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Superfically, I could make very detailed recommendations; however, the fact that they appear in my report will not produce them in practice. ACCESS Centres have no power to tell HEIs or their officers what to do and I see no purpose in building hopes in students that are destined to be unfulfilled and lead them on a course of frustrating argument with those to whom they look for help. For example, I routinely follow the decision of GCSE and A level boards when recommending extra time in examinations (the same examinations that have admitted the students to their current courses). This is a standard 25% throughout the country, unless other considerations lead to the students having more time. Some universities, for no very clear reason, arbitrarily decide that students should have 10 minutes in ever hour or even 6 minutes. That continues, regardless of what I write. Some HEIs or departments or lecturers regard external proof reading of assignments as outright cheating, others think it is an example of students demonstrating responsibility for the quality of the work they hand in. They will have that view whatever I write in my report. Decisions in these areas, one way or another, are not mine to make; at the same time, I have no intention of simply rubber stamping whatever arrangements a disability officer or dyslexia tutor selects, i.e., having people tell me how they do things and then endorse it by writing it into the report as directed, whether I think it appropriate or not. If professional people form a view of what is needed, why should they not put their name to it and argue the case with those with power, that is, their employers and LEA awards officers? I understand the principle of separation of assessment and provision; too often in the past I have been asked to formally approve the available provision whether I think it suitable or not. If I don't, of course, the student is simply unable to receive support. I refuse this equivocal position, I refuse to find myself obliged to defend practices of which I disapprove and so I use the formula of my earlier post, however hand-washing it may appear. Bernard On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:11:06 -0000 Christine Chubb <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I surprised, Bernard, that you've stopped making specific > recommendations for dyslexia-related study skill support. In other > places this forms part of the assessment. If its 'up to the adviser to > write to the awards officer explaining what is intended and how much it > will cost' isn't this flying in the face of what seems to be the > prevailing view that assessment and provision should be separated? > > Chris Chubb > University of Bristol > > > --On 23 January 2004 18:22 +0000 Bernard Doherty > <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > I cannot speak for other ACCESS Centres or assessors, but the > > practice in this Centre is to recommend that the student discuss the > > matter with the dyslexia support tutor to determine if such support > > is appropriate. In practice, our reports establish permission for > > DSA payment if the college or university seek to arrange it. > > Typically, the phrasing will mention that students are generally > > granted up to 40 hours a year at a cost of up to £45 an hour, > > although individual needs vary and charges differ from region to > > region. It is then up to the adviser to write to the awards officer > > explaining what is intended and how much it will cost. This seems a > > fair division of labour to me: what is viewed as appropriate and how > > much it costs vary enormously from one institution to another. > > > > At the same time, I am constantly struck by how much virtually all > > the students I see would benefit from individual attention to their > > work and their ways of working, far more (I suspect) than from the > > technology (or the technology without human support) that tends to be > > our focus. In this regard, I am not surprised that the number of > > recommendations is increasing. Some students need a great deal of > > help and advice with virtually every area of their work: with it, > > they succeed; without it, they fail. Who is to provide it in a > > modern university where the function of the individual tutor has > > changed so dramatically in the past decade or so? > > > > However, this simply reflects my thinking and the general practice of > > this Centre. > > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Christine Chubb, Disability Adviser, University of Bristol > Access Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students > Union Building, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1LN > Tel: 0117 954 5850 Text: 0117 954 5728 > Fax: 0117 923 8546 > [log in to unmask] > www home page: http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/AccessUnit/ ---------------------- Bernard Doherty Student Adviser ACCESS Centre Anglia Polytechnic University Tel: 01223 363271 x2534 Fax: 01223 417730 Minicom: 01223 576155 [log in to unmask]