Testing Accommodations
If a student in your class has been approved for exam accommodations, please assume that they will use them. Common testing accommodations include extended time on exams, small group/reduced distraction testing environment, use of a computer with or without grammar/spell check, single room testing, exam responses on test sheet/no Scantron, breaks during exams, and similar services.
Most testing accommodations are managed by the instructor, TA and/or academic department. We recommend that exam logistics such as date, time, are arranged and communicated to the student as early in the term as possible. An email confirming exam details is helpful to clarify expectations.
The Student Disability Center is available to assist with accommodations which require complex assistive technology such as a screen reader, a scribe, materials converted into an alternate format, or specialized adaptive furniture.
Late Exam Requests
Student sometimes request accommodation just a few days before a test due to an unexpected flare of their disability. Whenever possible, please accommodate the student. If you are having difficulty making arrangements, please contact the SDC.
Online Exam Accommodations
Need a proctoring service for online exams? Extended times are not the only accommodations students request for online exams. Here is a list of proctoring services available at UC Davis with recommendations on how to make your exams are accessible and inclusive to all.
Examity
Examity is an online video proctoring service for exams. There is a requirement of a webcam for monitoring of students during exams by Examity proctors. The browser, not the computer, is locked down during the exam. Due to this, students can use assistive technologies without issues, but proctors need to be made aware of these technologies since they can see the running programs on the computer.
When making accommodations for students within Examity, extended times are not the only accommodations which need to be submitted. Please include accommodations for reading aloud, breaks as needed, as well as use of technology. These are accommodations that the Examity proctors may flag as cheating attempts unless properly marked in the Examity dashboard.
The instructions to add accommodations within Examity can be found on page 13 of "Instructions for Faculty to get started with Examity", located at the UC Davis KeepTeaching site.
Zoom
Zoom is being considered by some faculty as a proctoring service for exams. To safeguard the privacy of student accommodations, the Student Disability Center can assist with additional Zoom rooms and proctors. Please reach out to examaccom@ucdavis.edu or join the 12-1 Zoom session for Faculty occurring Monday-Friday during Fall 2021.
Canvas
Accommodations can be set within Canvas, per student. Instructors can set dates and times to restrict when students can take an exam. You can only set extended times for student accommodations within Canvas. You must use other services to secure computers or proctor exams.
Please reach out with any questions on how to offer accessible exams to examaccom@ucdavis.edu or join the 12-1 Zoom session for Faculty occurring Monday-Friday during Fall 2021.
Steps for setting extended times within Canvas
Note: If an extended time doesn’t work as intended, you can now allow students extra attempts to take the quiz/exam. Steps for allowing extra attempts.
Respondus Lockdown Browser
The Respondus Lockdown Browser is a tool which restricts the functions of what the student can do on their computer during an exam. It does not require the use of a webcam and is available for use to secure Canvas exams on PC, Mac, and iPads. This does not work with personally owned Chromebooks. Please note that accommodations such as extended times would still need to be entered into Canvas.
Respondus Monitor
The Respondus Monitor is an add on to Respondus Lockdown which includes video monitoring features and requires that the student have a webcam. This tool does not interfere with assistive technologies, but not all students have cameras available. Use of Respondus Monitor may result in false positives as it’s an automated service flagging video for instructors to review.
Mac Accessibility Requirements for Respondus
Version 2.0.3.03 of the Respondus Lockdown Browser is accessible to the Mac VoiceOver screen reader.
Windows Accessibility Requirements for Respondus
Version 2.0.3.00 of the Respondus Lockdown Browser is accessible to Windows screen readers such as: NVDA, JAWS, MS-Windows Narrator, ReadSpeaker webReader, and Windows-Eyes. It is not accessible to ClaroRead, but NVDA could be used as an alternative.
ZoomText can resize fonts, but the reader is not functioning. NVDA could be used as an alternative reader
Dragon can be used within Respondus by disabling the Dragon pad.
Additional Questions or Concerns?
Due to the ever-changing online environment, we do have drop-in Zoom support for faculty between 12-1, Monday through Friday. Staff is ready to assist with accommodation, accessibility, or exam questions instructors may have and have a limited number of proctors available to support instructors and our students.