Forum Post
I teach EconS 526, a mathematics course for Master’s-level economics students. Recently, two of my students informed me that there is a significant delay in scheduling meetings with representatives from the WSU Access Center. Unfortunately, by the time they are able to meet and determine the appropriate accommodations, two quizzes will have already taken place.
While I am providing a separate room and additional time for their quizzes, I do not have the expertise to determine how much extra time or what type of environment is optimal. I would appreciate guidance on this matter.
If the Access Center is experiencing a high volume of requests or is understaffed, I would kindly ask that the administration consider reallocating resources to support these services, as they directly impact students’ academic experiences and success.
Response
The Faculty Senate Executive Officers have been notified of this forum post and will respond back once more information becomes available.
Comments
The Senate Executive Team met last semester with Jenna Hyatt regarding this issue, as other faculty have expressed concerns which are similar to yours. Additionally, there has been inconsistency of forms and processes from campus to campus which impacts those who teach multiple campus courses. It appears that some systems have been remedied but there are additional gaps to be addressed. Please reach out with specifics to Matthew Jeffries, PhD at: https://accesscenter.wsu.edu/about/meet-our-team/ with information regarding specifics and let us know if we can do any followup.
The Faculty Executive Team also has scheduled a followup meeting with Access Center administrators on Monday October 14. Please feel free to send concerns to my attention and I will share them at that meeting.
Thank you for your feedback. Our advising team was very slammed for the first six weeks, and new students who needed an intake appointment were waiting for up to three weeks. We are working on a solution for next summer to better serve new students who are requesting accommodations. I am always available to talk more and share how we are working to best serve students and faculty.
Additionally, there were some questions about a new testing policy for Pullman’s Alternative Testing Center. We have increased the time that we need exams/tests in advance to two business days before the exam. For example, if your exam is on Friday then we need the exam by Wednesday at 5pm. This gives us one day to remediate any exams that we need to, and this year, we have had some technology that no longer works, so sometimes it takes us considerably longer to remediate the exam. Lastly, on our busiest days, we have more than 70 exams. Last week for instance, we had three days of 50 exams per day. In order to ensure we meet the students’ accommodations, we appreciate the submission of exams in alignment with our new timeline. If you have questions, please reach out!