Re: Use of exams.

["Daniel L. MacIsaac" <Dan.MacIsaac@nau.edu>]

No, I see this as a legal requirement for students identified as learning
disabled under the ADA.  Agree or disagree, it happens to the be the law
in the USA.  If this is pandering, you are legally required to pander.
Some places offer the opportunity to any student, but legally you MUST
offer this arrangement to identified LD students.

I also prepare my exams with the idea of minimizing the time dependancy.  I
give fewer questions designed to be done well within the given time, give
students as much time as I can and test much more frequently than most.

Dan M

> Does anyone else see this as excessive pandering to students--regardless of
> the test outcomes?
>
> Rick Tarara
> ----------
> > From: Jim Diamond <jimd@calvin.linfield.edu>
> >
> > We have a campus "Learning Center" where students who feel that they need
> > alternate testing conditions can go and take a test under supervision,
> > provided that they fill out paperwork ahead of time. It is a bit of an
> > extra chore for the teacher, since it is up to the instructor to arrange
> > with the learning center staff how to get the exams back and forth. I
> tell
> > all of my students about this option, and about 1/3 of our general
>                                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~
> > chemistry class elects to do this. It has been my experience that only
> > rarely does time really make a difference. The students who get 35% on a
> > exam get 35% even if they have all day to work on a one-hour test.