Some testing accommodations become less relevant in the remote environment while other accommodations remain necessary. To learn more about the testing accommodations needed in your course(s), please review the DRC Faculty Notification Letter(s) you received for the current term along with all information linked from the Letter to relevant DRC web pages. If you continue to have student-specific accommodation questions, contact the DRC (503-725-4150; drc@pdx.edu) for further assistance.
Accommodations which must be provided in Remote/Online Classes
- Extended Time: Students may receive 1.5x or 2.0x extended time as an accommodation. You can add extended time on quizzes and exams in Canvas by following the instructions from the Canvas knowledge base to allow for extended time accommodations or multiple attempts. Please use "extended time" when communicating with students about extended time.
- Exam Breaks: For Short Breaks, please add 10 minutes for every hour of exam time. For Breaks as Needed, please add .5x to the base exam time (before any extended time accommodations have been applied). You can add extended time on exams in Canvas by following the instructions from the Canvas knowledge base to allow for extended time accommodations.
- Human Reader and/or Human Scribe: These services can be provided to students via Zoom. DRC staff and faculty should work together to ensure students who need a human reader or scribe receive the accommodation for any exams and quizzes where it might be needed.
- Spelling Errors Excused: Spelling errors excused unless spelling is a fundamental and measurable learning outcome of the course.
Accommodations which need to be provided if using proctoring software like Proctorio
If you are using Proctorio or other remote proctoring services for exams in your remote or online courses, please consult with the Office of Academic Innovation (OAI) well in advance of the scheduled exam time to ensure the tool is properly calibrated and will be easy to use during your upcoming exam. You can connect with OAI by completing their contact form.
Accommodations that may require adjustments to Proctorio or other remote proctoring services include, but are not limited to:
Canvas Support
● Canvas Tutorials page, including information on Quizzes and New Quizzes (OAI)
● For teaching-with-technology questions, contact OAI.
Additional Guidance for Assessment in Remote/Online Classes
PSU Academic Testing Services encourages the use of a Universal Design for Learning lens when determining what kind of assessment would be appropriate for a course. Please visit our pages on Universal Design for Learning: Assessment and Considerations for Timed Assessments in Canvas for additional guidance and further information on both these topics.
Academic Integrity in the Remote Environment
We understand that although it is very unlikely your students (with and without disabilities) will choose to cheat on their online exams, you may have concerns about academic integrity in the remote environment. The Student Conduct department within the Office of the Dean of Student Life prepared a resource page addressing student conduct and remote instruction. If you have further questions about this topic, please contact the Office of the Dean of Student Life (503-725-4422; askdos@pdx.edu).
For questions about specific student accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center (503-725-4150; drc@pdx.edu).
For questions about testing procedures, please contact Academic Testing Services (503-725-4459; TestingServices@pdx.edu).
PSU Academic Testing Services
Hours of operation: Monday - Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Email: TestingServices@pdx.edu (this is the best, most efficient way to communicate with us)
Website: https://www.pdx.edu/learning-center/testing-services
Telephone: (503) 725-4459
IMPORTANT: Given that we operate out of multiple locations, in-person visits — including to pick up completed exams — are by appointment only.