Information for Faculty
Faculty members are an integral part of maintaining an accessible academic community. Students with approved accommodations have submitted substantial and appropriate documentation which has been vetted and reviewed by the staff of the Goldman Center. After being approved for accommodations, students are oriented to the process for implementing those accommodations. Students are encouraged to meet with instructors to discuss their accommodations and make any necessary arrangements for implementing them.
Faculty are obligated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (Pub. L. No. 101-336), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Pub. L. No. 93-112, § 504, as amended), and state and local requirements regarding individuals with disabilities. If you have questions regarding an approved accommodation, or the Goldman Center’s processes, please contact us at (504) 862-8433.
For faculty and/or staff looking to request reasonable workplace accommodations, please visit the Office for Campus Accessibility for support.
Syllabus Statement:
The Goldman Center recommends the following syllabus statement:
Tulane University is committed to offering classes that are accessible. If you anticipate or encounter disability-related barriers in a course, please contact the Goldman Center for Student Accessibility to establish reasonable accommodations. If approved by Goldman, make arrangements with me as soon as possible to discuss your accommodations so that they may be implemented in a timely fashion. I will never ask for medical documentation from you to support potential accommodation needs. Goldman Center contact information: Email: goldman@tulane.edu; Phone (504) 862-8433; Website: accessibility.tulane.edu.NEW! Professor Portal
The Goldman Center utilizes an online management system allowing easier access for a students and instructors. Instructors can access this system through our Professor Portal. This portal will allow instructors to engage directly with accessibility information related to their courses, such as: viewing student lists, students’ accommodations, and lists of scheduled exams; adding, viewing, and modifying Testing Contracts; and uploading exams directly to the Goldman Center.
Faculty can learn more about their role in implementing student accommodations by watching this short video tutorial.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How will I know if a student has approved accommodations?
- How do I make sure my students receive their accommodations?
- How do I manage testing accommodations?
- I choose not to test a student with accommodations myself, how do I schedule a student to test at the Goldman Testing Center?
- There is a student in my class who I think could benefit from accommodations. How can I best support that student?
- How do I know that my test is secure at the Goldman Testing Center?
How will I know if a student has approved accommodations?
Each semester, instructors will receive an e-mail (noted as the Academic Accessibility Letter) detailing the student's name, course number, and approved accommodations. If a student has approved Alternative Testing Accommodations, a link will appear in the Academic Accessibility Letter. If instructors would like their accommodated students to take exams at the Goldman Testing Center, they should click the link to complete an Alternative Testing Contract.
It is unlawful to ask the nature of a student’s disability and a student's disability status is confidential Keep in mind, most disabilities are not visible.
Although we recommend that students activate accommodations at the beginning of the semester, they have the right to disclose their need for accommodations at any time during the semester. However, accommodations are not retroactive.
How do I make sure my students receive their accommodations?
Many accommodations do not require much instructor involvement, such as permission for a student to audio record lectures, or note-taking assistance. However, other accommodations, such as testing accommodations, require more professor involvement. The Goldman Center for Student Accessibility stands ready to support professors to ensure that all students are properly supported.
How do I manage testing accommodations?
The professor and the student should collaborate and decide how best to handle the student's accommodations, but ultimately, professors have the right to decide if testing students themselves is feasible or not. After you receive the Academic Accessibility Letter, you are responsible for ensuring the students receive their testing accommodations. You may opt to test students yourself or have them test in the Goldman Testing Center.
Students are not allowed to mandate where they test. The Goldman Testing Center is a service to professors provided by the University.
I choose not to test a student with accommodations myself, how do I schedule a student to test at the Goldman Testing Center?
After receiving your Academic Accessibility Letter (via email as referenced above), use the included link to complete an Alternative Testing Contract. PLEASE NOTE: The Goldman Testing Center is unable to proctor exams with oral or listening comprehension components (such as foreign language exams or music exams). Additionally, if your exams require complex technology such as specific software or applications, add-ons, or lockdown browsers, please be aware that these are very difficult to manage in the Testing Center. Please call us to discuss ways you can accommodate students yourself to ensure that they have full access to your expertise during the exam.
ALL of the information requested on the Alternative Testing Contract is essential for our Center to properly proctor your exam. You will only need to complete one contract, per course, per semester. It will automatically apply to any students in that course who have activated testing accommodations.
Please include your contact information, including a cell phone number if possible. We will not give this number to the student, but we will use it to contact you should there be any question or problem with the exam.
Students are responsible for scheduling exams at the Goldman Testing Center at least 4 business days in advance.
Instructors are responsible for delivering the exams. Please plan to deliver your exam 24 hours before it is scheduled. You will receive an email reminder of a scheduled exam which will include a link directly into our secure online system. Please utilize this link if possible. As an alternative, you may send the exam electronically to goldmantesting@tulane.edu or deliver it in person to our Testing Center in the Howard Tilton Library basement, suites B-25 and B-30.
Completed exams may be picked up by the instructor, TA, GA or authorized student worker. The Testing Center staff will have whomever picks up the exams sign for them.
Instructors may opt to have completed exam scanned and returned via email. Please note: Tests taken in blue books cannot be scanned. The Goldman Testing Center makes no guarantees about the quality of scanned tests taken in pencil. Scanned exams will be held on file in the Testing Center office for one semester.
During the Fall and Spring semesters, the Testing Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday. During the final exam period, the Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day (including weekends) that is designated in the University's final exam schedule. During the summer, the Testing Center is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
If an exam cannot be scheduled during our operating hours, the responsibility falls with the instructor to accommodate the student.
There is a student in my class who I think could benefit from accommodations. How can I best support that student?
Concerned faculty members sometimes contact the Goldman Center for Student Accessibility with questions about a student that they feel may have a disability. While the Goldman Center’s goal is to ensure that all students with disabilities receive the accommodations that will afford them equal access, it is the responsibility of the student to initiate contact with the Goldman Center and request accommodations through our process.
Students receive information about the Goldman Center during orientation, and may disclose a disability to the Goldman Center at any time during their time at Tulane.
Unlike high school, where teachers actively refer students to special education services, most college students are adults, and privacy is a major consideration. As a result, if you have a student that you feel qualifies for services from the Goldman Center, your referral to the office should be informational and supportive as opposed to directive or authoritarian.
Remember: “describe, don’t diagnose” in referring students to the Goldman Center.
For instance, you could say, “I notice that you are having a hard time interacting with other students in group activities, do you think that you need to participate in class in a different way?” or “I see that you have turned in your last several assignments after the deadline, do you think that you might benefit from some accommodations?” as opposed to “I think you may have X medical/psychological condition and need to go to the disability services office.”
We recommend questions such as “Did you know that Tulane has an accessibility office?” or comments such as “That is a concern that the folks in the Goldman Center would be happy to discuss with you. Do you know where that office is located?” Since the student’s privacy is a concern, we recommend that this type of discussion take place in your office or discretely before or after class. Some students may have a disability (particularly a learning disability or a mental health condition) of which they are not aware. Others are aware, but choose not to disclose.
Informing a student of the Goldman Center office is not a violation of privacy, as the individual will make the decision as to whether to follow up. Of course, if a student has asked for a disability related accommodation, the referral is appropriate and necessary.
How do I know that my test is secure at the Goldman Testing Center?
We administer all tests and make sure test papers are under direct supervision or locked in a secure location at all times. Students in testing rooms may be monitored by video camera. The Goldman Center staff or the professor may check in on students with or without knocking. Under no circumstances are the students allowed backpacks, mobile phones, or personal technology (such as smart watches) in the testing rooms, unless it is an approved medical device.
Any student suspected of cheating may be questioned by our staff or the professor. Should a student be caught cheating, all materials in the testing room will be confiscated, including the materials being used to cheat. Staff will report the incident immediately to the Honor Board; The professor and the Director of the Goldman Center will be notified. All evidence will be submitted to the professor with a report from the proctor who observed the student.
