Webinar Hosted by Disability Services for Students
Presenter: Nicole Ofiesh, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, CAST
Extended time is the most commonly requested and received test accommodation for students with disabilities in higher education. Nevertheless, there is a contingent of faculty who resists or resents this accommodation for a variety of reasons, including “fairness,” and concerns for misuse.

Using findings from research, we will take a critical look at common misperceptions faculty have about extended time, including the beliefs that everyone would do better with more time, that the need for more time suggests a lack of content mastery, and that faster means better and smarter. Participants will learn strategies for working with resistant faculty by sharing research that challenges common concerns, learning the difference between a power test and a speed test, and understanding how time ameliorates a variety of conditions. Participants will learn what to look for in documentation to support the decision for more time and to determine how much time is appropriate. Finally, the trend toward universally designed assessments based on the neuroscience of the brain will be discussed.