I have set examinations for first, second and third year students, also
for PostGraduates. I have always believed in the principle that time
pressure is not what I am testing for but knowledge of the subject. With
this in mind I firmly believe that if I set an examination paper, that
someone with more time could do better at, then I have failed in my
purpose. With my examinations no amount of extra time should matter, in
the standard time available either a student can get down their answers
or not, no amount of extra time can provide the missing knowledge. Extra
time for a disabled student should be for this purpose, since a disabled
student may write slower, process slower, that person should have enough
extra time so that they can answer everything possible in the time
allowed. Thus I am quite happy for my students to have unlimited time if
necessary, this will not provide them with any advantage.
Apart from certain possible subjects where time pressure is important I
believe that timed examinations are there for only one purpose - they
allow more than one examination to be timetabled in the same room on the
same day - hardly an academic justification!
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bryan Jones
Sent: 26 July 2005 14:16
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: extra exam time
Public exam bodies normally permit 25% additional time for exams, so
that is what students arriving from school or FE college are likely to
have had. Universities on the other hand, who are their own exam bodies,
can offer more flexibility and variation. 25% has become the norm due
to what the public exam bodies permit. Giving a student less time can
result in disputes, because they are used to getting 25%, apart from
those institutions (perhaps University of London) where it is written in
stone in the regs that 10 mins per hour is all you're having. And how
does one accurately quantify how much time additional time particular
student requires and for which exams? Do they get different time
allowances for a multiple choice paper compared to ones where they give
short written answers to about a dozen questions, or those where they
are expected to write three or four lengthy essay type answers? Giving
students more than 25%, or different times for different types of exams,
one can get into logistical issues. The exam can become over long,
which does not necessarily do the student any favours, invigilators
have to hang around a long time, the morning session can crash into the
afternoon session or people have to work late and everyone gets confused
as to what the student is permitted to have. For some students, e.g
blind or physically disabled, extra time well in excess of 25% may be
required, but these are relatively few and manageable compared to the
army of dyslexic students. The time allowance is provided in
recognition that the student needs more reading and writing time due to
their specific learning difficulties and also takes away some of the
anxiety that such students face when taking the exams, that's all.
Bryan Jones,
Manager, Disability Support Services
& North London Regional Access Centre,
Middlesex University
Tel: 020 8411 5366
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Joyce McCulloch
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 1:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: extra exam time
But if we ignore the recommendations made using the criteria recognised
for all at earlier stages, how do we ensure that exam arrangements made
for students with dyslexia in HE are fair (i.e made on the basis of
criteria which would apply to any student attending any institution)?
Joyce McCulloch
Student Adviser (Dyslexia)
Student Support Services
APU
East Road
Cambridge
CB1 1PT
01223 363271 ex. 2814
[log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bryan Jones" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 11:40 AM
Subject: Re: extra exam time
> We ignore recommendations made by Ed Psychs all the time. The exams
> issue is not an exact science and it is difficult to give one student
> 10 mins per hour, another 15 and another 20, students who may well
> have a similar profile, just because their particular ed psych has
> copy and pasted their standard recommendation into a report. Nor has
> the Ed Psych any idea of the demands of a particular course / exam
> that the student may take, especially when the report could well have
> been produce a few years previous. Ed Psychs will also pontificate
> about technology of which they know little if anything. Universities
> using a tame Ed psych would be advised to dissuade them from making
> too many specific recommendations in their diagnostic reports. The
> Assessment Centres charge enough for doing that.
>
> Bryan Jones,
> Manager, Disability Support Services
> & North London Regional Access Centre, Middlesex University
> Tel: 020 8411 5366
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Quinn, Christine
> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 9:51 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: extra exam time
>
>
> It would be unwise to ignore any recommendations made by the Ed Psych.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bryan Jones
> Sent: 26 July 2005 09:36
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: extra exam time
>
> Indeed. What happens is that Disability Officers read the Ed Psych
> report, including the background of the student and what if anything
> they have had in terms of support previously, looks at what is said
> about verbal comprehension, auditory sort term memory, reading speed,
> reading comprehension, writing speed, handwriting style, verbal IQ,
> performance IQ, ignore the bit where it recommends a lap top with
> voice recognition and then you give them a 25% additional time
> allowance in all exams.
>
> Bryan Jones,
> Manager, Disability Support Services
> & North London Regional Access Centre, Middlesex University
> Tel: 020 8411 5366
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Quinn, Christine
> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 5:12 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: extra exam time
>
>
> We look to the Ed Psych's report to inform us of how much extra time
> is required.
>
> Chris
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bernard Doherty
> Sent: 25 July 2005 16:52
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: extra exam time
>
> I think the best plan is to take what happened in earlier exams as a
> minimum. The principle here is that students are taken on according
> to their previous academic achievement, which in part is a product of
> earlier support arrangements. The students' results are expected to
> be an indicator of how well they will do on the proposed course.
>
> I recognise that this shifts responsibility for the decision away from
> HEIs, but if there is to be debate, I think it would be more fairly
> conducted with regional exam boards rather than individual students.
> Why some universities reduce extra time from 15 minutes an hour (which
> seems a national standard at A level) to 10 minutes an hour (or six,
> in one
> case) remains a mystery.
>
> Regards, Bernard
>
> Quoting Victoria Adams <[log in to unmask]>:
>
> > Hello
> >
> >
> >
> > Could anyone please help as we have an issue with regards to extra
> > exam time regarding students with specific learning difficulties and
> > how much extra time they should receive. Our understanding is that
> > the
>
> > educational psychologist report is to determine the extra time
> > allocations but we have heard that some institutions have their own
> > policies in place regarding extra time.
> >
> > What is the standard?
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks for your help
> >
> >
> >
> > Victoria Adams
> >
> > VIVID Project Worker
> >
> > The College of St Mark and St John
> >
> > Plymouth
> >
> >
> >
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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