UK Office of Academic Ombud Services

109 Bradley Hall • 859-257-3737 • Confidential FAX 859-257-5346 • Email: ombud@uky.edu

Academic Reminders

III. OTHER ISSUES OF IMPORT

A. Classroom and Learning Accommodations: All university instructors are required to make reasonable accommodations for physical and/or learning disabilities that could inhibit student academic success. The Disability Resource Center certifies the need for and specifies the particular type of such accommodations on a student-by-student basis. Faculty should request this certification from any student requesting such an accommodation. However, once presented with such certification, please refrain from asking questions regarding what justified such accommodations. Staff of the Center can also answer questions and provide guidance and assistance. (Contact Mr. Jake Karnes, 257-2754). Statement similar to the following placed in the syllabus would benefit students who might have special needs:

Any student with a disability who is taking this course and needs classroom or exam accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Center, 257-2754, room 2 Alumni Gym, jkarnes@uky.edu.

B. Class Enrollment: Students who are attending class but are not on the class roll (i.e., not enrolled) should be directed to the Registrar. The University has no obligation to instruct students who participate in class without enrolling or whose enrollment becomes nullified during the semester. It is the responsibility of the instructor in each class to certify that the final roll is correct. When a student is taking the course as a visiting student or auditing the class, that student's status and the instructor's expectations of the student should be clearly agreed upon at the start of the course.

C. Grading Writing Skills: Helping promote scholarship is more than simply teaching the subject matter -- all students need to improve and refine their skills in verbal and written expression. Regardless of discipline, instructors have the right -- and the obligation -- to expect that students use English properly in all aspects of the course (S.R. 5.2.4.3). Instructors can ask students to rewrite papers, make writing style one of the grading criteria, and report a seriously deficient student to his/her college for remedial work. The expectation of proper language usage should be stated in the course syllabus. Faculty may wish to include a reference to the UK Writing Center located in the W. T. Young Library (http://www.uky.edu/AS/English/wc).