Case Studies

Effective implementation of a modified attendance accommodation may vary depending on the nature of the course. A reasonable number of absences or extensions on deadlines for an online asynchronous course could likely be excessive if implemented in the same way for a chemistry lab.

In order to assist in determining what works best for your class we have provided several case studies below to illustrate a variety of resolutions to this accommodation.

Lab Course

CHEM 226 is an in-person lab course with no allowed unexcused absences. Students are expected to attend a different section if they are unable to attend their own due to an excused absence. Twice in a semester a student with modified attendance contacts the lab instructor the morning of their scheduled lab and communicates they will be unable to attend that day due to their disability. The lab instructor allowed the student to make up their labs by attending a separate section. The student submitted their reports within the due date for the section they attended.

Participation-Essential Course

ENGL 345 is a participation-essential course. Students work in groups throughout the semester and in-class participation is a major component of the final grade. The instructor determined that the standard wording for the Plan for Absences accommodation was not appropriate given the unique structure of the course. After consulting with an Access Coordinator, they reached out to the two students with modified attendance at the beginning of the semester to meet and discuss how the accommodation would be effectively implemented in their course. As the semester progressed one student was able to fully participate in the course and had no absences or missed deadlines. The other student missed a total of 3 classes due to their disability. In one of these classes the student’s group gave a major presentation. As agreed upon at the beginning of the semester, the student completed a larger portion of the preliminary research for the presentation and did not receive a penalty for being unable to attend the presentation.

Experiential Activity

SEFB 444 is a required clinical internship. A student enrolled in this course communicates their modified attendance agreement to the clerkship instructor at the beginning of the semester. No unexcused absences are allowed and students are expected to make up any excused absences with additional days at the end of the internship. The instructor and the student met at the beginning of the semester to discuss the student’s accommodation. They agreed to allow up to 3 absences due to the student’s disability. The instructor communicated this expectation to the internship supervisor. The student agreed to reach out to both the course instructor and their internship supervisor in a timely manner as soon as they were able if unable to attend. In addition to these excused absences for the student’s disability, the student received excused absences for attendance of religious holidays on 2 days. The student made up the 5 days at the end of the semester.

Face-to-face Seminar

ANTH 152 is a traditional, face-to-face seminar. The instructor allows up to 3 unexcused absences without penalty, and 10% of the grade is based on in-class participation. Over the course of the semester a student with modified attendance missed 12 classes, or 33% of the course. The student did not communicate in a timely manner with the instructor about these absences. The week before finals she reached out to the instructor and requested that she receive no penalty for her missed class, “per her modified attendance accommodation”. The instructor contacted the student’s Access Coordinator for clarification on the accommodation. After engaging in the interactive process and communicating with the student it was determined that the student’s absences were in excess of what would be reasonable given the nature of the course. The student ultimately withdrew for the semester.