Accommodation Letters and Booking Accommodated Exams

How will accommodated exams be written?

Students who are participating in on-campus courses will write their exams in one of the CAL exam spaces and supervised by CAL staff. CAL exam spaces are open from 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and as needed on Saturdays.

• CAL staff will ensure that all of the supplied invigilation instructions will be followed (operating as if the student was being supervised in the classroom by the course instructor).
• For exams being completed through D2L, course instructors will need to ensure that the accommodations are applied to the individual CAL student’s exam. CAL does not have access to apply extra time or enable TextReader.
• Students can request an early start and have their accommodated time added before the class start time if they have back-to-back courses. Exams that are to take place for evening courses will start early so that they will end when the CAL exam spaces close at 9pm.
• Exam incidents where misconduct is suspected will be reported to the course instructor as soon as possible by forwarding a report via email. It is up to the course instructor to decide if misconduct has occurred and take the necessary measures.

Students who are participating in online classes will write their exams remotely (just like the rest of the class) with the addition of their academic accommodations as requested.

• Course instructors will need to ensure that the accommodations are applied to the individual CAL student’s exam. CAL does not have access to apply extra time or enable TextReader.
• If a student has complex accommodations, the exam might be invigilated remotely with a CAL invigilator through Microsoft Teams (reviewed on a case-by-case basis with CAL exam staff and course instructor).

Issues?

If students believe their accommodations are not being provided on a specific exam, they should:

• On-campus exams: report this to the CAL Invigilator on duty who will communicate issues with the course instructor and/or CAL Advisors.
• Online exams: report this to the course instructor and calexams@camosun.ca  Before they begin the exam. CAL exam staff will try to assist wherever possible.
   

How-to videos for using assistive technology for exams can be found on the CAL YouTube page:

• Use TextAid ReadSpeaker and D2L
• Use Kurzweil 3000 and D2L

What do students have access to during a face-to-face exam with CAL?

In cases where it is determined that an exam will be completed face-to-face with CAL, students will not only have access to their approved academic accommodations, they will also have access to:

Supplied by CAL:

• earplugs (individually packaged disposable, new)
• noise reduction earmuffs
• headphones (if accessing audio files, screen readers, dictation software, white noise/music)
• anti-fatigue mats
• scrap paper (marked as from CAL [unless otherwise directed by instructor])

Supplied by student:

• pens, pencils, highlighters (all checked for electronics [unless otherwise supplied by instructor])
• portable magnifier (either electronic or overlay filter)
• colour tinted glasses / colour tinted overlay gel
• heating pad / lumbar support / etc.
• water bottle/tea/coffee and snacks
• blood sugar meter
• calculator ONLY if the instructor has indicated that one is allowed (type/model will be checked if required)

Items not allowed in exam rooms

Students are not allowed access to cell phones, personal headphones/ear buds, watches, and pencil cases during an exam.

Hats and/or other bulky clothing will be visually checked for prohibited materials.