General Consultation and Outreach

The Academic Support Center is a resource to all students, faculty, and staff at the university. Faculty can be particularly helpful to students by making appropriate announcements and individual referrals to study skills workshops, Supplemental Instruction sessions, peer tutor opportunities, Writing Lab appointments, and individual meetings with our professional staff.  

ASC counselors are also available to faculty and staff to confidentially discuss student concerns. In addition, workshops and presentations tailored to various campus groups can be designed based on the needs of a particular course or group. 

Disability Accommodations at American University

In addition to the services outlined above, students who request accommodations for a learning disability or ADHD are served by the Academic Support Center. Students with physical, medical, psychological, or sensory disabilities work with Disability Support Services. Faculty and staff who are requesting accommodations can contact Human Resources to provide documentation of their disability.

Provost Bass's letter to faculty outlines university processes for all members of the university who request disability accommodations. The Guide to Disability Support for Students, Faculty, and Staff provides an overview of university policies, services, and procedures.

Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD

The Academic Support Center is responsible for reviewing documentation of learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) presented by students who may request accommodations at the university. Once a disability has been documented in the ASC, each semester a student may request letters for faculty to verify approved accommodations. Students are encouraged to meet with their professors during office hours to discuss their needs in relation to a particular course, and to determine with each professor the best arrangement for accommodations. 

Faculty may consult with an ASC counselor at any time if they have questions about arrangements for a student's accommodations.  The Academic Support Center publications, Working with Students with Learning Disabilities or ADHD and the faculty guide, Using the Online Test Accommodations Request Form, provide further details. To consult on testing or note taking arrangements, faculty may contact the testing and note taking coordinators at 202-885-3489 or examsandnotes@american.edu.  

Taking Exams in the Academic Support Center

Arranging student tests with disability-related accommodations in the Academic Support Center, when faculty cannot make the necessary arrangements, is an important component of our work and we are here to support students and faculty. In order to manage this administrative function, we must strictly enforce the following guidelines.

• students must submit an online test accommodations request form no later than one week before an exam
• for final exams, however, requests must be submitted by the published deadline (usually three weeks before the end of classes)

We recognize that life isn't perfect and occasionally a late form is needed. Using a late form will give a student two extra working days beyond the deadline.

There is no guarantee that we will be able to secure a proctor after the online deadline has passed.

Keep in mind that students are allowed only three late forms. Once we notify a student that they have met their limit, no further late forms may be used.

Late forms must be:

• picked up in person between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from the Testing Coordinator in MGC 243
• filled out completely
• signed by the professor (the student may need to fax or scan/e-mail the form to the professor)
• returned to the testing coordinator by 5:00 p.m. two working days (Monday-Friday) before the exam.
  

• check back with the testing coordinators to see if a proctor has been found
• let their professor know that they missed the deadline in the ASC and prepare a back-up plan in case a proctor cannot be hired
  
  

• To CANCEL a test appointment
  A student should cancel the test using the online test request system as soon as they know they will not be taking the test in the ASC.
• To CHANGE a test appointment
  A student must contact the testing coordinator as soon as possible so that new arrangements can be made.
• LATE ARRIVAL to take an exam
  
  • If a student is more that 15 minutes late for a test appointment, the professor is notified. Depending on the circumstances, the professor's permission may be necessary to start an exam late.
  • If a student arrives late to a test appointment, missed time cannot be made up.
• EXAM MATERIALS
  
  • The ASC furnishes scratch paper, pens and pencils, dictionaries (if approved), Scantron sheets, and blue books, in addition to word processing, assistive technology, and earplugs or headphones.
  • Students are expected to furnish their own approved supplementary materials for an exam, including calculators, rulers, colored pencils, and highlighters.
  • Professors must furnish periodic tables.
  • If students are using Dragon Naturally Speaking software for an exam, they must bring their voice file with them on a flash drive or memory stick. Please come early in order to install the voice file before starting the exam.
• INTERNET ACCESS
  
  • ASC computers do not have Internet access.
  • If students need access to the Internet (for Blackboard, data files, computer software like StatCrunch, Real Player, etc.), they must note what is needed on the test request form for the professor to approve, and discuss their needs with the test coordinator in advance of the test date.
    
  
  Testing Office hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.