Remote Access Accommodation Approval Process
Remote access accommodation approval requires two different steps:
- CAE verifies that the student is eligible for remote access as an accommodation based on their disability and information provided to the office, and
- CAE verifies with the student's faculty that their courses will allow for remote access without compromising the core elements of the course required to complete it.
As our office recognizes that some courses cannot be equitably delivered in a remote format without creating a fundamental alteration, we approve these requests on a class-by-class and quarter-by-quarter basis. Faculty will not learn of a student's request for remote access until they have been determined to be eligible by CAE. To aid in the determination of whether a remote access accommodation is applicable to a course, CAE will request information from faculty about the nature of the course and student participation during class meetings. During this process, any concerns or reservations faculty have regarding providing remote access should be brought to the CAE Specialist's attention. As we must fully engage in and document the interactive process for compliance purposes, it is helpful to outline any barriers to providing the requested accommodation.
For our process to work as smoothly as possible, CAE asks faculty to provide as much information as possible to help us fully understand the nature of their courses and any potential challenges that may arise to the core elements of the course required to complete it. Additionally, it is helpful is faculty provide a copy of their most recent syllabus for the course to help us answer additional questions we may have while reviewing the information submitted about the course. Some more common questions about our process and what we ask of faculty can be found below.
How does CAE determine whether a student is eligible for the remote access accommodation?
When a student makes a request for the remote access accommodation, CAE will request additional information and documentation to substantiate that the accommodation is necessary as a result of the nature and degree of the student's disability. You can find more on what information and documentation we may require from the student in our Remote Access Accommodation Guide for Students. Most importantly, we will determine at the time if the nature and degree of a student's disability could be ameliorated by other accommodations that could be considered more reasonable and appropriate, such as adjustments to the classroom and other flexibility accommodations like absences due to a disability-related reason.
There is no magic word or disability that immediately qualifies a student for remote access. Instead, our CAE Disability Specialists do their due diligence to gather all of the information possible, including documentation, the student's rationale, and knowledge on common practice from colleagues in Disability Services, to make the most measured decision. Additionally, just because a student may be determined eligible for the accommodation does not mean that the remote access accommodation can be reasonably and appropriately applied to the course.
What information am I asked to provide to justify a decision on a remote access accommodation?
Once a student has been determined to be eligible for the remote access accommodation and has informed CAE of what classes they would like to use their remote access accommodation in, the student's Disability Specialist will connect with the instructor to gather specific information about the course. Some of the information gather could include the following:
- Course modality for the upcoming quarter: Do you plan on offering remote or hybird modalities for the course in the upcoming quarter?
- Course participation requirements:Is there significant interaction between the instructor and students or between students during the class meetings (e.g., discussion, interactive experiences, problem solving)?
- Importance of physical presence in class:Is a student’s physical presence in the classroom necessary to complete any interactive components essential to the course objectives listed in the syllabus (e.g., a student must be physically present in class without the aid of technology to complete interactive components of the course)?
- Remote capabilities of the course:Have students been permitted to participate in your course in a hybrid/remote manner in the past?
- Learning objectives of the course:What are the stated learning objectives for the course? Faculty can also provide their updated syllabus for the course.
- Alternatives:Is there an alternate section of the course already offered in a remote format?
Each quarter a couple of weeks prior to the quarter, we will engage with students to understand for which classes they would like to request their remote access. Once the information provides us this information, we will reach out to faculty and provide multiple means of providing this course information to us, including the form on this page. We may ask for additional information beyond what the faculty member initial submits to us if any of the information is unclear or doesn't allow us to make the appropriate determine of whether remote access is reasonable and appropriate for the class.
What is required of me when the remote access accommodation is approved for the class?
Many instructors may be nervous or unsure of what is required of them once a student is approved for remote access. Most importantly, instructors should know that
- Couse syllabi and general course policies do not need to be adjusted for the whole class, and
- Students with a remote access accommodations are still required to meet all of the same objectives in the course as their peers.
Students who are seeking these types of adjustments or considerations within the context of their remote access accommodation should reach out to their CAE Disability Specialist for further evaluation and determination of their needs. Some course practices, assignments, and other components of the course may require adjustments that the student's CAE Disability Specialist can troubleshoot and brainstorm with you. Questions on how to set up remote or hybrid tools to allow the student to attend class, complete a presentation, or participate in group activities during class meetings should be directed to CAT via email at bruincast@ucla.edu.
Am I required to facilitate exams or quizzes remotely?
You may also have questions about how exams are administered and proctored when a student is approved for the remote access accommodation. In cases where the student with a remote access accommodation makes a request for remote exams and proctoring, the instructor is generally still allowed to set their own policies around the modality of exam delivery.Students with requests for remote exam and proctoring should be directed back to their CAE Disability Specialist to discuss whether they qualify for this accommodation. In limited circumstances, the student's Disability Specialist may recommend this accommodation and will work collaboratively with the instructor to determine how remote exam proctoring can take place in the course. In most cases, however, other more reasonable and appropriate accommodations can and will be offered.
Instructors who choose at their discretion to support remote exam accommodations can find additional guidance on how to best proctor and administer remote exams in our Guidelines for Remote Exam Accommodations.
What if I believe that a remote access accommodation is a fundamental alteration of my course?
Faculty who believe that any accommodation, including a request for remote access, may fundamentally alter the core criteria for completion of their course must substantiate their request with information to indicate how the accommodation will significantly alter the core objectives of the class. More information on what information we may require to substantiate fundamental alteration claims can be found at our Guide to Determining Accommodation and Fundamental Alterations.
What if I don't know how to set up remote access in the classroom I teach?
CAE understands that faculty have many different responsibilities and to add the extra task of setting up a Zoom lecture or starting BruinCast can be both challenging and frustrating. UCLA has resources to support faculty and to make this responsibility significantly easier.
BruinCast
You may already be teaching in classroom with BruinCast that allows you to video record and/or audio record (podcast) regularly scheduled undergraduate lectures for on-demand playback from the course website on Bruin Learn (Canvas). More information on this tool can be found at the Center for the Advancement of Teaching website and questions can be directed to bruincast@ucla.edu.
Zoom Learning Assistants
A Zoom Lecture Assistant (ZLA) is a UCLA student or staff who is assigned to help UCLA Faculty and Teaching Assistants during their Zoom lecture. ZLAs can assist with virtual zoom moderation or on-site technical support for classrooms that are not equipped to stream.
The ZLA program is meant to be a compliment to the services already provided by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT). Prior to requesting ZLA service be sure to check if your classroom is already setup for streaming, review the CAT directions for operating classroom technology, and reach out to BruinCast to see if CAT can support your classroom at bruincast@ucla.edu. For more information how the ZLA program can assist you or questions, please contact zla@orl.ucla.edu.
What if other students inquire why some students get to attend remotely but they don't have that option?
We know that this question or inquiry is bound to happen as soon as you allow for a student to attend remotely. While it may seem unfair to those student attending in person, it is important to create a culture of respect and understanding that remote modalities adopted in a course is facilitated for equity purposes. Instructors may reiterate that, at their own discretion, they can adjust the modality of the courses they teach and may do so for a variety of logistical or pedagogical reasons. If students inquire about remote options for their courses, it is best to direct the student to the Center for Accessible Education by email at caeintake@saonet.ucla.edu or encourage them to join one of our weekly drop-in sessions based on the schedule on our homepage.
Course Verification for Remote Access Accommodations
As a part of our verification process that a course can facilitate a remote access request, we specifically request information from faculty on the nature of the course and student participation during class meetings. Faculty receive these requests for information via email and may best respond by filling out the form below. Faculty may always email the CAE Disability Specialist requesting the information or schedule a meeting to discuss the request.
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