Computer Use for Essay Exams

Students with a wide variety of disabilities may use the computer for essay exams. These include disorders of written expression (trouble transferring thoughts from brain to pencil), ADHD (organization problems), and physical disabilities. Some students have learning disabilities that actually make their writing so bad, they cannot even read it.

All of our computers have the internet disabled while students are taking an exam, unless the exam is on Blackboard.

Computer Use for Access to Adaptive Technology

Computers are used with a variety of adaptive technologies, including text-to-speech software, speech-to-text software, and enlargement of the text for visually impaired students. These programs and others are located in the office of Disability Resources, Education, & Access Management.

Again, students with a variety of disabilities may use these accommodations. Here are some examples of disabilities and programs these students may use:

Students with learning disabilities, especially with reading disorders, often do not see all the words on an exam, and need it read to them. We have computer programs that read the exam aloud while highlighting the words for the student to follow.

Students with ADHD often benefit from having two modes of input: visual and auditory.

Students with limited hand function benefit greatly from speech-to-text programs (we use Dragon Naturally Speaking), which allows them to "type" papers themselves instead of using a scribe. This program is also useful for visually impaired students who have trouble typing.

Using a computer for exams is ideal for students with visual impairments, as they can manipulate the font size, color, and background color, as well as playback of what they have written for proofreading purposes.