[Athen] E-book devices in testing rooms

[Teresa Haven]

This is our point of view for closed-book, closed-note exams as well,
but I believe Jeff was specifically asking about open-book exams, which
are quite a different type of critter.  In that case, how do we handle
letting the student have the same access to their alt format materials
that their peers are getting with access to an open textbook, while
appropriately restricting other access such as internet?  For the
moment, I think it's less of an issue with the Kindle than it is for an
iPhone; Kindles only access the Amazon online store, they don't
otherwise surf the web, but iPhones can do an incredible array of tasks,
with more added every day.  As devices become more broad in the
functions they will perform, it seems reasonable to assume that this
question will become important for many of us to deal with; it also
appears to be a question that should reach beyond "disability services"
to our institutions in general as we attempt to become more universally
designed...

Teresa 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Teresa LW Haven, Ph.D.
Supervisor, Alternate Format Program
Disability Resource Center
Arizona State University 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


-----Original Message-----
From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On
Behalf Of Robert Beach
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 2:47 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: Re: [Athen] E-book devices in testing rooms

We have had students want to use devices such as the BrailleNote and
PackMate to take tests.  At first, my director used to allow this until
I explained to her that this was the same as letting any other student
write their answers in the same notebook they used to take notes in
class.  You cannot guarantee that the student will not access the notes
from the class or other resources, including the textbook.

We now do not allow students to use such devices to read and/or write
answers for tests.  They must use one of our computers with assistive
technology that is setup for testing.  When we had a blind student
complain that this was not fair because he was better at writing braille
on the Braillenote than he was with typing into Word, we simply
explained that he was in college and typing papers on the computer was
going to be a skill he would have to develop.  Once he tried using JAWS
to read and Word to write during a test, he really liked it.


Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS  66112
Phone: 913-288-7671
Fax: 913-288-7678
E-Mail: rbeach at kckcc.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On
Behalf Of Jeffrey Dell
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 3:18 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: [Athen] E-book devices in testing rooms

Hello
Has anyone had any experiences with a student that has an open book exam
and wishes to use a device like the Kindle or an e-book ap on an iPod or
iPhone?  How did you deal with the situation.  Many of these devices
have features that professors would not want a student having access to
like WiFi capabilities.  We haven't seen it happen yet but I was just
thinking of that when I was reading about BLIO this afternoon.
Jeff
Cleveland State

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