Information for Faculty

Faculty Guide to Academic Accommodation
Course Outline
Guidelines for communicating with students about their academic accommodations
Accommodated examinations
Accommodated assessments
Final examinations
Additional information
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Faculty Guide to Academic Accommodation

Academic accommodations are meant to remove or reduce barriers to students experiencing disabilities to ensure equitable treatment and opportunity in their academic pursuits. This is consistent with the spirit and provisions of the Alberta Human Rights Act and with Mount Royal's policies, procedures, and practices.

MRU's Access and Inclusion Services works with faculty and students to ensure accommodations that uphold academic standards and maintain the integrity of the program and course outcomes.

It is important that student confidentiality and privacy are maintained. This includes identifying students with accommodations in class and discussing students with other faculty without first notifying the student. Conversations with the student about their accommodations should be done in a private setting. Faculty cannot ask students to reveal their specific diagnosis and do not have access to the student’s medical documentation kept in Access and Inclusion Services.

Please reference our Academic Accommodation and Mount Royal Faculty Handbook for more detailed information.

Additional recourses: 

• Accommodations & You Faculty Summary Guide
• The Academic Accommodation Process Checklist

Course Outlines

Guidelines for communicating with students about their academic accommodations

Students are expected to notify instructors of their accommodations. If a conversation is needed, it should take place in a private setting (by phone, email, virtually, or in person). Faculty are encouraged to review the course design, outcomes, and assignment/evaluation expectations with the student. If there are no concerns with the accommodations, faculty will need to acknowledge the identified accommodations to Access and Inclusion Services. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact the student’s Access Advisor.

Accommodated Examinations

Exam seating accommodation protocols align with the Office of the Registrar's exam seating guidelines: 

• Students are permitted clear water bottles, pens/pencils, and any materials specified by their accommodations or course instructor in the exam room.
• Students are invited to leave personal belongings in their lockers if they have one. Otherwise, bags, coats, and cell phones are to be left either outside or at the front of the exam room, depending on the exam location (Please note that Access and Inclusion Services does not search students or their belongings). 
• If students require their cell phone for D2L access (i.e., multifactor identification), they are observed logging in and then their cell phone is removed from the exam room or left with an invigilator. 

Accommodated Assessments 

Final Examinations

• There are four (4) accommodated exam seating times: 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• Hours of operation during final exams are Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Please note: on evenings when exams are not scheduled until 9:00 p.m.,the office may close earlier. Please note, that the last day of the final exam period is often used for deferred exams. Faculty are encouraged to remind students that they are to be available for the entire final exam period in the event they need to complete an exam on the last day of the final exam period.
• Completed final exams can be picked up outside of Y201. Any questions or concerns can be directed to our office at 403-440-6868.
  
  

Additional information

Additional information about the academic accommodation process can be found in the Faculty Accommodate Portal and in some of the following documents:

• MRU Policy 517 Academic Accommodation for Students Experiencing Disabilities
• MRU Parent Policy 517 and Guidelines
• MRU Policy 1702 Human Rights Policy
• Alberta Human Rights Commission Interpretive Bulletin: Duty to Accommodate Students with Disabilities
• Appeal Checklist-Flowchart
   

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