Lessons Learned from the Pandemic: Flexibility Accommodations

Andrea Byerley

George Fox University

Accommodation:

allow occasional disability-related absences

Accommodation: allow occasional disability-related absences

AND

allow students to participate remotely during these absences

About George Fox University

• Total student population: 4295
• 2284 traditional undergraduate
• 2011 graduate/adult degree completion
• Locations: 4
• Newberg
• Portland
• Salem
• Redmond
• Number of student currently receiving academic accommodations: 250
• 177 traditional undergraduate
• 73 graduate/adult degree completion

George Fox Undergraduates During COVID

Fall 2020 and Spring 2021

• Most classes in-person
• Classrooms 50% capacity
• Dorms at 80%+ capacity
• Strict quarantine and isolation protocols followed
• Students with symptoms discouraged from coming to class

Attendance Options

Before COVID...

During COVID...

• Episodic conditions: absent with accommodation
• Cold or minor illnesses: present

• Full remote participation for some students for “COVID-related reasons”
• Hybrid classes
• Remote participation for students in quarantine or isolation
• Remote participation for students with any “COVID-like symptoms”
• Episodic conditions: absent or remote with accommodation

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

Flexibility with attendance

• DAS identifies need
• Usually episodic conditions
• Examples: migraines, epilepsy, IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, PTSD, anxiety, depression
• Faculty are notified
• Collaborative contract created
• How many missed classes
• How to communicate absences
• Missed work

​

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Proposal to Administration

• Remote participation possible
• Design difference: online vs. in-person
• Acknowledgement of non-optimal delivery method
• Proposal
• Occasional use
• Not full-semester use
• Professor discretion for use of remote participation

​

Rationale

• Nature of episodic conditions
• Some participation is better than none
• Appropriate self-care
• Class benefits
• Student testimonials
• Faculty testimonials

Approved!!!

Example

• Undergraduate student
• Crohn’s
• Flares
• Proximity to bathroom
• Lecture class
• During flare, connect by Zoom with camera and microphone off
• Not completely present, but better than fully absent

Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

Barriers/Limitations

• Effective Communication
• Administration approval….to individual faculty
• Confusion between 2020-21 “remote” and 2021-22 “remote”
• Professor discretion
• What would benefit student most
• Preference
• Perceived technology limitations

Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash

Current Practice

Some students who receive flexibility in attendance are also approved to participate in courses remotely, if pedagogically appropriate.

Questions?

Discussion Questions

• Does your institution offer partial remote participation as an accommodation?
• How does your institution navigate the technical challenges that come with partial remote participation and individual instructors?
• If you are still fully remote, what is your institution planning to do after return to in-person classes?