Students who are registered with SAS and have a verifiable need due to a significant memory impairment may be approved to utilize a memory aid during exams. This cue card is to be used to trigger information that the student may have difficulty recalling as a result of cognitive processing issues linked with memory. Its sole purpose is to serve as a way to trigger the student’s memory and not to provide them with the solution to test questions.
This accommodation is based on federal law’s requirement that students with this level of impairment be given an equal opportunity for information on exams they take. It may help them recall information that would not be accessible without the use of the memory aid.
A student who would like to apply for this accommodation must meet with a SAS staff member and provide the department with documentation from a qualified professional that justifies the use of this memory aid.
Examples of a Memory Aid
Memory aids can come in various forms. The most common are a one-sided or double-sided note-card, or a one-sided sheet of paper in size 12 font, double-spaced. Based on the faculty’s discretion, the memory aid might or might not include:
- Key Terms
- Pictures
- Formulas
- Tables
- Definitions
- Graphs
- Names
- Short Phrases
Faculty Responsibility
Even if SAS approves the accommodation, the decision to permit the cue card is determined by the student’s faculty and/or their department chair, since this accommodation cannot fundamentally alter course requirements. A faculty member may deny the use of the accommodation if they determine that the ability to memorize and remember information on exams is essential to the nature of the course and its goals.
If the aid is approved, the instructor is expected to review the content of the memory aid and remove information that may compromise course integrity.
Student’s Responsibility
If the faculty member and/or department chair approve the accommodation, the student must present their cue card to their professor for review at least two days prior to the exam. This can be completed by presenting the physical aid to their instructor or sending an email to them with the aid’s information included in it.
If the content is approved by the instructor, there are two options for sending the memory aid to SAS for distribution:
- The first option is for the student to send the memory aid to SAS at least a day in advance of their exam date so that it can be printed for the exam. SAS will turn the memory aid to the instructor once the student completes their exam.
- Please note: A cue sheet that has not been approved by the instructor (e.g., by writing their initials on the cue sheet) will not be permitted for use during the exam.
- A secondary option is for the instructor to send the approved memory aid with the exam to SAS.