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What adjustments could I make?
Student learning can be measured in a variety of different ways and still adhere to the requirements of the course. Changes to the assessment method or task can lead to improvements in learning for all students.
To register with the Disability Liaison Unit (DLU) 
with respect to exam-type assessments, students are required to provide documentation. It is therefore recommended that faculty staff discuss the specific requirements of the student registered with the DLU. Please see Alternative Arrangements for Assessment (AAAs) for further information on adjustments to exam assessments.
- Role plays, case studies and simulations (rather than written work) to test for understanding.
- Short-answer questions instead of multiple choice questions (which can be difficult and confusing for students with short term memory problems). Short-answer questions can also be beneficial for international students who lack the contextual understanding of their local peers.
- Oral questions and answers for students who have difficulty writing.
- Written questions for students who have difficulty recalling information (eg.dysnomia), yet can demonstrate their learning when given time to reflect.
- Additional assignments instead of examinations.
- Flexible time arrangements - extra time for students to complete assignments because they need this to read reference materials and also write answers.
- Assessments conducted in more than one session.
The following Case Study is an example of how one staff member "Amy", helped a student to seek a more flexible way of completing an in-class assessment task.
Larry, a first year student, came to see me with another student to discuss their major essay. He displayed some degree of anxiety and intensity about his work in general and his forthcoming assessment task, so I asked him to come back and see me the following day. In the privacy of the individual consultation I decided to ask some open questions about his study both at Monash and in the past.
Sample questions
"You seem to be having difficulty organising your material. What do you think is the issue here?"
"When you faced a similar difficulty at school, how did you deal with it?"
These sorts of questions gave him an opportunity to talk about his concerns and as a result he volunteered that he had been diagnosed with a learning disability some years earlier. His learning disability was compounded when he had to present and synthesise information in front of large groups of people such as in the forthcoming assessment task.
This led naturally into considering to what extent he had and could make use of the facilities available at Monash.
It was suggested that he contact the Disability Liaison Unit (DLU) as soon as possible so that he could be further supported in his learning once he provided the necessary documentation and was registered with them. He said he would do this later as his most pressing concern was for his immediate assessment task and applying for special consideration.
He gave me permission to speak with a colleague in Learning Support who has specialist knowledge of learning disabilities and the unit coordinator in his faculty concerning the immediate in-class assessment task. This began a process which encouraged an open dialogue between student, Learning Support and faculty staff.
Whilst dealing with the pressing needs of the current essay we also started to discuss some possible adjustments for his coming assessment task. This task presented particular challenges for Larry because it required a synthesis of information in a very limited timeframe and in the crowded environment of the lecture theatre. After my initial discussion with the unit coordinator to alert her to the problem, Larry was able to negotiate suitable adjustments to his assessment task.
He was given three choices by his lecturer and discussed what would best suit him.
- More time and a dictionary, to help him if he had difficulty recalling information.
- An alternative time (available for those students who for good reasons were unable to be at the lecture time). This would be a smaller group, so less threatening for him.
- To do the test in the faculty office on a computer instead of presenting in front of the group.
In the end the arrangement was a hybrid of the alternative time slot and some extra time. Larry felt he was able to take control of the discussions and I stepped back. I did follow up to make sure arrangements had been made prior to the assessment task, but was very pleased to hear this was all under control. He assured me he would contact the Disability Liaison Unit (DLU) with his documentation.
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