Overview
Acknowledging that attendance is a required component of most courses at St. Olaf, Disability and Access (DAC) staff may determine that in some cases Intermittent Adjustments to Attendance and Due Date Parameters is a reasonable academic accommodation for the above student.
However, the reasonableness of the accommodation needs to be considered by the instructor of the course in advance. (Academic accommodations must not fundamentally alter the instructor’s stated essential learning outcomes of a course.)
Below is information to clarify the “Intermittent Adjustment to Attendance and Due Dates Parameters” accommodation, the student’s responsibility, and the impact of absences on the stated learning outcomes for the course.
Description
- Students eligible for this accommodation have disabilities that are episodic in nature and may have an impact on class attendance.
- A disability-related absence is when a student is absent due to the direct effects of the documented disability on the student on that particular day or days. The accommodation of attendance leniency consideration does not apply to absences for other reasons.
- The student is not required to present the professor with medical documentation verifying their disability-related absence. Communicate with DAC if there is a concern of the parameters being exceeded
Purpose of the Intermittant Adjustment to Attendance and Due Date Parameters Form
- This agreement will guide the attendance leniency parameters by clarifying the attendance/participation expectations of students in the course.
- There may be additional factors to consider if the disability-related absence also affects a quiz/exam date or assignment due date.
- The Access Specialist will communicate the professor’s adjusted parameters in an email (cc’ing the professor) when the Accommodation Letter is sent.
Evaluating the role of attendance/participation/assignment due dates
The focus in this accommodation is on the essential element of attendance/participation and resulting adjustments to deadlines or quiz/exam dates if needed. With that in mind, please review the following questions below. These questions are designed to help quantify the role in-class participation has toward students meeting course outcomes/objectives.
- What does the syllabus state regarding attendance/participation?
- Which stated learning outcomes/objectives require attendance/participation?
- Is attendance/participation a factor in the course grade? If yes, what is the percentage of the grade?
- Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students, and/or among students?
- Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
- Does the course rely on student participation as a method of learning?
- What is the impact of absences on the educational experience of other students in the class?
- Is there content only offered in class that cannot be obtained in reading materials or online content?
- Are assignments used as class content when they are due? (e.g. problem sets reviewed as the first lecture on that content?)