Academic Flexibility with Attendance
This accommodation addresses the impact of a brief, intermittent, and unpredictable disability-related flare that interferes with course activities on a standard timeline. Flexibility with Attendance may include: a small modification to an attendance policy or infrequent rescheduling of assessments, soon after the original dates. Flexibility with Attendance does not include: a substantial number of missed classes or lengthy delays in taking exams.
Academic Flex with Attendance Default Plan
- Attendance: If monitored, the student will be given 1.5x the number of excused absences: a) before the general course policy takes effect and the student is docked percentage points or b) before the student automatically fails the course.
- Extended deadlines: If an assignment was due on the date of a disability absence, the student can submit late/missed assignment within 48 hours after initial deadline.
- Missed quizzes or exams: If a quiz or exam was on the date of disability absence, the student will be allowed the opportunity to make up the quiz or exam within one week (five business days).
Academic Flexibility with Due Dates
This accommodation addresses the impact of a brief, intermittent, and unpredictable disability related flare that interferes with course activities on a standard timeline. Flexibility with Due Dates may include: an occasional short extension of assignment deadlines. Flexibility with Due Dates does not include: a lengthy extension of assignments or extensions of every deadline.
Academic Flex with Due Dates Default Plan
- Shorter assignments and course components: Per assignment, student is permitted a maximum of two (2) extensions up to 24 hours each when requested.
- Larger cumulative assignments and major course components: Per assignment, student is permitted a maximum of one (1) extension of up to 72 hours when requested.
Questions and Considerations
When completing an Academic Flexibility questionnaire through PROFconnect, each instructor makes the determination as to how many absences are acceptable in order to pass/meet the expectations of the class. In general, this should be no more than 2-3 additional absences.
Here are some questions instructors can use to determine how much attendance impacts student success in their course:
- What does your syllabus state regarding attendance and participation?
- What learning objectives require participation?
- How is attendance factored into the final course grade?
- How much interaction is there between you and students and among students in the classroom?
- How do student contributions impact learning process for other students?
- How do departmental policies affect your attendance and participation policy?
Students may need due date flexibility for an assignment in the course. Often, student requests for extensions are time-sensitive due to the sudden onset of symptoms. The instructor and the student should proactively discuss the steps for requesting an extension if the need arises.
The student must meet with their instructors at the beginning of the semester (or as soon as the accommodation is approved and an Academic Flexibility questionnaire is complete) to discuss how this accommodation may be applied to a course. Accommodations are not reasonable if they constitute a fundamental alteration of core elements of the program. Accommodations are not granted retroactively and do not excuse the student from failing to meet deadlines.
Keep in mind that students with disorders that require due date flexibility sometimes underestimate the effect of the disorder on their studies. If a student repeatedly requests extensions on assignments, the cumulative effect of postponing their work may cause them to fall too far behind to be successful in the course. However, you can incorporate some strategies for helping your student, including:
- Providing due dates for all assignments clearly on the syllabus.
- Informing the student ahead of time if due date flexibility is not possible for a particular assignment.
- Scaffolding large projects into smaller parts with several deadlines to assist students in staying on task.
- Referring the student to campus resources related to time management, organization, and study skills.
- Contacting the student’s ARC Access Specialist when the student is requesting repeated extensions.
- Granting an incomplete if the student cannot complete the course work before grades are due.
Students who need Academic Flexibility have a responsibility to communicate with instructors to determine the extent of flexibility that can be granted using the appropriate guidelines.
Instructors are asked to review the default plans, then customize a plan by completing a questionnaire if needed. ARC also encourages instructors to meet with students and discuss these flexibility guidelines, so students may meet course requirements without altering the essential nature of the course.
Courses in some disciplines do require that students be present in class to demonstrate mastery of a skill or the content. Such examples include performance classes, studios, labs, and other courses that require real-time interaction among learners. Furthermore, there may be times when a student has missed so many classes that they cannot be successful in the course.
In these cases, you should contact the student’s ARC Access Specialist as soon as possible to explore alternative solutions.
You can help a student who needs attendance flexibility by discussing how and when you expect them to communicate with you when they have to miss a class. You should also work with the student to determine clear guidelines for making up missed work. After you and the student have developed a plan, the student should send you an email that summarizes your agreement, copying their ARC Access Specialist. Contact the student’s ARC Access Specialist if you need assistance determining an acceptable number of absences for that student.
There are several ways you can help your student during the semester when they are absent, including:
- Providing class notes on Canvas or helping them get notes from a classmate
- Permitting the student to attend another section of the class or view an online version
- Allowing the student to view a video of course content if it’s available
- Asking the student to send you their contributions to in-class discussions
- Granting an incomplete if the student cannot complete the course work before grades are due
To Customize an Academic Flex Plan
Please Note: A customized academic flex plan applies to a course, not an individual student. Therefore, refrain from including the student’s name in any text box you may complete.
- Log into PROFconnect and select FLEX Plan in the left-hand menu list.
- Choose View next to the course that the flex plan applies to (the status will read Not Initiated).
- Complete the questionnaire so that it defines reasonable flexibility parameters for your course section.
- Once an Academic Flexibility Questionnaire is completed, it will be reviewed by the Flexibility Accommodation Coordinator.
- When approved by the coordinator, the status will be marked Complete and may be viewed by the student. Any additional questions or concerns should be directed to the student’s Access Specialist.