Faculty Guide for Accommodated Exams

Syllabus Statement

Instructors are encouraged to include a statement in their syllabus outlining their exam information, such as a list of exam dates, exam duration, and materials allowed. UMD also recommends a Students with Disabilities statement be included in syllabi. 

How do students get approved for exam accommodations?

Students with documented disabilities may be eligible for reasonable accommodations and schedule a meeting with a Disability Specialist to discuss disability-related impacts. At this meeting, the Disability Specialist and student may identify exam accommodations that will eliminate access barriers. When approved, exam accommodations will be listed in each student’s accommodation letter and are reviewed for renewal each semester, including summer sessions.

For clarification regarding specific accommodations, please connect with the Disability Specialist named in the accommodation letter.

Next Steps:

1. Review Accommodation Letters:

Identify which students have exam accommodations for your course(s).

2. Identify How Exam Accommodations will be implemented (in DR or in your department):

Start by discussing testing arrangements with the student. Whenever possible, students should take their exams within the department. It is beneficial for students and faculty for exams to be taken as close to the rest of the class and as close to simultaneously as possible. We encourage instructors to provide accommodations within the department when possible by proctoring their own accommodated exams. If you are unable to accommodate the exam within the department, students can schedule exams in the Disability Resources.  

3. If you will use DR proctoring, please review and follow steps in the remaining content on this page.

Expectations and Logistics for Faculty Using DR Proctoring Services:

Instructor Expectations:

To utilize Disability Resources’ exam proctoring, we ask you to be responsible for:

  • Checking emails regularly for questions from your student, the duration, and dates of the scheduled exam in Disability Resources. 
  • Utilizing the Faculty Portal to approve student exam requests, provide exam materials and administration details, including:
    • Review each student’s scheduling request for date and time accuracy 
    • Provide contact information to DR staff for student questions during exams.
    • Ensure the return method is correct for completed exams.
  • The link above includes tutorials about how to use Faculty Portal. 

What are the steps for using DR Proctoring Services?

If instructors are not able to provide accommodations to students within the academic department, students can schedule their exams to be taken in  Disability Resources.  All DR exam request processes and communications take place via Faculty Portal.

  1. Student Requests Exam Proctoring in DR via Student Portal 
  2. Faculty review and approve/edit exam requests on Faculty Portal. 
  3. Faculty provide exam information to DR on Faculty Portal, including exam materials/information/passcodes. *For online/Canvas exams, please review Canvas Exams/Time Extension
  4. Faculty upload exam file to Faculty Portal. 
  5. If changes are needed on a scheduled exam, please use Faculty Portal to correct it. 
  6. Be available for contact from DR during the exam. 
  7. After the exam, Faculty download the completed exam from Faculty Portal. 

Approve Exam Requests & Provide Exam Information:

  • When a student requests an exam proctored in DR for your course, our system will send an email alert with the information and link to approve the exam and provide exam materials. 
    • Subsequent automated exam requests will continue three to four days prior to the scheduled exam date. 
    • As soon as you 1. approve exam requests and 2. provide the exam, email reminders cease. 
  • Within each exam request email is a link to our Faculty Portal. 
  • Through the portal, you will be able to submit the exam materials, provide instructions for exam administration, and let us know how you would like the exam returned. 
  • We rely on instructors to check correct dates and times of exams submitted by students.  It is the student's responsibility to submit the correct date and time. DR staff will not be expected to know and adjust exam dates/times as students and faculty can do so on their Portals. 
  • If you receive an exam request for a wrong date and/or time, please edit the exam request or deny the exam and inform the student of the correct date and time. Please review the Edit Exam Request Tutorial for more info. 
  • If we have not already received an exam and or administration details, we will send additional email exam requests the day of the exam as necessary. 

Providing the Exam File:

As noted above, Disability Resources requires faculty to provide exam approval and exam materials to our office at least 24 hours prior to the exam time. Our office proctors thousands of exams, so we need each exam in advance to be sure we have time to print, prep exam materials, and set up assistive technology and instructions for the student. 

Our office does accept physical copies of exams dropped off to our office in advance, however we still require instructors to visit our Faculty Portal to provide us with the necessary administrative details. This is the best way to ensure that an exam is administered according to your specifications and consistently reflects the class expectations.

If a student reschedules an exam, please email to let us know if you would like to provide an alternative exam version for the rescheduled exam date.

During An Exam

  • Please include the best contact method for DR staff to reach you during the scheduled exam time. This allows us to contact you to provide clarification or answer student questions.
  • Please do your best to be available by phone, as this is often the clearest method of communication. Students often need to ask questions and have them answered verbally. 
  • Please note we are NOT able to text. We are only able to call or email to contact instructors.

Exam Updates/Corrections

BEFORE the exam: We may ask you to visit the Faculty Portal to update the attached materials. Before you replace an exam file, we need to clear existing files. Please let us know if you need to upload new files.
DURING the exam: If you find an error in your exam materials or need to provide students taking the exam an update provided to the class, please email us the correction. We will print and distribute it.

***When emailing a correction, please draft a NEW email, stating in the subject line: “Exam Correction for __Insert Course__”***

Completed Exams:

Once a student finishes their exam in the DR, we will return it to you one of two ways (you select your preference during the exam submission process):

Online: The preferred way to retrieve completed exams is via Faculty Portal. Completed exams will be scanned and uploaded to the Faculty Portal in PDF format. These are completed by the end of the business day during which the exam was taken. If the exam submission is left blank, we will automatically upload your exam to the Faculty Portal.  The physical copy will be secured in our office for four weeks, after which it will be shredded.

 Pick-up: Instructors or department staff can come to the DR, KSC 258 to pick up completed exams from 7:30am-4:30pm.  

Canvas Exams/Time Extension

Please review a student’s accommodation letter to determine if the student has a time accommodation. The time window will need to be extended for individuals with various time accommodations online in canvas.  Additionally, please adjust settings to accommodate alternative testing times when applicable. 

Please visit Canvas Support Page for instructions.

Exam Expectations for Students (FYI):

In order to meet the varied needs of a large number of students with exam accommodations in very limited spaces, Disability Resources has reasonable expectations we think it’s helpful for faculty to be aware of. 

Scheduling Exams in DR:

  • Students must request their exams at least four days in advance. 
  • If  a student misses the four day in advance deadline exam request and the instructor cannot accommodate the exam, the student will take the exam in class without accommodations. This is a reasonable requirement in the accommodation process. 
  • We ask that students schedule their exams for the same date and time that the class will be taking the exam. 

Exam Integrity:

  • When a student arrives to take an exam in DR they are asked to take off  jackets, watches, hats, and any bulky sweatshirts. 
  • Phones must be turned off and put in a backpack.
  • Water bottles and calculator lids are checked by DR staff.
  • Students must use the restroom before their exam starts.  
  • Staff reads over the cover sheet to let students know what is allowed for the exam per Instructor.  
  • When allowed testing time is up, students will hand in the exam and all paper materials allowed will be collected, then returned to the Instructor by delivery method chosen.
  • If a student is caught cheating DR staff will immediately end the exam and call the instructor.

When a Student Arrives late to an exam proctored in DR: 

  • We will NOT extend the end time of a student’s exam due to lateness. 
  • Students are responsible for scheduling their exams at the correct times and planning to arrive at least 5-10 minutes before their exam start time. 
  • Students who are late for an exam due to disability-related impacts will discuss the situation with their Disability Specialist whether or not it is reasonable to reschedule the exam. 
  • Students are welcome to schedule make-up exams in DR, but they are expected to coordinate permission, scheduling details, etc with their course instructor. 
  • We strive to create a testing environment that accommodates the various access needs of an array of students while upholding the expectations of the class.