While instructors are responsible for implementing a student's approved academic accommodations, we recognize that there might not always be resources available for exam accommodations, so the Office of Disability Services has testing resources to assist. The following is a timeline of how exam requests are received and handled by the Office of Disability Services (ODS) when an instructor needs support. It includes the student and professor responsibilities.
- The student submits the Exam Request Form no less than 1 week before the scheduled date of the exam.
- The professor will submit their exam to ODS, no less than 2 business days before the exam through our online submission form, or by dropping it off to our office location. When submitting the exam, be sure to include a contact number in case there are questions, and that all instructions relating to the exam are included on the form.
- Both the student and professor will receive a confirmation email of the arrangements made by our office. They should review the information for accuracy and notify the office immediately if any changes need to be made. It is important to check your email regularly for correspondence from the ODS office.
- The student will read the policies regarding testing at ODS, and arrive no later than 10 minutes prior to the start of the exam.
- Once completed, the office will return the exam to the professor either by email or having the professor's representative pick it up from our office.
A note about time conflicts: If receiving extended time on an exam will cause a time conflict with another class, you must notify your professor as soon as possible so they can work with you on making appropriate arrangements.
A Note About Quizzes
If there are timed, graded quizzes as a part of your course it is important to think about how accommodations will get met. Some options for quizzes include:
- Allow the student to take the quiz just prior to class in a location the instructor has arranged
- Allow the student to take the quiz immediately after class in a location the instructor has arranged
- Allow the student to take the quiz on a different day/time either in a location the instructor has arranged or with ODS
- Consider moving to online quizzes for all students that are done out of class. This easily allows extended time to be added for students who are approved for it.
Please note that this will need to be worked out on an individual basis with each student who has accommodations. Instructors will need to consider the student's availability and other course obligations when making arrangements. Students should NEVER miss instructional time in order to be accommodated for a quiz.
If you need to reschedule an exam with ODS, for example if your in-class exam has been postponed, please contact the office at ods.exams@echo.rutgers.edu.
