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Um, so, Jason, what do you suggest in terms of reasonable adjustment?

Ruth

On 21 December 2017 at 16:08, Jason Davies <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi everyone
>
> I'm probably just pointing out the obvious here, but in case you wanted to
> be able to say you had consulted and other people said XYZ...
>
> This may well be worse than the original scenario: I can say from personal
> experience that being even mildly disabled adds substantially to the time
> it takes to do virtually *everything*. 48 hours is long enough to *substantially
> magnify* that difference while the department will be claiming to *offset*
> it; kind of Orwellian...
>
> To put it bluntly: if I can reasonably do in one hour what someone else
> can do in 45 minutes, that person 'gains' an extra 1/4 of 48 hours to
> improve their work, whereas in a three-hour exam they 'gain' 1/4 of 3
> hours. It will probably widen the attainment gap.
>
> If we are testing a brutal version of 'efficiency' then it's a valid
> assessment approach; but I do hope that is not the only assessment
> criterion here (to put it mildly).
>
> My 2 cents for Xmas;)
>
> Jason Davies
>
> On 21 Dec 2017, at 13:26, Penny Sweasey wrote:
>
> Dear all
>
> Here's one to pick up in the New Year perhaps and flood the mailing list
> with creative responses after your festive break!
>
> I have a request for a CELT view on 'take-way' exams and how this may
> impact on students with disabilities and specific learning needs.
>
> I wonder if anyone has done some work with students around their views on
> whether seen / unseen / take-away exams have a differential impact on
> students with different needs.
>
> 'We have been asked whether PLP reasonable adjustments for exams should be
> applied to 'take away exams'. The department have confirmed that they were
> advised to consider assessment processes which do not require a student to
> attend and sit am exam under exam conditions. Their response to this is to
> create a 48 hour exam whereby the student is expected to complete a 3000
> assignment over 48 hours with the brief being provided at the start of the
> 48 hours.
>
> We understand this is trying to make an assessment process more inclusive,
> however our concern is that it does the opposite. For disabled students, it
> is difficult to consider their adjustments and the support they may need in
> the exam and ensure that they are administered fairly. Some disabled
> students may also take it to the extreme and work for 48 Hours on the
> assessment. For all other students, there seems to be little consideration
> of the commitments that students may have outside of university, for
> example caring responsibilities, work etc.
>
> Do CELT have a view about this as an assessment process?'
>
> I look forward to hearing your views . . . and in the meantime I hope you
> have (or if you are resolutely not reading emails over the holidays) - I
> hope you had - a wonderful festive break.
>
> BW
>
> Penny
>
> Penny Sweasey PGCE MA Ed. PFHEA FSEDA
> Head of Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
> 0161 247 1610 PA Lesley Hamoodi 0161 247 3474
>
> www.celt.mmu.ac.uk<http://www.celt.mmu.ac.uk/>
> [CELT pale][logo]
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