Learning and Teaching: Essential Guides
Learning and Teaching Essential Guides
No 10: Strategies for Assessing Students who have Vision Impairment In considering alternative forms of assessment, • Provide extra time in examinations. Some equal opportunity, not a guaranteed outcome, students with vision impairment may require is the objective. You are not expected to lower double time for examinations, so time for rest standards to accommodate students with a breaks will be essential. disability, but rather are required to give them a • There are some good assessment practices reasonable opportunity to demonstrate what they which will enhance the learning of students have learned. with vision impairment (and all other students Students with vision impairment may need in the class!): particular adjustments to assessment tasks. Once • Know what you are testing, whether it is you have a clear picture of how the disability decision-making, strategic planning, creative impacts on learning you can consider alternative application of information data collection and assessment strategies. processing, logical sequencing, or argument. • Allow extensions to assignment deadlines • Create assessment activities in which if extensive reading has been set. Consider students have the opportunity to link their setting alternative assignments in which learning to what they already know, and to students have the opportunity to work past experience. intensively on a few selected texts rather than having to read extensively. • Make your expectations (assessment criteria) clear so that students know what they are • Examination papers may need to be enlarged expected to be able to demonstrate. or produced in Braille, with tactile diagrams, maps etc. It may be necessary to provide • Keep written examination instructions and heavy line paper, a scribe, or special writing sentences within examination questions short. implements. All of this takes time so liaise with Questions using bullet points, lists or separate the Disability and Dyslexia Service’s Sensory parts are more likely to be followed and Impairments Advisor well in advance of the correctly interpreted. assessment period. • Avoid using assessment methods which • Some students may undertake examinations encourage students to rote learn material. using a personal computer with voice Open book examinations are one way of synthesiser. Some may need a reader, an doing this. Remember that this will need oral examination with the examiner, questions forward planning so that printed material can on audiotape, or large print papers. It may be transcribed to Braille or enlarged before be necessary to provide extra space for the exam. equipment and specific personnel, or a • Make explicit the way in which marks will be separate examination venue if the noise allocated, both in discussion with the class from equipment being used is likely to be beforehand, and on any examination papers. distracting for other students. • Provide optional pathways towards meeting stated learning outcomes, options that allow
Learning and Teaching: Essential Guides
for flexibility in approach, in organisation and assessment. You might provide projectbased exercises in which students choose their own topic for exploration. Given the diversity of students,the greater the diversity in methods of assessment, the fairer the process. Make accommodations based on individual circumstance and need. Remember that students may need the opportunity to experiment to find the adaptation or accommodation which best meets their learning style/needs. • Include self-assessment as a component of the course. Self-assessment involves discussion with students about the criteria according to which they assess their own performance, and the level of performance required for different grades. • Discuss and collaborate on assessment alternatives with staff who have had previous experience teaching students with disabilities. You (and your subject area/School) should regularly review any alternative arrangements to ensure that these meet both the student’s needs (which may change over time) and stated module/programme objectives. Teaching staff should ensure that they are familiar with the requirements of the following legislation relating to disability: Equality and Diversity Act 2010. Details may be found on the Equality Tab on Portia.
Centre for Learning and Teaching/Disability Queries regarding the needs of individual students and Dyslexia Service Enhancement Guides should be referred to the Disability and Dyslexia Services Tel: (external) 01243 812076 (Internal) The University promotes an inclusive 2076 or to the Sensory Impairments Advisor on approach to learning and teaching, 01243 81245, e-mail sensadvisor@chi.ac.uk based on equity and equal entitlement. The university’s aim is to increase the proportion of students who are currently under-represented in higher education in order to widen participation and its objective is to provide suitable facilities, and implement policies that enable all students to undertake and complete their studies successfully.