Resource Packet for New Students

OAA Testing Center

The OAA Testing Center provides exam proctoring by reservation only for students with approved testing accommodations. Services are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Testing Center’s main desk is located in Dwight Beeson Hall, Suite 201.

Students are strongly encouraged to submit testing requests at the beginning of the semester when exam dates are listed in the course syllabus, or as soon as exam dates are announced.

  • Reservations must be submitted at least one week prior to each exam.
  • Final exam reservations must be submitted by the published deadline each semester.

When a testing room reservation is approved, the course instructor will receive an email confirming the exam details.

Please note: OAA provides computers, software, and/or technology only when required as part of an approved accommodation. Any additional technology required by the instructor must be provided by the instructor or the student.

Testing Center Overview

Testing Rooms

The OAA Testing Center offers a variety of testing spaces based on accommodation eligibility and availability, including:

  • Private testing rooms
  • Semi‑private testing rooms (1-5 stations)
  • Group testing rooms (5-10 stations)

All testing spaces are designed to reduce distractions and are monitored by trained proctors either in person or through live video monitoring. Rooms typically include:

  • Sound machines
  • Earplugs and/or headphones
  • Spaced testing tables
  • Reduced room capacity (approximately one‑third of standard occupancy)

Students should immediately notify the proctor if excessive noise or other environmental concerns arise during testing.

Testing Room Reservations

Once you have confirmed with your professor that your exam(s) will be proctored through the OAA Testing Center, you must submit a separate exam request for each quiz, exam, or final through the OAA Portal.

Students are encouraged to:

  • Request all known exam reservations at the start of the semester, or
  • Submit requests as soon as exam dates are announced

Reservation deadlines:

  • At least one week prior to each exam
  • By the published deadline for final exams

After your exam request is approved, you will receive a confirmation email with the testing location, building, and room number. Students typically check in at the main desk in Dwight Beeson Hall, Suite 201 on the day of the exam.

A step‑by‑step tutorial video is available to assist with submitting exam requests.

Testing Policies

  1. Check-In: Students are expected to check-in for their test 5-10 minutes prior to the start time at the check-in desk. Testing time will not be extended past the originally scheduled end time due to a late arrival. Students may or may not be allowed to begin their exam if arriving late.
  2. Proctoring: Testing rooms are actively monitored during testing. Proctors monitor rooms either in-person or through live video-recording cameras. (Past recordings are maintained for a set length of time.)
  3. Technology: All phones, watches, and ANY unauthorized technology must be off and inaccessible at all times during testing unless pre-approved by the proctor. Phones and watches cannot be left in pockets or near your testing station.
  4. Belongings: All backpacks, bags, and other personal items must be sealed and inaccessible to the test-taker, but viewable to the proctor at all times during testing unless pre-approved by the proctor.
  5. Scratch Paper: All scratch paper must be provided by the proctor and left on your testing station when testing is complete. Accessing your own scratch paper or removing scratch paper from the testing room is not permitted.
  6. Breaks: Breaks will notadd additional time to your exam. Breaks should be taken in the testing room when possible. No items should be removed from the testing room or accessed during a break. All restroom breaks must be taken in the nearest accessible restroom.
  7. Questions: Please alert the proctor immediately of any disturbances, technical issues, or medical concerns, or if you have any questions or concerns about your test or any pre-approved accommodation(s).
  8. Academic Integrity: The Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Academic Integrity Policy, as stated in the , applies to all students testing in the OAA Testing Center. OAA proctors will follow the instructions indicated by faculty per the Testing Contract. Students are expected to comply with all instructions given by OAA proctors and staff. All irregularities and policy violations observed during testing will be reported to the course instructor for review. OAA Testing Center staff do not make determinations related to academic integrity.
  9. Missed Exam: Students are expected to notify OAA of a room cancellation as soon as possible and are responsible for rescheduling their exam. Students must receive professor approval when rescheduling with OAA. If a student is ill during a test and cannot continue, the student is responsible for notifying the proctor and the professor. Missed exams will be handled by the professor according to individual course policy.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ Library Lab

The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Library Lab is located on the lower level of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Library. Hours of the lab are the same as library hours. Assistive technology provided in the lab includes text scanning, screen magnifiers and text magnifiers. Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 is available on all 42 computers in the lab to listen to PDF files. Students should bring their own headphones or check out a pair at the circulation desk of the library. Students who are registered with Accessibility and Accommodations are strongly encouraged to use this lab. Students who need access to assistive technology not listed above are encouraged to contact Accessibility and Accommodations.

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology is all around us! Many of the tools available are free or cost very little to use. On the following pages are lists of Assistive Technology tools you may find useful when completing various tasks both in or out of school. Many of these tools may help you complete tasks more quickly, easily, or independently. Tools are broken down into sub-categories such as Reading, Writing, or Notetaking, for example. All apps and programs on the following pages are free or cost less than $25.

We do our best to stay updated on the latest information about the apps on the following pages along with adding the latest and greatest apps as soon as they come out. If you find an error in our listing or want to share a program, software, website or app that we should add, please contact: access@samford.edu

Free or Low Cost Assistive Technology

Additional Campus Resources

Office of Civil Rights

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is the agency that enforces federal civil rights law, including ADA and Section 504 of the Rehab Act. Their website contains helpful information regarding the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities. The links below may be helpful to address frequent questions, concerns, and misunderstandings about accommodations in postsecondary settings

Faculty Guidance

Overview of Accommodations Process

The Office of Accessibility receives an accommodation request form and documentation of a student’s disability and engages in the interactive process with each student to determine reasonable accommodations as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Faculty are notified of approved accommodations by an accommodations letter sent through Samford email. The purpose of providing accommodations is to ensure students with disabilities have equal access to all aspects of the course / program. Faculty are responsible for providing the accommodations listed and should contact OAA with all questions and concerns. This letter is valid only for the academic term and course listed. If you have not received an accommodations letter, you can assume the student is either not eligible for accommodations at that time or has elected not to use accommodations in your course.

Faculty Notification and Student Meetings

It is the student's responsibility to notify faculty of their eligibility for accommodations each semester. This is done via the student’s OAA portal and notification will go to the faculty member’s email. Some accommodations may require a conversation to confirm how they will be applied in a given class, in which case you may ask the student to meet with you to discuss. However, please respect the student's right to confidentiality and limit your discussion to one that is private and confidential, focused only on approved accommodations and not on the student’s disability. It is the student's right to choose whether to share any details about their disability, and if disclosed, faculty should never share this information with others unless there is a legitimate educational interest in doing so. It is inappropriate for faculty to ask for a diagnosis or symptoms related to a condition. It is also inappropriate for faculty to provide guidance or counsel regarding a disability or medical condition. Students should be referred to the relevant campus experts. It is only appropriate to ask what barriers the student experiences during the course and to discuss logistics regarding the approved accommodations. Further questions can be directed to the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations.

Fundamental Alterations

Accommodations in higher education should not alter any fundamental requirement of the course. A fundamental alteration is changing something deemed essential about the course. This includes program standards or course learning objectives, as well as pedagogy, modality, or content of a course. It is important to identify and articulate fundamental requirements in the syllabus clearly.
If an instructor has concern that an approved accommodation may alter a fundamental requirement of the course, they should immediately contact OAA. OAA will oversee a review of the accommodation and fundamental course requirement. A decision in writing will be provided to the student by OAA should it be determined that an accommodation cannot be used in a course or for a particular assignment. An instructor should NEVER notify a student that an approved accommodation cannot be used in a course without direct consultation and guidance from OAA. Common fundamental requirement reviews relate to attendance modification, consideration for spelling and grammar, oral presentation adaptation, and access to a calculator.
 

Surgery, Illness, and Hospitalization

There are times that OAA may need to be involved when students report surgery, extended illness or hospitalization. Other times, the situation may be managed through course or university policies. The document below was developed by OAA to give students guidance on the type of assistance we can provide, as well as the limitations on what may be available. Faculty are welcome to link to or distribute this as well. Surgery, Injury or Other Temporary Impairment Guidelines.

Proctoring Service

The OAA Testing Center proctors exams Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30am and 4:00pm. Students are expected to reserve a testing room at least one-week in advance of tests. An earlier deadline is applicable for students requesting final exam testing space. When a room reservation is approved, professors will receive an email confirming the details. To use the proctoring service, professors must provide a copy of the test at least 24-hours in advance for regular tests and at least one-week in advance for final exams. Please Note: OAA provides computers, software, and/or technology ONLY to meet accommodation needs. All technology required for the test by the instructor must be provided by the instructor or student.

Testing Contracts

Faculty are responsible for providing approved testing accommodations and should contact OAA with any questions or concerns. All approved testing accommodations will be sent to the professor by email. For students with testing accommodations, a link will be included with a Testing Contract. Faculty complete this contract to indicate whether they agree to provide the student's testing accommodations independently, or whether they would like to utilize the OAA Testing Center proctoring service. If utilizing the OAA Testing Center, professors will identify testing dates, permitted materials, and preferences on the contract.

Permission to Audio Record Lectures

Audio recorders are a Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act- and an Americans with Disabilities Act- covered auxiliary aid to supplement or substitute note-taking for students with disabilities that impact their note-taking speed, quality, or handwriting/typing capacity. Recordings may not be used for any purpose other than as a supplement or substitute for class notes for the student approved for this accommodation. Recordings in any form may not be shared with any other individual.

Regarding class policies that prohibit audio recording:

This accommodation supersedes any in-class policy prohibiting audio recording. However, instructors can request that students who use an audio-recording device sign the Audio Recording Accommodation Agreement in advance. This agreement can be found on the OAA student portal. Instructors are permitted to prohibit audio recording ONLY during portions of the class when note taking in all forms is prohibited. If students are permitted to take handwritten or typed notes, audio recordings must be allowed.