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Reasonable Adjustments and Learning Contracts

Assessment Policy: 3. Reasonable adjustments to the design and delivery of assessment can be made for students with Learning Contracts agreed with the University.

What is a Learning Contract

The University has a legal responsibility to support disabled students by making reasonable adjustments. This is achieved primarily through the provision of Learning Contracts and the delivery of specialist services for disabled students. There’s also a key role in raising awareness about the need to anticipate the needs of disabled students and promote the development of Inclusive Practice.

A Learning Contract recommends what reasonable adjustments should be made to meet the needs of a disabled student and explains who is responsible for making them. Currently, many students disclose their disability when they apply to study here*, but some disclose after they’ve enrolled – sometimes as late as their final year – so learning contracts are written and published at any point during their studies, and can be revised at any time. Disabled students in overseas collaborative partner organisations will be given reasonable adjustments appropriate to their conditions, as agreed with the support services in their organisation.

Learning Contracts last for the duration of the student's time at the University. It's a living document and ca be revised and updated at any time necessary - for instance of the student changes course or their impairment or condition changes. In the event of a change of circumstance, the student should book a guidance appointment with the Disabled Student Support Team.

What is a Self-Identified Learning Contract (SILC)

The Disabled Student Support Team has developed a way for students to get basic learning contract at the point of registering for support. This is called a Self-Identified Learning Contract (SILC).

Students will complete a registration, and if they have evidence of the impacts of disability, they will upload this to the system*. If they do not have documents on the impact of disability, they will be able to create a SILC. Students can pick up the following reasonable adjustments:

Students will also be made aware of the Baseline Inclusive Measures:

Recordings of taught sessions or suitable alternatives will be made available to students in line with the code of practice.
Exams will continue to have 25% additional time (15 mins per hour).
Teaching materials to be accessible.
Teaching materials will be available in advance.

Students will be prompted to book an appointment with the service if they would like to discuss access to externally funded support or other reasonable adjustments.

Following the publication of the advice note from Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and to respond to the following points:

Staff should be reminded that where a student has a severe or urgent condition, reasonable adjustments may be made without a diagnosis or medical or expert evidence.
Under the Equality Act (2010), universities have a duty to make reasonable adjustments where a student does not have a confirmed diagnosis of a disability.
Many reasonable adjustments have little or no cost implications.
Many reasonable adjustments can be implemented through inclusive practice for all students.

How can students get a SILC

Students can share their disability with the University and register for disability support through My Student Record, complete the short registration form, choose from the reasonable adjustments listed, and see the Baseline Inclusive Measures. Students can also upload documents, but this is not required for a SILC.

The students will be able to consent for the information to be shared, and this will then be published by the Disabled Student Support Team. Students can review the learning contract at any time by contacting Hallam Help and requesting an appointment.

Phased Tests for Disabled Students

These are support arrangements within a student's Learning Contract (LC) and are relevant to those modules that have a phase test. Module Leaders are responsible for their students who have a LC and must ensure ensure reasonable adjustments are made. Confirm with each student whether they want access to the support recommended. Make sure you consider the following:

If a student has been recommended a PC in phase test or time bound assessment: you'll need to book a room to enable them to type their answers using a Hallam networked computer. They cannot use a spelling or grammar checker. Students should be given a hard copy of the paper and answer booklet where applicable. They can choose to complete some or all of the paper by hand but should clearly mark which questions have been typed and which are handwritten on the paper, so you can easily find their answers when marking.
If a student has been recommended a smaller room or 1:1 for a phase test: you will need to book a room and arrange an invigilator for each room.
If a student has been recommended an orthopaedic chair/office chair/seating arrangements: contact the Estates Team who can organise the chair for you.
If a student has been recommended no phase tests in the morning/afternoon/evening: if the proposed time for the phase test is at a time where students are not able to complete assessments, you should contact the student at the earliest opportunity and arrange an alternative time for them to complete.
If a student has been recommended Dragon in a phase test: Dragon is a speech-to-text software and students can dictate their answers using a headset. Check that Dragon is the students preferred way of working in time-bound assessments before making arrangements. If they wish to use Dragon, students will need to complete the test in 1:1 accommodation. Liaise with the student to ensure they bring their own laptop with their own Dragon profile pre-set up. Read more about Dragon software.
If a student needs natural light for their phase test: ensure the student has access to a room with plenty of light and in a 1:1 setting. You will need to book a room and arrange an invigilator for each room.
If a student needs a support worker for on-campus phase tests: usually this is either a reader (who reads out the questions and can read students' work back to them) or a scribe (who will write down their answers). Module Leaders will need to arrange for these in a 1:1 accommodation. To book these, contact the Disabled Student Support Team with a minimum of 14 working days notice, with the student's details / support required / date and time and location.
If a students first language is British Sign Language (BSL) or where their acquisition of language has been severely impaired: it will be necessary to modify the language of their phase test papers. The aim is to make the English as clear as possible and ensure the student does not need to spend time decoding what is often their second language. Where language modifications are recommended, tutors should forward phase test papers to the Disabled Student Support Team to be modified. The modified version with all visible changes, will be sent back for checking to ensure the meaning and intent of all questions remain unaltered. When approved they can be processed.

How do I write alternative form of assessment to phase tests?

Alternative forms of assessment are recommended when reasonable adjustments would not make the assessment accessible to the student or where time bound assessments would have a detrimental impact on their health or wellbeing. This recommendation is made in exceptional circumstances only. Examples of alternatives that have been provided previously are assignment-based assessments or presentations. For students who are able to sit a time-bound assessment but would struggle with the length of the test with extra time and rest breaks, a 'split' test taken over two sittings can be considered.

Take a look at LTA > Designing Assessments for guidance on writing alternative assessments. You may also wish to contact Student Equality & Inclusion to confirm whether the alternative assessment is accessible for the student.

Promoting Inclusive Practice

Where a student has a Learning Contract, the University has a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments to the design and delivery of assessment. This may also include the provision of an Alternative Form of Assessment for examinations where their disability prevents them from sitting formal timed assessments.

Courses should also consider designing flexibility / optionality into some module assessments, to remove the need for individual alternative assessments. Inclusive pedagogy describes an approach to teaching that recognises the diversity of students. It aims to enable all students to access course content, fully participate in learning activities and demonstrate their knowledge and strengths at assessment.

Recommendations about oral presentations – for a number of students with anxiety or processing difficulties, oral presentation are a form of assessment that can present significant difficulties. In most cases this can be managed by recommendations to deliver to a smaller audience or just to tutors, or by asking for disability-related difficulties to be discounted. For a small number of students an alternative form of assessment to presentations will be recommended. There will always be consultations with module/course leaders before this recommendations is made.

Module tutors: you are responsible for knowing which of your students has a learning contract / SILC and what adjustments are recommended for each of them. You should search the online systems for students with learning contracts at the start of each module.
Module Leaders: you should forward any alerts relating to a new or revised learning contract to the appropriate module tutors as soon as you receive them.

Whatever your role, you must comply with the University's data protection and confidentiality policies. Learning contracts should be accessed on a strictly 'need to know' basis.

It breaches confidentiality to make reference to s student's disability or learning contract in a way which might inform the student's peers of their status as a disabled student. While some students might be comfortable with this information being shared, others won't, so take your lead from the student.

Find out more:

Sheffield Hallam Guidance -

Learning Contracts system (requires VPN) where you can look up Learning Contract information for your students. All students with a Learning Contract also have the words 'Learning Contract' next to them on the electronic MyTimetable records. Click on it to go directly to the student’s Learning Contract record in the system.
Hallam's Policy for Assessment

External Guidance -

Assessment and Feedback