No. 63 October 2012
CONTENTS 1 Making Accommodations Work for You and Your Students 2 Counseling Workshops Facilitated by CAIT 2 New Tradition 3 Are your Students Cheating Online? 4 The Effects of Notes on a Precalculus Course 5 Eduard Merc promoted to Assistant Director, CAIT 5 Open Learning Networks (OLN) 8 Some great workshops are coming your way!
CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INNOVATIVE TEACHING STAFF Director, Instructional Innovation and Assessment Stephanie Schull, Ph.D. (808) 544-0264 • sschull@hpu.edu Other Staff: Eduard “Eddie” Merc Sanford “Sandy” Low Sandra Meyer Shawn Rodriguez Han Nee Chong Wester Ed.D. 1188 Fort Street Mall, Suite 440 Honolulu, HI 96813
The Po’okela newsletter is a bimonthly publication featuring articles of interest to faculty regarding pedagogy, scholarship, and service at Hawai‘i Pacific University. Opinions in this newsletter are those of the authors. Articles are chosen for their power to encourage reflection and discussion and do not reflect endorsement by CAIT or Hawai‘i Pacific University.
“Po‘okela serves HPU faculty and an outside mailing list of readers interested in our work, with the intention to prompt community building and reflection on professional practice, and to encourage innovation in teaching.”
Hawai‘i Pacific University • Center for the Advancement of Innovative Teaching • http://www.hpu.edu/CAIT
Making Accommodations Work for You and Your Students by Deneen Kawamoto If you were to ask someone what they knew about the law and how it affects individuals with disabilities in a college or university setting, you can rest assured that most people know that such a law exists. Although they may not be able to tell you the name of it, there is a general awareness that individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination, and these individuals may receive reasonable accommodations.
3. Include a statement on your syllabus with contact information for the Disability Resources Office. 4. Know your campus resources and visit the HPU website so you can be a resource for your student about support services: • Disability Resources Office
http://www.hpu.edu/StudentServices/disability-resourcesThe law that I refer to is the Americans with office/index.html Disabilities Act, Amendments Act of 2008, Title III, • Counseling and Behavioral Health Services section 504. This is a federal law that states that colhttp://www.hpu.edu/Counseling_Behavioral_Health/ leges and universities must provide equal access for index.html people with disabilities in programs that receive federal financial assistance. Reasonable accommodations • The Center for Academic Success (CAS) are provided to these individuals so they are able to http://www.hpu.edu/StudentServices/CAS/Tutoring/ participate in mainstream activities according to their index.html abilities. • Academic Advising Offices Under the ADA and section 504, a person is considhttp://www.hpu.edu/StudentServices/AcademicAdvising/ ered to have a disability if he or she has a physical or index.html mental impairment that substantially limits at least one Once the student has met with the coordinator a major life activity. In other words, if there is a barrier letter for accommodations is prepared for the student. to perform a basic activity for daily living as a result of The letter will include the student’s name, current a physical or mental impairment, then the individual semester, Disability Coordinator’s contact information, meets the definition of having a disability. Some examand a list of reasonable accommodations. Students are ples of an activity for daily living may include but are advised to present this letter in a confidential manner not limited to the following: self-care, walking, talking, to each instructor and review the accommodations reading, etc. together. It is during this initial meeting that quesIn the college and university setting, individuals must tions and/or concerns should be addressed in regard to self-disclose their disability and complete the intake meeting the requirements in the syllabus. process with the Disability Resources Coordinator. If The Americans with Disabilities Act, Amendments you suspect that your student may have a disability Act of 2008, Title III, section 504 is a law that proand plan to discuss your concerns, here are a few tips hibits discrimination and it requires colleges and to keep in mind: universities to provide reasonable accommodations. 1. Frame your questions around academic strengths As university employees, we all play a role in repand weaknesses. You should not assume someone resenting the university within our respective areas has a disability based solely on poor performance and responsibilities. Students with disabilities face in a class and you should not be asking disabilityunique challenges and the university is obliged to related questions. follow the law when it comes to offering them reason2. Establish a positive rapport with your student and be able accommodations. Our efforts to work with them approachable. If a student is struggling in your class in a supportive way can have a long lasting impact he/she may not know how to articulate the problem. on these students and their opportunities to succeed. He/she may attempt to do the work and only after Let’s work collaboratively to offer the highest level of multiple failures may do one of the following: ask for service we can deliver for all of our students. help, drop the course, or fail the course.