How does the School of Computing support accommodations and academic considerations?
To ensure all students have fair, equitable access to learning opportunities and resources, the School has adopted a centralized process for coordinating academic accommodations and academic consideration for in-term tests. Our objective is to provide a fair, equitable, barrier-free learning experience for all students
Our Accommodations Coordinator is Erin Gunsinger. Erin is located in 557 Goodwin Hall and can be reached by phone at 613-533-6050.
We strive to keep our processes transparent and as efficient as possible. Please contact our office if your questions are not answered in this FAQ.
How are in-term test accommodations managed?
For the 2021-2022 academic year, most in-term test accommodations will be managed centrally by the Accommodations Coordinator at the School of Computing. The Exams Office will be centrally managing only the following accommodation types:
- Require a computer (except where internet connection is required)
- Require a private room
- Require +45 minutes of extra time per hour
How are in-class accommodations managed?
For in-class accommodations, please reach out to your instructor directly to make appropriate arrangements.
What are academic accommodations?
Accommodation is the process of removing barriers which impact those with disabilities. Disabilities and accommodations can take many forms; if you are a student who requires accommodation for a long-term/permanent or temporary disability, and would like to discuss your needs, please contact Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) to begin their intake process. QSAS offers complete information for new and returning students about academic accommodation and other services for students with disabilities.
For more information, please refer to the following:
- Queen's University's Academic Accommodations Policy
- Queen's University's Academic Accommodations Procedure
- QSAS' Documentation Requirements and Forms
How do I submit my Letter of Accommodation/Short-Term Accommodation Form to the School?
Your LOA/STAA need only be submitted once via the School's submission form and a copy will be sent to each of your Computing instructors. Once we have processed your information, you will receive a personalized test schedule (as this information becomes available) and more information about what to expect. If you have an update to your LOA/STAA, please contact Erin Gunsinger.
The form is used to collect your personal information for the purpose of arranging your tests for the term, and communicating this information to your instructor(s), your course teaching assistant(s) and your proctor(s). Your information is confidential, and only relevant information is disclosed to these individuals on an as-needed basis. Your uploaded letter of accommodation (LOA) or short-term accommodation form (STAA) will be stored on the OneDrive server, and will be viewable only to your instructors and the departmental accommodations coordinator. This data will be kept for the academic year (two terms), and will be securely deleted once final grades have been officially posted. (May 2022).
If you do not agree with the collection and use of your information, please contact the Accommodations Coordinator or visit 557 Goodwin Hall to make alternate arrangements to submit your LOA/STAA.
You will automatically be added to our announcements mailing list; this mailing list is low-volume, and you will only receive important announcements related to academic accommodation.
IMPORTANT: If your class schedule changes after you have submitted your form/letter (adding OR dropping courses), please notify us so that we can update your test schedule.
What is academic consideration?
If, due to extenuating circumstances such as illness, injury, or family emergency, you are unable to meet one or more of your academic requirements (e.g., a test, exam, or assignment), you can submit a request for academic consideration via the Faculty of Arts & Science's Academic Consideration Request Portal (ACRP).
This form will determine eligibility, will guide the student through the process of applying for academic consideration, and will offer alternatives if it is determined that the student is not eligible for academic consideration. For more information, please visit the Faculty of Arts and Science's Academic Consideration for Extenuating Circumstances page.
Can you schedule my tests in another department?
No. We can only make accommodation arrangements for instructors in the School of Computing. Please contact your instructor directly, or their departmental coordinator if applicable.
My accommodations are inadequate. What can I do?
We are unable to alter your accommodations without a new letter of accommodation (LOA) from Queen's Accessibility Services (QSAS). You will need to contact your QSAS advisor to set up an appointment to discuss adjusting your accommodations to better suit your needs. Once this is done, they will provide you with a new LOA. This should be brought or sent to the Accommodations Coordinator in 557 Goodwin Hall. The coordinator will review the changes and incorporate them into your test schedule.
My accommodations have changed, and I have an updated LOA (letter of accommodation). Should I bring it to my test?
No. Proctors are only authorized to provide the accommodations given by the department or instructor; they cannot make changes at the time of a test. We ask that students please submit their updated LOA’s at least 2 days in advance of a test to give us time to make appropriate arrangements. If you did not receive your LOA far enough in advance of a test, please contact the Accommodations Coordinator and we will work with you to make an agreeable arrangement.
What happens if something goes wrong at a test (e.g., one or more of my accommodation needs are not met)?
If there is a significant problem with meeting an accommodation requirement, it is always better to reschedule the test. Once a test is attempted, it cannot be retaken. Whenever possible, please verify that all your accommodation needs have been met before you begin your test. We do our best to preempt technical problems, but they can happen, despite our best efforts.
If a significant event happens in the middle of a test (e.g., the calculator which you are entitled to use stops working) your proctor will make every effort to remedy the problem. If the problem cannot be resolved, you will be given the option to continue writing the test using a differently coloured pen (to be provided by the proctor), so that your instructor can see where/when the change occurred. As you won’t be able to re-attempt the same test, it can only benefit you to complete the test as best you can. An extra 5 minutes will be added to your time to make up for the interruption. We take this matter very seriously; the incident will be reported to your instructor, and you are encouraged to contact them to discuss the event, and possible remedial options if the event significantly impacted your grade.
Why are some accommodations taken care of by the department, some by the instructor and others by the Exams Office?
The Exams Office plans to take over all accommodations centrally in the next academic year and has adopted some of the more complex or resource-intensive accommodation types in the meantime. For the current academic year, here is the breakdown of who takes care of what:
| Instructors | School of Computing | Exams Office |
|---|---|---|
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|
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The Exams Office usually manages all my tests, but I missed a test and need to reschedule. What do I do?
You’ll need to rebook your test here in the School. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll need to submit your LOA to us so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. We will reschedule your test with all of your accommodation requirements in accordance with your class schedule. Due to the complexity of these arrangements, and the volume of requests that we manage, this rescheduled test time will not be negotiable.