Core Considerations: Pedagogical Intent and Assessment Alignment

Assessments should reveal how well students have learned targeted material. For authentic evaluation and equal access to occur, course learning objectives, instructional strategies, and testing accommodations must closely align.

When assessments are misaligned, speed often replaces competence as the primary variable being measured. Unless rapid processing speed is an explicit learning objective of your course, alternative testing methods can capture the same grading data while saving administrative time and effort.

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Overarching Access and Equity Considerations

Regardless of the implementation pathway you select, keep these foundational considerations in mind:

• Early Student Input: Conduct a brief pre-course survey at the start of the semester to learn about students' accessibility needs, preferences, and potential barriers early on. 

• Transparent Rubrics and Instructions: Provide clear rubrics and evaluation criteria in advance. Clear structure helps all students—especially those needing cognitive or processing support—understand expectations across non-traditional assessment formats. 

• The "Early Testing" Equity Gap: Requiring accommodated students to take a quiz significantly earlier in the day than their peers reduces their study and preparation time, creating an inequitable assessment environment.
• Instructional Time Conflicts: Scheduling accommodated testing immediately before or after class can force students to miss live lecture content, active learning, or Q&A sessions, which should be avoided.
• Schedule Friction (Back-to-Back Classes): Accommodated testing cannot simply be tacked onto the start or end of a class block if a student has back-to-back courses. Canvas availability windows and proctoring schedules must account for full student availability across the day.
• Technical Contact Gaps in Remote Testing: Accommodated students frequently take digital exams outside standard class hours due to extended timing. Without a designated, live point of contact (instructor/TA), technical glitches, corrections, or not having access to questions asked in class can disproportionately disadvantage test-takers.
• Logistical Transitions in Multi-Part Assessments: Shifts in testing rules (e.g., moving from closed-book paper to open-laptop between sections) create cognitive and physical friction. Dedicated proctoring or TA presence is critical to manage these transitions smoothly.

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📌 Testing Center Policies

• 5-Day Advance Notice: The Testing Center requires 5 business days' advance notice to schedule exams and quizzes
  • Exception: Two-part finals must be entered during the final exam date release week. Students must submit all final exam requests in the portal by Monday before finals begin.
• Exam Corrections Protocol: Email any real-time exam corrections or clarifications directly to access@andrew.cmu.edu as soon as possible. The Testing Center cannot monitor live Google Documents, Slack channels, or Canvas pages during active testing.
• Instructor Contact Preferences: When completing the Alternative Testing Instructions Form, specify whether you are best reached by phone or email during the exam. Students/proctors will reach you by phone or directly from odrproctorquestions@andrew.cmu.edu
  • Note: Text messaging is not supported.

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A Note on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI): 

A growing rationale for increasing in-class or alternative assessment is the need to mitigate unauthorized student use of Generative AI (GAI). The Eberly Center recommends focusing on intentional, scaffolded assessment design that prioritizes the learning process over the final deliverable, rather than reacting solely through restrictive timing. Adding timed assessments purely for security can unintentionally shift the focus from measuring competence to measuring speed. 

To protect academic integrity while maintaining equity, faculty are encouraged to evaluate the core purpose of your assessment:

• What specific tasks or questions will reveal whether students have achieved the targeted learning objectives?

• Is rapid performance or processing speed an explicit, essential component of that measurement?

When navigating complex, collaborative, or highly specialized assessment designs, The Eberly Center and the Office of Disability Resources are here to help you design tailored assessment strategies that preserve your academic standards while ensuring full, equitable access. 

To learn more, visit Eberly’s GAITAR Initiative & Generative AI in the Classroom, review strategies for Designing Aligned Objectives, Assessments, and Instruction, schedule a one-on-one Eberly Consultation for tailored assessment support, review Eberly's Generative AI Tools FAQ or consult the Faculty FAQ for Alternative Testing for general accommodations information.

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Mid-Class/In-Lecture Quizzes

The Challenge: A scheduled 15-minute quiz occurs in the middle of a 50-minute lecture, making extended exam time conflict with active lecture time.

Step 1: Collaborative Consultation

The student or faculty member notifies Disability Resources regarding the use of mid-class quizzes in the course. The Accessibility Specialist will discuss the student's specific barriers and collaborate with the faculty member to determine whether the mid-class/in-lecture exams will be completed in-class with adjustments or via an alternative method.

Step 2: Select an Implementation Pathway

Path 1: Asynchronous Alternative

Allow the student to take the quiz outside active lecture hours (e.g., before class begins or later that day at the Testing Center).

A. If answers are reviewed in class: The student should test prior to class (if schedule permits). Caution: Requiring early testing significantly reduces study time compared to peers.

B. If content/answers are not reviewed in class: The student may complete the quiz at the end of lecture or later that day.

📌 The Testing Center requires 5 business days' notice. Email any live exam corrections to access@andrew.cmu.edu.

Path 2: Canvas Window Adjustment

Deploy the quiz digitally via Canvas. Keep the availability window open to allow the student to complete it with their time multiplier applied before or after class.

A. See Canvas Quiz Moderation Instructions for step-by-step instructions.

Path 3: Asynchronous Pedagogical Shift

Conduct a live pre-quiz review in class, but move the actual assessment to Canvas for the entire class to complete by the end of the day.

A. Learn more about Eberly’s Educational Technology Resources.

Path 4: Short Reflections / Exit Tickets

Replace formal quizzes with 3–5 sentence reflection prompts or exit tickets submitted via Canvas or index cards at the end of class.

Considerations:

Practice Quizzes: Provide an ungraded practice quiz early in the term using the same settings so students can test their tech setup and time management.

Clear Instructions: Place explicit instructions in the quiz header/announcements reminding accommodated students how their extra time is applied and whom to contact if issues arise.

Pre-Quiz Review Sessions: Allocate a few minutes before the quiz to review key concepts live, reinforcing learning before assessment.

Multiple Attempts: Allow multiple attempts with question randomization to promote content mastery over speed.

Timer/Auto-Submit Settings: Review timer auto-submit features to prevent premature lock-outs while extended time is being processed. Consult CMU’s Canvas FAQ’s for platform-wide troubleshooting.

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Group Exams

The Challenge: Collaborative assessments in pairs or small groups create logistical friction for students requiring extended time or a distraction-reduced environment. Group exams frequently evaluate group dynamics, collective efficiency, and teamwork. When these are core learning objectives, standard testing modifications may not be viable if they fundamentally alter the objective.

Step 1: Collaborative Consultation

The student or faculty member notifies Disability Resources regarding the use of group assessments in the course. The Accessibility Specialist will discuss the student's specific barriers and collaborate with the faculty member to determine whether the group exams will be completed in-class with adjustments or via an alternative method.

Step 2: Select an Implementation Pathway

Path 1: Intentional Time Buffer

If group efficiency is not an assessed learning objective, design the exam to allow timing variability (e.g., allocating 60 minutes for a 30-minute exam for the whole class), reducing individual accommodation needs.

Path 2: Bifurcated Phases

If the exam must remain timed, separate the collaboration and submission phases. Groups use class time to outline content, but submit final answers within a window after class. Extend the Canvas availability window for accommodated students to process, synthesize, and review before submission.

A. See Canvas Quiz Moderation Instructions for step-by-step instructions.

Path 3: Independent Assessment

If the collaborative or peer-based format of the exam is not intended to assess a learning objective of the course, consider allowing students to take the exam independently with their additional time. This can be completed in the Testing Center or asynchronously.

📌 The Testing Center requires 5 business days' notice. Email any live exam corrections to access@andrew.cmu.edu.

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Two-Part Exams

The Challenge: Administering back-to-back exams with distinct rules (e.g., Part 1 closed-note; 10-minute break with no studying; Part 2 open-laptop) multiplies logistical complexity, time calculations, and transition management.

Step 1: Document Rules and Time Limits for Exams Proctored in the Testing Center

Faculty must explicitly document the baseline time and specific rules for each part of the exam (e.g., Part 1: thirty minutes, no notes, completed on paper; 20 minute break with permission to look at devices and notes; Part 2: twenty minutes, open notes on laptop).

Communicate these distinct parameters to the student and the Testing Center well before the 7-day scheduling deadline.

A. Note: Avoid changing timing ratios close to the exam date, as portal calculations lock based on initial submissions.

Step 2: Select an Implementation Pathway

Path 1: Alternative Instructions Logistics

Detail the timing split and component rules in the Alternative Testing Instructions Form via the Instructor Portal. Schedule two back-to-back exam slots. The Testing Center will collect Part 1, supervise transitions/breaks, verify resource changes, and track extended time across both segments.

Presence Requirement: A course representative (TA or instructor) should be present for the full exam duration to answer content questions and ensure proper administration.

📌 Finals Week: If administering a two-part final exam, enter both parts into the Instructor Portal during the week final exam schedules are released.

📌 The Testing Center requires 5 business days' notice (except Finals). Email any live exam corrections to access@andrew.cmu.edu.

Path 1 Addendum: Online Two-Part Exams

Separate the assessment into two distinct Canvas Quizzes rather than one window. This provides direct control to apply extended-time multipliers independently, configure distinct availability windows, and enforce specific parameters (e.g., LockDown Browser for Part 1; open web for Part 2).

A. See Canvas Quiz Moderation Instructions for step-by-step instructions.

Path 2: Departmental / Instructional Proctoring

Proctor the student within the department (e.g., conference room or faculty office with a TA) in coordination with Disability Resources. This provides maximum flexibility to manage breaks, verify material hand-offs, and accommodate timing adjustments directly without system lag.

A. Note: Disability Resources can assist in coordinating this to ensure you are aware of the process.

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Contact Information:

• Office of Disability Resources: Website | access@andrew.cmu.edu 
• Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence: Website | eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu

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