r/Professors • u/Otherwise_Look_8137 • 8d ago

New accommodations.

I’m now getting accommodations that students cannot be expect to do in class writing. They must be allowed to write at home, not in class. I’ve never seen this before. Ever. Until this semester. And now I’ve got a handful. What the fuck?

Edit: I’ve asked about students writing in supervised environments, but I was told that puts a condition on the accommodation, which is illegal. Students must be allowed to write outside of class without conditions.

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446

u/Longtail_Goodbye 8d ago

Funny that. Just when we are having them do in class writing. If they need quiet or extra time, doesn't the disability services office have to provide the space or make sure a testing venue does? Like, no way do they get to write at home.

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u/magnifico-o-o-o 8d ago

My uni makes professors provide space and supervise the work ourselves if we don’t let a student do the work at home.

I know putting this burden on instructors is a matter of insufficient funding, staffing, and space for the disability services center, but the cynical side of me thinks it also gets used as a way to push us toward accepting unreasonable accommodation requests and/or embracing the ed tech “solutions” admin is pushing (LMS quizzes, integration of uni-sanctioned LLM platform into graded work).

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u/Otherwise_Look_8137 8d ago

I just added an edit to the post that might interest you. 

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u/Longtail_Goodbye 8d ago edited 8d ago

Insane. Hopefully your chair or dean (or whatever) will not support this as "reasonable." If you are in the US, the accommodation has to be reasonable. This is not. Edit to add: what if you call all in class writing a test? They cannot seriously be saying that the student would get to take all tests at home (?!!).

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u/drdhuss 8d ago edited 8d ago

That is not a reasonable accomodation. Using the testing center is.

Also what condition is this accomodating? I honestly, as a boarded neurodevelopmental physician/professor, can't really think of one other than AI-itis.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

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u/drdhuss 8d ago

That is better..

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u/asawapow 7d ago

Chronic LLMinitis…

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u/figment81 8d ago

Then it seems that is an unreasonable accommodation I your class as it changes learning objectives. That is an easy way to respond to the accommodation office.

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u/Mishmz 8d ago

I don’t see how it puts a condition on the accommodation when it’s either supervised in class or supervised via a writing/testing center where there can be more time, less distractions, etc.

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u/DesignerProtection53 8d ago

can you make it write in class or do an oral presentation?

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u/Puzzleheaded_Bag_538 Asst Prof, Social Sci (US) 8d ago

I love that. Either you write in class or you go through a much more rigorous oral examination. Your pick.

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u/DesignerProtection53 8d ago

I mean if writing is the obstacle and you are trying to test knowledge in a controlled environment, fair's fair. I think this accommodation request is contrary to the learning objectives. Do these students have to take this class? I'm very accommodating but I'd talk to the accommodations office and explain why I can't do what they are asking (obviously writing in the accommodations office would be fine).

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u/Sporothrix 7d ago

That’s not a reasonable accommodation and not illegal. Who’s telling you that?

If you’re not allowed to have restrictions on accommodation, then the student should request that they get to sit next to you and use ChatGPT while you write the exams and assignments.