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Introduction
Firstly, tests, exams and assignments need to be formatted so that they are accessible in the same way that course material is (see the section Writing Accessible Teaching Material here).
Because test and exam papers cannot be given to students electronically, in advance, to format themselves in a way that suits them, test and exam papers will need to be either formatted to meet each individual students requirements, or if the student is taking the exam or test on a computer, provided electronically. Alternatively, you should request that a student can be given additional time in the examination so that they can have time to format material themselves.
Even if you are not aware of a student with an impairment in your class it is good practice to make the papers as accessible as possible.
This includes considerations of the colour of any diagrams, charts and non-text elements.
Making assessments accessible
Assignments
Make the instructions to students and the rules regarding submission very explicit; students with disabilities such as mental health problems, autistic spectrum disorders or dyslexia may find it difficult to understand ‘what is expected of them’ or take instructions literally; clear instructions, examples of past students work or mock questions and model answers can be invaluable, especially if they are annotated to highlight what is required and what aspects of an answer distinguish a good paper from a poor one, and a willingness to provide feedback on essay plans or drafts would be enormously helpful to all students.
Group work
Group work can provide both opportunities and create barriers students with impairments. Group work may create a barrier students with communication impairments such as stammering or hearing impairments for example. Brandt (2011) however reported that students detailed the positive impact of group work and its effect on motivating them and providing them with a sense of belonging.
According to Bessant et al. (2019) students with mental health difficulties such as social anxiety disorders may find working groups difficult. Providing clear expectations of what group work entails might help to reduce students stress.
Both Reed and Curtis (2012) and Hewett, Douglas, McLinden and Keil (2017) found that group work caused particular barriers students with visual impairments. Such students reported that it was difficult for them to contribute, to keep up with required reading and that they faced attitudinal problems from their fellow group members who appeared nervous about having a visually impaired student join the group.
Student quote;
“People get frustrated when I don’t pick things up as quickly as others.”
Other ways of helping students succeed in group work include allowing students to participate via e-mail or video conferencing instead of attending group meetings, this can help a variety of students with mental health difficulties, autism spectrum disorder, conditions which limit a student’s ability to attend and students with caring responsibilities. Alternatively we can consider having small groups containing only two or three people as this might help students with social anxiety.
If you are able, you might consider allowing students to choose their fellow group members or you could try to include the friends of a student with mental health difficulties in the same group.
Presentations
Students with particular impairments might be reluctant to participate in presentations. For example students with anxiety, dyslexia or a stammer may, or may not, be hesitant about giving presentations. Such students might be happier presenting to the lecturer alone, or providing a video of the presentation.
Student quote;
“Group presentations are nearly impossible for me. Also I have real issues with being stressed around revision and exams - I think I have performance anxiety as I generally underperform on exams but I'm hoping to work on this with my DSA mentor.”
Student quote
I found these extremely difficult before I had mental health issues. I can see that they may be necessary practice but again, I struggle to speak when stressed. These are indescribably difficult when everything is going well and are the sort of thing to cause insomnia and a bad day.
Not all students dislike presentations however.
Student quote
"I actually never had problems with presentations. They’re probably the easiest one for me as I can do them at my own pace in my own way without having to rely on anyone else. Also it’s much easier for me to talk for a long time than write for a long time."
Alternatives to timed examinations and assessments
Introduction
Alternative assessments are given to students with a variety of impairments; it might be that a student has a fluctuating condition (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy or chronic fatigue syndrome), and so are unable to predict if they will be sufficiently well on the days of an assessment to perform, or it might be that the impairment could be exacerbated by the pressure of a timed assessment (e.g. anxiety, gastrointestinal problems or asthma). Alternatively, the additional time required for a student to complete a timed assessment might be prohibitive for students with profound communication and or mobility impairments. As a result we have to provide an alternative assessment.
If a student’s ILP states that they are entitled to an alternative assessment, this means that all other forms of adaptation to timed assessments, such as extra time or use of a computer, have already been considered and deemed inappropriate. So, in most cases an alternative assessment will be an assignment or oral exam.
Brandt (2011) provides a quote from a deaf student who doesn’t use a computer and who explains that “all of my knowledge is based on the presentation of signs”. In discussions with disability support services this student has an oral exam where they discussed the topic chosen by teaching staff 15 minutes in sign language with an interpreter while a second interpreter typed the discussion into written language.
If you are unsure what form of assessment would be suitable contact AccessAbility, rather than the student for advice; a student might feel pressurised to agree to an inappropriate assessment if contacted directly.
It would be good practice to state the nature of an alternative assessment at the beginning of a module, so that students with impairments can make informed decisions about whether taking that module will be appropriate for them.
Suggested alternative assessments
If a student has an alternative assessment on your module is likely that they will be given alternative assessments on the other modules as well, so you may wish to coordinate the submission date on other modules.
Marking and feedback
Dyslexia
When marking, reward content and try not to penalise the spelling and handwriting. Some dyslexic students will have particular problems sequencing and structuring their ideas. Feedback on essay plans would be useful if this is the case.
It may help dyslexic students to determine what is required in response to an examination or assignment question if the task is split into sections and the questions are written in the active rather than passive voice. Additionally, the use of double negatives are especially confusing for dyslexic students.
The University’s Guidance for Marking Scripts for Students with Specific Learning Difficulties can be found here.
Hearing Impairment
British or American Sign Language (BSL/ASL), is a visual, physical language where communication involves movement, facial expressions as well as hand signs, it is conceptually different written and spoken language. Many people born without hearing will have first learnt to communicate through sign language; written English therefore will have been learnt as a second language. Sign language is also grammatically different from spoken English. When marking the written English of a student who is a BSL user consider using the same criteria as you would if you are marking a non-native speaker of English.
Neurodiverse Students
Providing support during the process of writing an assignment will help a number of students. Neurodiverse students may find it difficult to know what is expected of them in an exam or assignment. Providing examples of past students work and/ or providing feedback on essay drafts or mock exams will make our expectations explicit to students.
It is tempting to provide feedback simply outlining how a student could improve, but this can be very discouraging; try to provide positive feedback as well.