AIM access link for students. Please bookmark this page to ensure easy access.

It is the responsibility of each DAS student to notify faculty of their accommodations every semester. DAS uses a data management system, AIM, to help students review accommodations and email notification letters to their assigned faculty members. Academic accommodations are meant to ensure access and will not lower academic standards or compromise the integrity of educational programs. Although accommodations can be requested or changed at any time, DAS encourages students to do it early on, as accommodations are not retroactive.

 

To send your Letter of Accommodations to Faculty:

Before any notification letter can be sent to faculty, you will have to give DAS permission to disclose accommodations by signing the Information Release Consents on the left hand menu under My Accommodations. This form gives us permission to discuss and send your information to your instructors and other necessary contributors. Once signed, you can see your approved accommodations with descriptions under My Eligibility. Here, you can learn more details for each of your approved accommodations. Familiarize yourself with your accommodations then, when you are ready to confirm your accommodations and send your Letter of Accommodations:

1. Click on “List Accommodations” under My Accommodations.
2. Click the boxes to place checkmarks beside each class that you want to request accommodations for. Then, click the the button below to proceed to Step 2 – Continue to Customize Your Accommodations.
3. Then, place checkmarks beside the approved accommodations that you want use in each class.
4. When you have finished making your selections, click Submit your Accommodation Request.  An email will be sent to DAS and the professors of the courses you selected. You will receive a copy of the email also. If you make any changes to your accommodations, you will need to repeat this process so updated notification letters will be sent to faculty.

Scheduling Exams

ONCE YOUR INSTRUCTOR RECEIVES YOUR Faculty Notification Letter, it is strongly recommended that you meet with your instructor to discuss your accommodations, especially test accommodations. You and your instructor will determine whether they or DAS will administer your exams.

If the student is taking accommodated exams with the instructor, they are responsible for the following:

• Initiate the process and send a Faculty Notification Letter to instructor as early as possible in the semester. IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you select “ALTERNATIVE TESTING” accommodation.
• Meet with your instructor(s) to discuss the process for how testing accommodations will be provided by the instructor.
• Remind faculty of your exam accommodations at least one week in advance of EACH exam. Be sure to get the following exam information: date, time, location, and special instructions.

If a student is taking an exam at DAS, they are responsible for the following:

• Initiate and send Faculty Notification Letters as early as possible in the semester.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you select “ALTERNATIVE TESTING” accommodation.
• Meet with your instructor(s) to discuss the process for how testing accommodations will be provided by instructor.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Instructor must complete “ALTERNATIVE TESTING AGREEMENT.“
• Schedule exams and quizzes through DAS AIM Student Portal a minimum of 2-working days in advance of each test, and at a date and time that is approved by your instructor.
• Schedule FINAL EXAMS through DAS AIM Student Services at least 3 weeks before the start of final exams.

Remember when Scheduling Exams:

• Exam requests submitted less than 2-working days in advance may be denied
• Requests to reschedule an existing exam appointment must be approved by the instructor of the course and DAS. Note: Reschedule requests may be denied.
• Requests to reschedule exams will be approved dependent on the availability of seats in DAS Testing Room as well as the discretion of the instructor.

Please access the Scheduling Exams with AIM guide with images to assist in navigating the online system. General instructions are noted below.

SCHEDULING EXAMS WITH AIM

Students who have alternative testing accommodations may need to take their exams at the Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) Testing Room. The DAS Testing Room is available to students registered with DAS and approved for testing accommodations and/or whose instructor is unable to provide testing accommodations in their department. Please discuss testing accommodations with each instructor at the beginning of each semester to determine where you will be taking your exams. Oftentimes, instructors will provide testing accommodations in their department (i.e., a small classroom, conference room, office, etc.).

Exams must be scheduled a minimum of 2 business days in advance. Late exams will not be accepted. Exam requests submitted less than 2 business days in advance may be considered on a case-by-case basis but are not guaranteed. Exams must be taken in the DAS Testing Room between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and during regularly scheduled class times, unless you have been given approval from your professor and/or DAS to take your exam at an alternative date and/or time.

On the day of your exam, please arrive at DAS (Lincoln Hall, Room 111) a minimum of 5-10 minutes before your start time. Students arriving 15 minutes late will not be able to test at DAS.
Please review “Day of Exam” to familiarize yourself with exam policy/procedures at DAS.

Instructions for Scheduling an Exam at DAS

1. Access Alternative testing via AIM, log into AIM using your Berea credentials
2. Navigate to ‘Alternative Testing’, located under ‘My Accommodations’ on the left-side menu.
3. Select the class from the drop-down menu that you wish to schedule your exam for and select ‘Schedule an Exam’.
4. Read the terms and conditions of scheduling alternative testing in Disability and Accessibility Services Testing Room.
5. Select ‘Exam Details:’ Fill out the type of exam (i.e., exam, quiz, midterm, final), date, and time. The standard length of exam is the amount of time in minutes that your instructor has allowed for the class. Do not calculate your own extended time. AIM will calculate it for you based on the number of minutes you enter in this box. If you do not know how long the class is for the exam, please contact your instructor.
6. Select ‘Services Requested’ and select the accommodations you wish to use for the exam (please note, only select the accommodations you wish to use for the exam). Your individual accommodations will populate in the “Services Requested” section. If there is any technology required for the exam, such as a computer if you are taking an exam in Moodle, select computer in the “Required Technology” section. If there is anything else you think the DAS should know, please add that information in the ‘Additional Note’ section.

After Submitting Your Request

You will receive an email either approving your exam request or asking you to contact DAS. You can check the status of your exams at any point by logging into AIM and selecting the Alternative Testing tab on the left side menu. You will receive an email from AIM confirming receipt of your quiz/exam scheduled with DAS. If you do not receive an email OR you receive the “Late Request” email, please contact DAS immediately at 859-985-3237 or dasoffice@berea.edu.

Checking Exam Status

At any time, you can check the status of your exam requests by logging into AIM using your Berea credentials.
1. Select the Alternative Testing tab on the left side of the screen to view all your exam information.
2. DAS will send reminders to your Berea email in advance of all your exams, informing you of dates and times.
3. If your exam is not listed in AIM, you have not completed the process and will need to request the exam again.

Modifying Exam Details

If you need to change a detail of your exam such as the length, date, or time, you may select “Modify Request” and make the necessary changes. DAS will be notified that you have requested a change. Please note, any changes to the date and time must first be approved by the instructor of the course if the date and time do not align with the regularly scheduled time of the course.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact DAS at 859-985-3237 or you may also email the testing staff directly at dasoffice@berea.edu. Additionally, you can contact DAS Testing Coordinator, Renee LeFebvre, at lefebvrer@berea.edu.

Requesting Alternative Text 

Instructions with images are also available.

Students who are approved for alternative text accommodations can request alt-text for textbooks and/or course material each semester through AIM—the platform DAS uses to house information about students’ accommodations. Students must customize accommodations for each course, selecting accessible textbooks, E-text, and/or accessible instructional materials for courses where alt-text accommodations will be used. The standard turn-around time for alt-text requests is up to 2 weeks. Note: Students who are eligible for alternative text must first complete the Alternative Text Agreement Form, stipulating the conditions under which students can use the alternative text created.

Requesting Alternative Format

1. Use your Berea College user ID and password to log into AIM.

2. Select the Alternative Formats link under My Accommodations on the left side of the page. Be sure the correct term is selected, and choose your Alternative Format Preference, such as Accessible PDF, Braille, E-text, Enlargement, Word, Daisy, etc.

3. Scroll down to Request Alternative Formats section. If the professor has posted book information at the bookstore, books will be listed below. Choose Select for each of the books you would like to request.

4. Receipts for each book requested must be uploaded via the Upload Book Receipt section. Choose File to browse the location of your receipt on your computer, select the course the receipt is for and select Upload Receipt. Note: Requests cannot be processed without a receipt.

5. If a book is not listed within AIM or if you need to request supplemental course material for conversion, scroll down to Additional Book or Reading Materials. Please provide the course and all requisite information of the text (title, author, ISBN, edition, etc.) and Submit Request.

Uploading Documents for Conversion (i.e., course material, journal articles, etc.)

When submitting a custom request for course material, you can upload the document(s) to be converted.

1. In the File Information screen, enter the name of the Document, browse to file on your computer, enter a due date (please allow up to 2 weeks, the standard turn-around time for all requests), and add any notes about the file (e.g., I only need pages 10-30 converted).
2. Select Upload Document

Checking the Status Alternative Text Requests

Once your request has been submitted, you have the option to track the status by following these steps:

1. Select the Alternative Formats link under My Accommodations
2. Locate the book or custom request listed under List Books Currently Being Processed.
3. Check the status of the request in the Status column.

Accessing Alternative Text

Once the files have been converted, there will be a “Download Book” link in the “Status” column to access your alt-text.

If a student is taking exams at DAS, faculty are responsible for the following:

Faculty have three responsibilities surrounding the test administration at DAS:

1. Complete the Alternative Testing Agreement
2. Review Student’s Appointment Details
3. Upload the exam by 12 p.m. the business day prior to the scheduled exam

Review Student’s Appointment Details

If a student submits a request for their test to be administered at DAS, faculty will receive an e-mail to “Review Student’s Test Appointment”. This serves three purposes:

1. To make instructors aware that the student has scheduled their test and to give instructors an opportunity to review the request to ensure the day/time is agreeable. If the instructor disagrees with the student’s appointment time, they must immediately notify DAS.
2. Complete Alternative Testing Agreement, a form designed to gather general information about the testing experience for students in your classroom for a specific course. Providing exam details helps DAS know how to administer the exam using the guidelines you have established for the class.
3. Upload a copy of the exam. Tests can be submitted by selecting the link within the email to UPLOAD your exam. All exam materials must be received by 12:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled exam.

Upload the Test

1. Instructors are responsible for sending a copy of their exam materials to DAS by 12 p.m. the business day prior to the exam. If exam materials are not received by 12:00 p.m. the day before the exam (if the exam is scheduled for Monday, the exam materials must be received by 12 p.m. Friday), the exam will be canceled and rescheduled based on students’ availability. This is necessary to provide DAS time to assign appropriate number of staff such as proctors, readers, or scribes; prepare exam materials’ envelope; and convert the exam to an alternative accessible format, if necessary. This can be done by selecting the link within the email to UPLOAD your exam (preferred), hand deliver, or email.
2. Send test instructions via the “Notes” section when UPLOADING the test. (**ONLY NEEDED IF UNIQUE FROM TESTING AGREEMENT INSTRUCTIONS**)
3. ​Updating your Alternative Testing Agreement.  There are times when instructors must make updates to the information included in their Testing Agreements.  Please follow the instructions

Alternative Testing Agreement

Please access Faculty Alternative Testing with images to assist in navigating the new system. General instructions are noted below.

Alternative Testing Agreement

Students approved for testing accommodations can take exams with their class, in class with appropriate testing accommodations arranged by the instructor, or in the DAS Testing Room. Faculty are responsible for making arrangements to facilitate standard test accommodations (e.g., extended time, distraction-reduced testing environment, brief breaks, etc.) within their department. Students are best accommodated when their exams are proctored by the instructor and/or faculty member, especially in the event there are clarifying questions. If the student needs to take their exam at DAS, as the instructor, you are responsible for completing the Alternative Testing Agreement for students to receive their approved testing accommodations at DAS and submit exam materials by 12 p.m. the business day prior to the exam. Providing exam details via the Testing Agreement helps DAS know how to administer the exam using the guidelines you have established for the course.

The Alternative Testing Agreement is only required for students who are taking exams at DAS. If exams are all online, or there are no exams in the course, an Agreement is not required.

Instructors only need to complete the Agreement once per semester per course for each exam type (i.e., quiz, exam, midterm, final, etc.). If you teach multiple sections of a course, you have the ability to save time by copying Agreement information of one course section to another section of the same course. If you need to change any aspect of the Agreement once submitted, please contact DAS to make those modifications.

Where to Find the Link to the Testing Agreement

The Alternative Testing Agreement can be found in two locations:

1. Alternative Testing Agreement is located in the Alternative Testing Request, the email you receive once a student requests to take an exam at DAS.

2. Faculty Notification Letters also contain the link to the course’s Alternative Testing Agreement. This link is located inside a red rectangular box in the email. Note: This testing link only appears if the student is eligible for Alternative Testing as an accommodation. Select “Alternative Testing Agreement” hyperlink or copy and paste the link to your browser to complete the agreement. *Only 1 agreement will be needed for all DAS students in the course.

New Exam Request Process

Student Submits Request to Schedule an Exam at DAS

To initiate the process and schedule an exam at DAS, students must first request their exam through the AIM Student portal. If the student needs to take an exam at a different time due to class schedule conflicts, proctoring availability, or exacerbation of symptoms related to disability the student is instructed to obtain permission from the instructor to test at a different time.

Instructor Receives Confirmation Email and Submits Exam

Once the student schedules their exam, the instructor for the course will receive Alternative Testing Request email with a link to enter exam details via the Alternative Testing Agreement. Upon completion of the Testing Agreement, a subsequent email will provide a link for instructors to upload their exam. Instructors may also choose to email or drop off the exam in-person. Completing the Alternative Testing Agreement is required. Students will not be able to schedule their exam until the Agreement is received.

Instructors are responsible for sending exam materials to DAS by 12 p.m. the business day prior to the test administration. If an exam is scheduled on Monday, exam materials must be received by 12 p.m. on Friday. Exams can be submitted via the link provided in the email outlining the student’s exam appointment, delivered in-person, or emailed (dasoffice@berea.edu). If exam materials are not received by 12:00 p.m. the business day before the exam, the exam will be canceled and rescheduled based on students’ availability. This is necessary to provide DAS time to assign appropriate number of staff such as proctors, readers, or scribes; prepare exam materials’ envelope; and convert the exam to an alternative accessible format, if necessary.

Completing the Testing Agreement

Step 1: When completing the Testing Agreement, select a class from the drop-down menu. Select “Continue” to specify Alternative Testing Agreement. Please note, there are more questions than what is shown here.

Step 2: Complete the exam type section of the agreement. Each field must include the allotted time for students to schedule that specific exam type. For example. If there is a quiz, standard exam, midterm, and final, please include the allotted time in each designated field. Do not calculate extended time. Only provide the regular class exam length without extended time.

Step 3: Complete the fields in the Additional Information section. Instructors can specify any additional information or instructions in this section.

Step 4: Select “Submit Alternative Testing Agreement.”

 

Key Points

• Agreement is submitted for each exam type
• Check to ensure the exam is scheduled for the right day/time
• Can be applied to all students in the course section
• Uploads are one at a time, but multiple files can be uploaded for one exam
• Select “Yes” on the “Same Exams for Everyone” question on the upload screen to apply the exam file and instructions to all students in the course section
• Exam materials must be received by 12:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled exam to ensure adequate time to prepare
• To make changes to the Agreement or to dispute a students exam request date/time, please contact DAS

 

Accessible Information Management (AIM) is a comprehensive accommodation, appointment, and case management software adopted by the Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) Office. AIM is a secure system that protects confidential information about DAS students. DAS recently launched two new components to the system, alternative testing and alternative formats, to help students manage their accommodations with more independence.

An Alternative Testing Agreement is an online form associated with a class.  The purpose of the agreement is to provide DAS staff with instructions regarding the administration of ALL in-person assessments (quizzes, exams, midterms, finals) offered in the class throughout the semester. DAS requests that instructors access and complete the agreement in full at the beginning of the semester.

DAS students will need to request and select which accommodation they want for each class and schedule a notification email to be sent out each semester. You will receive a Faculty Notification Letter via email. The Faculty Notification Letter will list the alternative testing accommodations requested by the student. Students are encouraged to meet with you to discuss testing accommodations.

The Alternative Testing Agreement can be found at the bottom of the Faculty Notification Letter you received from students. Alternatively, a link to complete the Alternative Testing Agreement is provided in the Alternative Testing Request you receive when a student schedules an exam at DAS.

As a reminder, if you already completed the agreement for a course you will not be prompted to complete the agreement again. 

Students will make an electronic request, through the DAS Student Portal (AIM). Students must submit their online Alternative Testing Request in advance (at least two business days for exams held during the academic term and at least seven business days for exams held during fall/spring finals week) of the test. You will be notified when a student submits a testing request. You will not be required to confirm or follow up with DAS. You will only need to contact DAS if something in the request needs to be modified (i.e. perhaps the student’s request was for the wrong date, wrong time, an online assessment, etc.).

While DAS asks that you complete the Alternative Testing Agreement once at the beginning of the semester for each exam type to be inclusive of information of all assessments during the term, it is very possible you will need to edit the agreement throughout the term. In order to modify the Alternative Testing Agreement, you must contact DAS to inform the staff of any changes you wish to make.

If you do not have timed quizzes, tests, or exams of any kind in your class, you would not need to complete the Alternative Testing Agreement.

You will deliver the exam to DAS per the conditions established in your Alternative Testing Agreement.  You have the option to upload the exam via the link you receive in an email once a student requests to schedule an exam at DAS. Once you select the link, you will be prompted to upload the exam files. Alternatively, you can email them at dasoffice@berea.edu or deliver the exam in person.

No, the students are still expected to take the exam at the same time when their class starts. Any variation in exam start-time should first be discussed with you.

You will retrieve the completed exam as indicated in your Alternative Testing Agreement. You can either select to pick up the completed exam at DAS, select to have DAS staff scan and upload the completed exam, or you can request to have the exam delivered to your CPO.