Information for Instructors

Most instructors will teach some students with disabilities throughout their careers. These students will be among the more than 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students who are registered for accommodations with the Academic Success Centre.

Since the instructor's role is central to the student's learning experience, our office tends to collaborate closely and frequently with you, together with our shared students, throughout the academic year.

Instructor Guidelines

All members of the university community contribute to accessible work and study environments. To minimize barriers to student learning in your courses, please collaborate with ASC Accessibility & Accommodations Services in the following ways:

At the beginning of each term

• Provide students course outlines that include descriptions of course expectations, activities, and delivery. These details are required for us to evaluate barriers to participation and approve accommodations appropriately.
• Include assessment dates, times, and duration in course outlines. These details are required for students to correctly register their exams in ClockWork.
• Enter all scheduled course exams (including quizzes, tests, midterms, and finals) in ClockWork's Instructor Services portal, and create class test definitions by answering the questions. If you enter your exams accurately at the start of term, students are less likely to register them later in the term with incorrect information. 

Throughout each term

• Review student accommodations by following the prompts in any automated Letter of Accommodation Notifications you receive or by adding the Approved Student Accommodations Dashboard to your eClass(es). 
• Request proctoring from ASC Proctoring Services if you are unable to facilitate ALL approved student exam accommodations. 
• Double-check the automated email reminder you receive 7 days in advance of your exam. It lists the students who registered it along with their requested accommodations, which helps you decide whether you need proctoring support. Can you facilitate all accommodations listed?
• Submit a digital file of your exam through ClockWork's Instructor Services portal if any of your students have exam accommodations requiring alternate format conversion. 
• Collaborate with students and any ASC Accessibility & Accommodations Services staff who may contact you to coordinate approved accommodations (e.g., alternate formats, adaptive technologies, accommodation strategies and services) and determine accommodation solutions.

For further support

• If you have questions about integrating accommodations into your class or exploring additional accessibility support in course design, please contact Rukiyah Ghani at rukiyah@ualberta.ca or fill out this consultation form. As the Instructional Designer for Accessibility at the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Rukiyah supports accessible teaching practices and makes Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles tangible in diverse learning environments.
• Other resources for accessibility may be found at CTL’s Essential Practices in Accessible Teaching.
• Connect with us at arrec@ualberta.ca if you have additional questions or concerns about a specific student’s accommodations might work in your course. Please note that, while coordinating accommodations to align with course environments and assessments is expected, instructors cannot change approved accommodations or approve new accommodations for students.