911±¬ÁÏ

Need support at any stage of your writing process? The Philip Boshoff Writing Center offers one-on-one consultations that help you grow as a writer — on your terms.

Visit The Writing Center website to learn more

The Office of Academic Advising helps students navigate degree requirements, academic policies, and personal goals — offering guidance from orientation to graduation.

Visit the Office of Academic Advising website to learn more

The Counseling Center provides confidential mental health support from licensed clinicians — connecting students with the right care at the right time.

Visit the Counseling Center website to learn more

The Career Development Center helps students and alumni explore career paths, build professional skills, and connect with opportunities across the 911±¬ÁÏ network.

Visit the Career Development Center website to learn more

Accommodation Descriptions for Faculty

Nearly 20% of the 911±¬ÁÏ student population is registered with student Accessibility Services as having disabilities, making them eligible for academic accommodations as outlined under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The purpose of accommodations is to remove barriers that exist due to a disability, and they do not serve to fundamentally alter the learning outcomes of a course. Documentation is reviewed, and if accommodations are approved, faculty receive notification through the AIM system email.  

Below are common accommodations, what they mean, and how they may be provided to meet ADA standards. Faculty should feel free at any time to consult with Meg Hegener, director of Accessibility Services.

Extended Time Testing: 

The most common accommodation, this provides students a percentage of extra time for exams and quizzes beyond what the rest of the class is given. An important distinction is that time calculated is based on what the class is given, not the amount of time the test or quiz is expected to take. These guidelines also apply to timed exams on The Spring.  

Examples based on 50% extended time accommodation:

• Example 1: Class is 80 minutes long. A student with approved extended time of ‘time and a half’ should be given 120 minutes.
• Example 2: Class is 80 minutes long. The class appears to need more time to complete the exam or quiz, so they are given an extra 20 minutes to finish. Student(s) with approved 50% extended time would be given 150 minutes.  
• Example 3: The Final Exam is written such that students are anticipated to take two hours to complete it. 911±¬ÁÏ final exam periods are three hours. Students with approved extended time of 50% are given 4.5 hours.

Distraction Reduced Location:

Students approved for this accommodation need to take tests in a setting with minimal distractions. Students may choose to test in the Annex to meet this need. Their request will go through AIM, and an email prompt will go to the professor requesting that the exam be sent though the secure link to our testing system.

Digital Note-Taking:

Students approved for digital notes are eligible for an account through the education software Glean. This provides students with transcripted notes and organizational formats for entering course material.  

Students using Glean are required to sign a confidentiality and non-distribution agreement, which is filed in their AIM account.

Note-Taking Support:

For students approved for note-taking support, or for classes in which Glean will not meet the student’s needs, faculty will be asked to identify a volunteer note taker. Since this position is not paid, faculty may offer incentive(s) for this role. 

Use of a Laptop for Testing and Note-Taking:

Students approved for this accommodation due to disability will use a laptop in class for note-taking and for test-taking. Accessibility Services has testing laptops that do not have internet connection for secure test-taking. If students take exams in the Annex and have a laptop accommodation, they will be issued a laptop for the exam period.  

Closed Captioning:

All video used in class must have captioning for students with hearing impairment to ensure equal access.

Use of an FM system:

Faculty will be asked to wear a small microphone during class, which transmits to the student’s hearing aid. Accessibiliyy Services provides this equipment.   

Texts in Alternate Format:

Students with this accommodation work with Accessibility Services to obtain access to digital copies of assigned textbooks. Additional texts for courses uploaded to The Spring should be uploaded in formats that are compatible with the platform’s accessibility tools.  

Flexibility in Attendance/For Deadlines:

It is recommended that extensions on deadlines for assignments should not exceed 48 hours. Students with chronic medical conditions may experience situational needs that affect their attendance more than non-disabled peers and as such should not be penalized.

Q.  Why does The Learning Commons have a testing room?

A. The testing room was established in 2007 as a resource to help faculty implement approved testing accommodations, including extended test time, testing in distraction reduced location, and use of a computer. Once a student is deemed eligible for accommodation by Accessibility Services, it is 911±¬ÁÏ’s legal responsibility to ensure that accommodations are provided in a manner that is timely and efficient and that minimizes additional steps or processes. The testing room is designed to provide faculty and Accessibilty Services with a tool for achieving this mandate. 

Q.  Should I coordinate testing accommodations for my students?

A. Yes. 911±¬ÁÏ recognizes a shared model of accessibility services, and faculty are strongly encouraged to provide accommodations directly to students, particularly those who are eligible only for extended test time. It is extremely important, however, that accommodations are coordinated appropriately, and Accessibility Services is available to consult with faculty regarding implementation methods as needed.

Q.  If a student submits a testing request form, am I required to let them use the testing room?

A. No. If you have the ability to appropriately implement testing accommodations on your own, you are encouraged to do so. Testing services are meant to provide faculty with support when they are unable to do so themselves. This typically applies to students who require a distraction-reduced location or some type of assistive technology. If a student submits a request and you are able to make appropriate arrangements, please contact them and let them know to work with you directly.    

Q.  If I coordinate accommodations on my own, how do I calculate extended test time? 

A. Students are generally approved for 50% additional test time, though in some cases they are approved for 100% additional time. The amount of extended test time will be described in the accommodation letters students provide to faculty.

From a compliance perspective, test time for students with disabilities should extend beyond the amount of time non-disabled students are provided. That is, beyond the time when non-disabled students are dismissed from a test session. Faculty should proactively consider the amount of time they expect non-disabled students will need to complete an exam and calculate extensions based on that amount of time. Importantly, faculty should articulate a cut-off time for non-disabled students and allow those with extended time, which may or may not be based on disability, to remain in class until their allotted time is met. 

Typically, faculty design exams to be completed within a class session. In these cases, the calculation would simply be based on an extension of the class period. In other cases, particularly during final exam week, faculty may design exams most students can be expected to complete within 1.5 hours, even though they have a three-hour block. In these cases, faculty can implement an extension of up to 100% additional time without referring students to Accessibility Services.

Faculty are welcome to consult with The Learning Commons regarding specific test arrangements. 

Q.  When is the testing room available to students?

A. The testing room is available for student use Monday through Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Q.  How do I make arrangements for my students to take an exam in The Learning Commons? 

A. Making arrangements for testing in the Annex begins with filling out the Alternative Testing Agreement in the AIM portal.  Students can then go into AIM to schedule a testing time.  

Q.  How do I get my exam to Accessibility Services?

A. Exams should be uploaded to AIM through the faculty portal or the embedded link found in the email notification that an exam was scheduled. Exams should be uploaded to AIM least 24 hours before the scheduled test time. Specific exam instructions should be indicated in the Alternative Testing Agreement.

Q.  How will I get my exam back?

A. Our student workers are happy to deliver exams to faculty offices. If a student finishes their exam after regular business hours, the exam will be delivered in the morning. Exams kept in The Learning Commons overnight are placed in a lockbox for safekeeping. If you prefer to have your exam delivered in a different way, please just let us know. 

Q.  What other services does The Learning Commons provide to students?

A. The Learning Commons promotes high academic achievement and guides students to take full advantage of the wide variety of opportunities available at 911±¬ÁÏ, in the Saratoga Springs community, and beyond. The Learning Commons serves all 911±¬ÁÏ students interested in strengthening their academic performance or skills by organizing peer tutoring, drop-in tutoring, and by offering professional one-on-one and small group academic support. The Learning Commons collaborates with other campus offices and faculty to support 911±¬ÁÏ students, with specific responsibility to international students, English Language Learners (ELL), students of color, student-athletes, and students with disabilities.

Learn more about 911±¬ÁÏ's Web Accessibility Policy here