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

Learning Contracts

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. 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.

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.

Disabled Student Support provides guidance on Learning Contracts (on Sharepoint), including use of the 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.

Adjusted Marking (stickers and marking assignments)

Marking cover sheets and blue stickers may be used by disabled students whose disability or long-term condition has an adverse effect on their ability to express themselves accurately and clearly in written form. This usually applies to deaf students and students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD).

Please note that marks for accurate referencing are not covered by the wording of the stickers. Therefore, for ease of marking it is suggested that marks specifically for referencing are not included alongside those for accurate and correct use of language.  It is the academic member of staff’s responsibility to be aware of students with a learning contract recommendation for adjusted marking. Students in are noted in the timetable class list as having a Learning Contract, with a link to the system.

Although students have responsibility for using a marking cover sheet or a sticker on their work, they might sometimes forget. If their work is marked without reference to their learning contract, the marks will need to be recalculated, disregarding any surface errors of standard written English (inaccurate spelling, punctuation, grammar and word order).   How to mark in accordance with the marking cover sheets/blue stickers:

• Example 1.
  • If marks for accurate and correctly written Academic English = 10% of overall marks, mark the assignment out of 90.
  • If the student achieves 45, this = 50% of 90.
  • An equivalent mark of 50% should then be given for spelling, punctuation etc. 50% of 10 = 5%.
  • Therefore the overall mark for this assignment would be 55%.
• Example 2.
  • If marks for accurate and correctly written Academic English = 5%, mark the assignment out of 95.
  • If the student achieves 63, this = 66% of 95.
  • An equivalent mark of 66% should be given for spelling 66% of 5 = 3.3%.
  • Therefore the overall mark for this assignment would be 69%.
• Example 3.
  ‘Holistic’ marking. Many academic staff choose this way of adjusting marks for Academic English. However, staff should be prepared to justify how they have reached this mark should a student challenge how it has been allocated to their work. 

Find out more:

Sheffield Hallam Guidance - 

External Guidance - 

Get Support: 

Disabled Student Support can provide support and advice around Learning Contracts.