Piloting an Electronic Registration Process: No Meeting, No Problem?

1. Piloting an Electronic Registration Process: No Meeting, No Problem? Adam Crawford and Caitlyn McCandless The Ohio State University 2019 AHEAD Equity & Excellence Conference 

2. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Learning Outcomes • Participants will... • Understand the context, design, implementation and results of Ohio State's electronic registration pilot program. • Evaluate the merits and viability of an electronic registration model in creating an interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations.

3. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES • Context

4. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Background, Pre-Pilot • Ohio State • 60,000+ students • 5 regional campuses • 16 week semesters • Student Life Disability Services (SLDS) – Autumn 2018 • 1 Assistant Director (now 2), 4 Access Specialists (now 5) • 1 GA, 1 Student Assistant • Appx. 3500 registered students; 700 per Access Specialist • Typical Registration Process • Submit documentation to SLDS; no application form (now using AIM) • Receive "Schedule Your Welcome Meeting" Email • Complete Welcome Meeting

5. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Leading Up to the Pilot • Autumn 2018: 3-4 week wait times for registration from start of semester leading into late September • Pressure point: staff calendar availability • Semester passing quickly, accomm. not getting met • Increased request for pre-registration "recommendations" for accommodations (not legally viable) • Consulted with ADA Coordinator, Access Specialist team on pilot • Pilot launched September 28th, 2018 (end of week 6)

6. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES • Design

7. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Pilot Overview • Submit documentation to SLDS • Receive response email with 2 options:  • Schedule your Welcome Meeting (3-4 week wait times) • Submit attached PDF form (1-2 weeks to process) • Electronic forms reviewed, processed by SLDS staff • Student received post-registration email with approved accommodations, link to handbook, summary of responsibilities, next steps, and invitation to follow up with assigned Access Specialist • Offered opportunity to students "already in line" (with far-off appts)

8. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Electronic Registration Form • Please list your disability diagnoses for which you are registering with SLDS. *(w/ reference list) • Please describe how your disabilities impact or create barriers to your student experience at Ohio State. If you are prescribed medications/treatments with relevant side effects, please describe. • Please describe the specific accommodations or services that you are requesting. *(w/reference list) • Do you have a history of using disability accommodations at a prior educational institution or workplace? If so, please describe. • If there is any additional information that you would like to share with SLDS as part of this application, please include it here (or attach a separate narrative).

9. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Internal Processing • Graduate Assistant monitored inbox, saves ERFs to queue • Access Specialist reviewed documentation and ERFs to determine approved accommodations • Access Specialist or student assistant input student data into SLDS database and sent post-registration email to student, cc's assigned Access Specialist • If any follow-up required (referral to another office, course design discussion with relevant faculty/staff), separate emails sent to initiate (same as in-person Welcome Meetings)

10. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Post-Registration Email: Accommodations • Your assigned Access Specialist is [AS NAME] (cc’d). Your Access Specialist serves as your point-of-contact for SLDS. Please feel free to reach out to them with any questions or concerns you might have related to your accommodations during your time at Ohio State.  • Based on the information collected from your submitted disability documentation and Electronic Registration Form, you are now approved for the following academic accommodations: • [LIST OF APPROVED ACCOMMODATIONS] • If you would like to request any additional accommodations not listed above, please schedule a follow-up appointment with your assigned Access Specialist."

11. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Post-Registration Email: Next Steps • Review the SLDS Student Handbook and the attached documents. • Follow the relevant policies/procedures for setting up your accommodations. • Contact your Access Specialist with questions or concerns. • The Student Handbook provides instructions for how to set up your approved accommodations in your classes. Please pay special attention to the following sections:  • Confidentiality and Release of Information • How to Initiate Accommodations Each Semester • Priority Scheduling • [RELEVANT SECTIONS FOR APPROVED ACCOMMODATIONS] • Disability Services Grievance Procedure • Important Note: By utilizing your accommodations, you are agreeing to follow SLDS’s policies and procedures. Therefore, it is important to review the Student Handbook and the attached documents to understand your responsibilities and expectations.

12. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Post-Registration Email: Questions/Concerns • If after reviewing the SLDS Student Handbook and the attached documents you have any questions or concerns about your accommodations, please email your assigned Access Specialist or contact the SLDS front desk to schedule a follow-up appointment with them.  • Alternatively, you are also welcome to stop by or call our office during walk-in hours (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) to speak with the walk-in Access Specialist for that day.

13. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES • Implementation

14. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES And we’re off! • On average, 15 minutes to process an ERF • Received appx. 35 ERFs per week • Uh oh...we didn't think about this: • Volume of ERFs and staffing to keep up • Complex accommodations which required further discussion • Atypical accommodations • Denials • Non-accommodations (tutoring requests) • Some students did follow instructions, came in with questions...and some didn't (though, is that a new phenomenon?)

15. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Examples of Response: Clinicals • Clinical placement accommodations (to-be-determined in consultation with the College of Nursing)* • *Note: I will share your request for a clinical placement location within the Columbus area with our point-of-contact in Nursing, Dr. Carol Smith. If you are aware of a different point-of-contact for your clinical placements, please let your Access Specialist know ASAP. Clinical accommodations are determined collaboratively between the student, the college, and SLDS. Therefore, additional conversations may be necessary before accommodations can be finalized. You should expect to hear from your Access Specialist or Dr. Smith with an update soon.

16. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Examples of Response: Dissertation • Dissertation accommodations (to-be-determined in consultation with Department of History)* • *Note: Accommodations for dissertations are determined from an interactive, individualized process between Disability Services, the student, and the academic department. Please follow up with your assigned Access Specialist and your dissertation advisor to move forward with determining the exact accommodations that would be appropriate.

17. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Examples of Response: Course Substitution • Note: You described in your electronic registration form wanting to pursue a foreign language substitution. Course substitution requests are a collaborative process between Disability Services, the academic department, and the student. Therefore, to move forward with this request, please schedule a follow-up appointment with me (Adam Crawford) by calling 614-292-3307. Or you are welcome to stop by during my walk-in hours, which the front desk staff can verify for you. When we meet, we can discuss the process in more detail. To get a general idea of the process, please review the Course Substitutions section of the student handbook (see below).

18. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Examples of Response: Employment • Note: In your electronic registration form you mentioned accommodations for your GTA position. Our office can only approve accommodations related to your role as a student, not as an employee. You may request employment accommodations by contacting Integrated Absence Management and Vocational Services.

19. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES • Results

20. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES End of the Pilot • Pilot Length: Sept. 28th to Oct. 25th (last email w/ pilot option) • Comparing registration types (Oct. 5 - Nov. 1st; 265 total):  • 119 electronic registrations (45%) • 146 in-person registrations (55%) • Wait times for WMs reduced from 3-4 weeks to 1-2 days • Designed a post-pilot survey to compare outcomes of students who went through electronic vs. regular process during pilot period • Not IRB approved, not generalizable

21. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Survey Highlights • Biggest reasons for choosing electronic: quicker, more convenient • 93% agreed/strongly agreed SLDS should continue electronic option • No significant differences in registration outcomes between in-person and electronic groups

22. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES Where Do We Go From Here?

23. STUDENT LIFE DISABILITY SERVICES • Discussion / Questions