the same opportunity to consult the instructor and ask questions.
To learn more, including how to moderate multiple students at once, see this resource from Canvas. For additional on-campus support, contact your department’s ITG or visit canvas.wfu.edu.
CLASS will assist in proctoring tests and exams for students with disabilities in the following circumstances: (a) the instructor has exhausted all other options within the department (such as rescheduling the exam in the department if the student cannot start before or stay after the scheduled class time or having other departmental graduate students or staff help with proctoring a test within the department) or (b) the student’s testing accommodation requires a separate testing space that cannot be managed in the department.
When a faculty member extends the length of a standard timed test or exam for all the students in a class, then the extended time for the student with a disability should be proportionally increased, according to that student’s approved accommodation for extended test time. For example, if the scheduled exam is 3 hours for nondisabled students, then the student with a disability receiving 50% extended test time would get 4.5 hours. If the professor allows the nondisabled students 4 hours to complete the exam, then the student with a disability should be given 6 hours to complete the exam.
No. Accommodations for extended time apply to tests, exams, and timed, in-class assignments only.
Students should be directed to the CLASS (336-758-5929) to learn more about the grievance procedure. Information about the grievance procedure can also be found: WFU Grievance Procedure.
Yes. Extended time applies to tests given throughout the semester and to the end of the semester final exam. Arrangements should be made to provide an extended time accommodation.
Some students use technological services in class that may require the participation of their instructors, teaching assistants, etc. These could include assistive listening devices, real-time captioning, and video captioning. Similarly, some students have disability-related permission to use laptops for word-processing or to utilize specialized software, and some students use “smart pens” loaned by the CLASS.
Contact the CLASS and discuss this concern. It is best practice to discuss this with the CLASS and the student before denying an accommodation.
No! Our office has Academic Coaching and Peer Tutoring services for all Wake Forest students. If you have a student who you think might benefit for strategies for test preparation and studying, please encourage them to apply for services and meet with a member of our staff.
Adjusting for extended time on Canvas exams and quizzes is easier than you think. To learn more, including how to moderate multiple students at once, see this resource from Canvas. For additional on-campus support, contact your department’s ITG or visit canvas.wfu.edu.