Disability Services

For Faculty - Tips to Facilitate Student Learning

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Many teaching strategies that assist students with disabilities are known to also benefit non-disabled students. The following teaching strategies are likely to benefit all students in an academic setting.

On the syllabus:

Include a statement instructing students to inform you of special needs as soon as possible to ensure that needs are met in a timely manner.

Examples: 

If you have a disability and require accommodation in this course, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met.You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Coordinator of Disability Services in the Office of Academic Advising & Assistance. She can be reached at x2304. Once you have an accommodation letter, please arrange a time to see me so we may discuss your needs.

or

Any student with a documented disability needing accommodations is requested to produce an accommodation letter and speak with the instructor by September 10. All discussions will remain confidential. If you do not have an accommodation letter, please contact the Coordinator of Disability Services at x2304. 

Required text:

Select a text that is available in electronic format. Check with the publisher about this issue when making your selection.

Select a text with a study guide.

Before the lecture or class session:

• Write key terms or an outline on the board, or prepare a lecture handout
• Create study guides
• Assign advance readings before the topic will be discussed in class
• Give students questions that they should be able to answer by the end of each lecture

During the lecture or class session:

• Remember that instruction provided in an array of approaches will reach more students than instruction that relies on one method
• Attempt to provide information that will reach visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners
• Briefly review material covered in the previous class session
• Use visual aids such as overheads, diagrams, and charts
• Allow the use of tape recorders
• Emphasize important points, main ideas, and key concepts
• Face the class when speaking
• Explain technical language and terminology
• Pause in speaking to allow students time for taking notes
• Periodically leave time for questions
• Give assignments in writing as well as orally

Assignments and papers:

• Consider creating a rubrics for assignments and papers to ensure clear understanding of expectations
• Try breaking assignments into small steps, especially at the beginning of the semester and encourage students to do the same for themselves later on
• Encourage student self-monitoring for improvement in skills. Try focusing on a few skills to be improved between each assignment.

Grading and evaluation:

Consider a variant grading system with multiple grades for various tasks weighted differently

Be sure the student has arranged any special testing accommodations with Disability Services before scheduled tests or quizzes.