EXAM INFORMATION

Final Exams 2009-2010

aeo@fas.harvard.edu --- 617-496-8707

The Administration of all term and final exams is the the responsibility of each Course Head. Students registered with the Accessible Education Office (AEO) may receive accommodations which alter some exam procedures. Accommodations are determined by AEO and are intended to address documented disabilities in such a way as to make exam administration fair and equitable for all students taking the same course.

Students are responsible for providing Faculty Letters written by AEO to a designated course representative at the beginning of the term. Letters inform course personnel of approved accommodations. Unless otherwise notified by AEO, Faculty will administer the same accommodations for final exams as were approved and implemented during the term. Faculty are urged to contact AEO if there are any questions about this process.

Below please find a general description of accommodations most frequently used by AEO students:

Environment: Usually refers to the room in which the exam is administered, it frequently connotes wheelchair accessibility with nearby accessible bathroom, in a building with an accessible path of travel, including an elevator if access to classrooms above or below ground floor is required. The room may require a writing surface for writing or typing (if approved) because the use of an attached desk-chair is usually not possible. It also refers to a student taking exams in a room alone.

Technology: Students for whom use of a laptop has been approved by AEO will use a laptop with appropriate software which is provided by the Adaptive Technology Lab (ATL) located on the ground floor in the Science Center. The Course representative will pick-up the correct laptop in the ATL before the scheduled start of the exam and return it to the same location at the end of the exam administration.. Every effort will be made to schedule final exams in the Science Center for these exams to facilitate troubleshooting should there be technical difficulties. ATL personnel may be reached at 617-496-8800 and atl@fas.harvard.edu . When a student cannot write or type an exam independently, course Faculty will provide a scribe to whom the student dictates responses to exam questions and the scribe enters the answers on the laptop. (See "Assistance" below for further information.) Completed exams will be burned to a disc and retained by the course representative.

Assistance: Some students require a reader or a scribe to read the exam aloud and/or provide written answers to the exam questions, including essays when an exam is not otherwise accessible to them. Readers are expected to understand the exam material and terminology well enough to pronounce the words properly and say only those words which appear on the exam without elaboration. Scribes must be able to understand the student’s speech patterns; and will write or type only what the student dictates, even if s/he knows that the dictated information is incorrect. Other assistance may include making sure the room is suitable for the exam administration and maintaining an orderly, quiet environment in the room. Examples of qualified readers and scribes may include persons who have taken the course previously, especially graduate students. Some deaf/hard-of-hearing students require sign language interpreters. To arrange for them, contact Kellie Stewart at 617-496-3720 and kellie_stewart@harvard.edu . This accommodation requires a minimum of two-weeks notice.

Some students need the services of a personal care attendant and hire them to offer assistance with bathroom breaks. Persons administering exams are not to serve in that role. The students for whom this is required will bring and introduce the PCA to the course representative at the beginning of the exam.

Extended Time and Breaks : Some students have been approved for extended time to take their exams, sometimes in combination with other accommodations as discussed above. Examples of the most common time extensions are an additional 25% or 50%. The specific amount of extended time will vary from student to student and is indicated in each Faculty Letter you received for each student. When breaks are also indicated, they too will be mentioned in the Faculty Letters. Breaks are intended for the student to rest for a few minutes and are not interchangeable with extra writing time, although in some cases both will be approved. Break time cannot be deducted from the usual or approved total exam time. Students for whom exam and break times are quite long may be entitled to have a 30-minute meal break in the exam room. When this is the case, the student will provide his/her own refreshments.

Updated September 28, 2009