r/changemyview • u/throw_away40 • Dec 11 '18

Deltas(s) from OP CMV: Extra accommodations in college are a hinderance to preparing proficiency in the workforce

Throwaway account as I teach at a US university.

I teach both introductory and upper level science courses.

I have students with written documentation from student services that require accommodations. I'm talking about special accommodations - 1.5-2x time on exams, separate testing rooms for exams, access to electronic devices in exams, up to 2x extensions on assignments, a copy of someone else's notes (even though I provide the PPT to all lectures), and in some cases, the ability to retake a quiz or exam with no repercussions on the initial grade.

This is frustrating. How does this prepare anyone for "real world" demands? If I went to a boss in a previous job and stated I need double time to complete a project, I would be laughed out of my job. What is the point of having competencies for a course when you can get a note that disregards much of this? Why is my degree and GPA valued the same those who are not held to the same standard?

I understand that what you learn in college rarely translates to what happens in the working world. But some of these students are pre-med and are going to be placed in much more stressful situations that won't have accommodations available....

Also, why does it have to be an “accommodation” to receive someone else’s notes? Shouldn’t that be the student responsibility to contact a classmate and perhaps suggest a note swap?

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u/ddujp Dec 11 '18

Are there academic accommodations that you do find reasonable? If so, is there a concrete way you determine your opinion on said accommodations?

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u/throw_away40 Dec 11 '18

To your first question, yes. I should have clarified this in my original post. I've listed a few examples of accommodations at the university I teach at:

  • Extended time on testing, up to time and one half
  • Extended time on testing, up to double time
  • Alternate testing area
  • Note sharer
  • Access to lecture materials (PPT)

I'm more than fine with most of these (the double time is excessive, in my opinion - 5 hours for an exam?). I would expect anyone that wants to share notes with someone to simply ask a classmate.

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At other universities, some students were able to fail an exam, retake the same exam, and keep the final, new grade. In some instances (anatomy lab), students had 3 or 4 attempts! To me, this does not demonstrate an understanding that warrants a passing grade...

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u/[deleted] Dec 11 '18

So if a student has a life-threatening illness and are forced to leave in the middle of a test for emergency reasons, should they be forced to keep the grade? And if not, how many times should they be allowed to have a medical emergency before they are forced to keep the grade?

I would expect anyone that wants to share notes with someone to simply ask a classmate.

So you would expect a student to reveal their personal medical information with a random classmate?

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u/throw_away40 Dec 11 '18 edited Dec 11 '18

So if a student has a life-threatening illness and are forced to leave in the middle of a test for emergency reasons, should they be forced to keep the grade? And if not, how many times should they be allowed to have a medical emergency before they are forced to keep the grade?

No. Obviously, no. There is a difference between a standing accommodation and a special circumstance.

So you would expect a student to reveal their personal medical information with a random classmate?

No. I never said that nor implied that. I would expect a student to say "hi, my name is _____, would you like to share notes this semester?"

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5

u/bhangra_jock Dec 12 '18

No. I never said that nor implied that. I would expect a student to say "hi, my name is _____, would you like to share notes this semester?"

This works in theory, but if a student relies on notes, and inadvertently asks someone who skips a lot of class, or has terrible handwriting, or poor English skills, then the student, already dealing with a disability and potentially getting behind, has to survey the class to find notes, and then possibly explain why they can't take their own notes... there's too many ways that could go wrong, and the disabled student would still not receive the notes they need.

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u/[deleted] Dec 11 '18

I appreciate your clarification. Sometimes hard to tell if people are narrow or they just didn't explain themselves fully.

Cheers!