The Purpose and Provision of Class Notes
Class notes are not intended to substitute for class attendance by the student with a disability.
A student’s creation of class notes for personal use or study is more than a form of merely recording classroom information for later review and memorization to assist in recalling information presented to the student while attending class. The process of creating class notes assists students in analyzing, synthesizing and organizing the information and concepts presented in the classroom into a cognitive framework customized to meet the individual student’s unique learning needs.
Therefore, students whose disability interferes with their effectively taking notes may be offered an appropriate accommodation to enable them to create class notes. When the student’s DSP Specialist finds that class notes are an appropriate and necessary accommodation supported by the student’s documentation, class notes taken by someone else will be provided to a student whose disability precludes effectively creating class notes.
When other aids such as audio recording, remote notetaking services, Sonocent, or class presentation materials are determined by the DSP Specialist to be an appropriate accommodation for the student, they will be specifically named in the student’s Letter of Accommodation, and will not be assumed to be an acceptable substitution for class notes that are listed in the student’s Letter of Accommodation.
DSP Notetaking Process
The DSP Specialist will promptly engage in an interactive process when responding to the student’s request for class notes, and will provide class notes in a timely manner for every student for whom it has approved class notes as an accommodation;
Advantages of Submitting Your Request for Notetaking in Advance
If a student makes a request for a notetaker 20 business days prior to the start of the semester for specific classes in which s/he is enrolled and is approved by DSP for such notes, DSP will ensure that the notetaker will be provided by the student’s third class.
If You Must Wait a Short Time for a Notetaker to be Found
During the period while DSP is seeking to obtain a notetaker, DSP will immediately offer students appropriate interim accommodations (e.g. audio recorder, Sonocent, Notetaking Express) for all classes for which a notetaker has not yet been found;
If the delay in providing a notetaker (after the student’s request or the start of classes, whichever is later), is for more than two weeks, the student may withdraw from the class pursuant to University withdrawal procedures, or remain in the class with appropriate interim accommodations;
If notes from a volunteer student from the class are not being provided to the student within 10 business days of the first day of class (or if later, DSP approval of the student’s request for notetaking), DSP will take additional steps to ensure that class notes are provided within four (4) additional business days, which will be accomplished with the use of a remote note taker through Notetaking Express
Once a notetaker is assigned to a student:
- Notes will begin being provided to the student within 36 hours of the class lecture.
- Notes will (if available) be provided retroactively to the first class the student attended or the date of the student’s request for notetaking (whichever is later).
Students should direct questions and concerns about class notes to their Disability Specialist, who may be reached by calling the main DSP Office at (510) 642-0518.