Course Policy Modification

Course policies as they relate to attendance, due dates, make-up work, and missed exams/quizzes are set by faculty at the college, departmental, or individual level. Course Policy Modifications (CPM) may be appropriate when a student has a chronic physical or mental condition/disability with brief, periodic flare-ups that legitimately impact course attendance/assignments on occasion. These disabilities may include but are not limited to, students with epilepsy, cancer, mental health disabilities, migraines, and conditions requiring ongoing or specialized medical treatment.

This accommodation provides a small amount of flexibility to address a brief medical/health impact and ensure students with disabilities are not unduly penalized when their disability occasionally prevents them from meeting the stated class attendance policy and deadlines. However, CPM is not designed to support a substantial number of missed classes or lengthy deadline extensions for reasons beyond brief, periodic flare-ups. Additional accommodations and options may need to be considered on a case-by-case basis in these extenuating, lengthier situations.

Even with CPM, students are expected to meet all course objectives, and failure to do so could have an impact on their grade. This accommodation does not provide blanket exceptions or cover non-disability-related circumstances. If a student finds that he/she is not doing well in the class due to extended absences, the student is urged to consider options such as requesting a medical withdrawal.

Implementing Course Policy Modifications

Since course learning objectives and requirements vary widely, the implementation of Course Policy Modifications will vary by course. Course Policy Modifications are determined on an individual, course-by-course basis that considers the impact of the student’s diagnosis and the nature of the course and its policies.

The implementation of this accommodation requires the following steps:

  1. Students share their letter of accommodation with their faculty.
  2. Students thoroughly review their syllabi and identify the attendance and deadline policies for each of their courses.
  3. Students complete a survey with information about each of these policies and indicate how their disability may occasionally hinder their ability to meet these requirements.
  4. The student’s ADS specialist reviews the survey and completes a CPM Agreement form with proposed modifications that are specific to the student and the course requirements.
  5. The CPM Agreement is then sent to the student and faculty via Accommodate to review and sign.
  6. The student and faculty are encouraged to contact the ADS specialist if they have any concerns regarding the proposed modifications.

The CPM Agreement form will establish specific guidelines for how the accommodation will be implemented, such as how and when the student will notify the professor of each disability-related absence (e.g., emailing within 24 hours), the amount of time the student has to make up missed work or exams/quizzes, whether there are any alternatives to missed participation points on days the student is absent, etc.

Responsibilities and Other Considerations

The student is still expected to meet all course requirements.  When absent, the student is responsible for the class content, lecture notes, and information presented that day. The student should arrange how he or she will obtain this information. Professors are not obligated to re-teach material that the student has missed. Make-up tests and missed work due to absences should typically have short extensions (e.g., within 48 hours to one week after the missed class). 

If a student’s absences reach or exceed the number of specified absences, or if the student does not adhere to other agreed-upon expectations, ADS should be notified. ADS is available to mediate any issues and work with the faculty to determine appropriate next steps and discuss options with the student.

This accommodation does not cover non-disability illness or other non-disability reasons as to why the student is absent. As accommodations are not retroactive, professors are not obligated to apply this agreement to earlier absences if the student provides an ADS memo later in the semester.

Essential Elements of a Course

Professors are expected to provide this accommodation unless it is determined that doing so would fundamentally alter an essential element of their course. If a professor believes that additional absences or assignment extensions would be a fundamental alteration, the professor should consult with the student’s ADS specialist as soon as possible. The Office of Civil Rights provides the following factors to be used in considering whether attendance is an essential part of a course:

  • Is there classroom interaction between the professor and students, and among students?
  • Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
  • Does the fundamental nature of the course rely upon student participation as an essential method for learning and assessment?
  • To what degree does a student’s failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
  • What does the course description and syllabus say?
  • What is the method by which the final course grade is calculated?
  • What are classroom practices and policies regarding attendance? Is the attendance policy equally applied? Has the policy been modified for others or have any exceptions been made to the policy for students without identified disabilities (e.g., are athletes allowed excused absences)? Is the attendance policy similar to that of professors teaching other sections of the course?

In cases where professors believe that modifications to the attendance and/or deadline policies would constitute a fundamental alteration, TU procedures provide for a review of this decision by a committee consisting of appropriate administrators, faculty and staff. If appropriate, ADS will be responsible for initiating a committee meeting to review the course requirements with the professor and conduct a fundamental alteration analysis, as well as explore options and possible alternative accommodations. See Fundamental Alteration Process (DOCX) for more information.