A list of different accommodations I have used throughout my tenure at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. This also contains some technology integrations that I have been involved with that were designed to enhance the learning environment.

1. Accommodations, Alternative
Assessments and
Technology Integration
Isaac Mulolani
Copyright © 2019 isaac.mulolani@gmail.com
Last Revision Date: April 30, 2019 Version 2.0

2. 2
1. Examples of Alternative Delivery and Assessment
1.1. Winter STAT 201
In Winter 2012, a student taking STAT 201 was in a class I was teaching. This student had
equity accommodations that included extra time, a reader, a scribe and a quiet room. The
student took the first test in the course with these accommodations in place. Unfortunately,
there were some serious issues with the reader being unable to express the question content
properly so that the student could answer the questions.
Consequently, I decided to take a different approach. After consultation with John Williams
in the Counselling Services (Saskatchewan Polytechnic), I implemented a solution as follows:
1. The student attended class as usual.
2. The student’s test was given prior to the rest of the class since I was the reader/scribe.
3. A private room was provided for the assessment duration.
4. The entire assessment was more of an interview style assessment. I would read the
question and give the student time to respond on the white-board. We originally
attempted to use video but the Audio Visual department’s hand-held video did not
produce a satisfactory result.
5. The remaining two assessments were conducted as interviews as was the final exam.
This student performed really well in this course with this revised accommodation. It did
require much more work on my part to be available at both these assessments(the main test
and the preceding interview-style assessment).
1.2. Technology-enhanced Assessment - Maple/MapleTA
Several times since we introduced Maple into calculus courses(Fall 2013), I have provided
students with two part exams: a written and a computer part using Maple. In Spring 2016,
in MAT 200 for GSET 4, the final assessment in the course was a project to be completed
over a period of days and summarised in a report. Students were required to use Maple 2016
to solve the problem and then explain the solution process in a written report.
Courses in which Maple is currently being used are MAT 201(EDDT),MAT 226(EDDT),
MAT 226(GSET 2), MAT 235(GSET 3), MAT 200(GSET 4). The possibility for extending
these tools for use in Environmental and Electrical Technology is available. Technology can
enable more effective use of the instructional resources we currently have to service the same
technology areas as before.
I used both MapleTA and Maple in a fully-fledged problem-based Learning context in some of
the higher semester courses. This was considered in conjunction with the use of e-portfolios to
help students identify and develop employability skills. The performance of students greatly
improved when provided with these alternate delivery and assessment forms. Funding for
such course development initiatives was a primary constraint.
1.3. Winter 2014: MAT 201 & MAT 200
One student was not able to complete MAT 201 in Fall 2013 as part of the third semester
EDDT cohort. As a result, it was decided to deliver the course to this student in Winter

3. Section 1: Examples of Alternative Delivery and Assessment 3
2014 during the work-term. The student’s four-month work term placement took place
in Saskatoon which required a distance delivery option. The deliver process involved the
following:
(a) The student engaged the services of a tutor in Saskatoon.
(b) The LMS was not available so the Hand-in and Hand-out drives of the EDDT Program
were used to provide notes, worksheets and assignments.
(c) The student had access to the instructor via e-mail, phone and skype for questions.
(d) The student booked and wrote tests in the Saskatoon Saskatchewan Polytechnic Test
Centre.
(e) All graded student assessments were returned via regular mail (three days).
(f) The final exam was delivered through the Test Centre as well.
(g) The student also had access to Maple for use in assignments and to check hand calcu-
lations, derivatives, sketches etc.
For this delivery, the content from the blended on-campus version of the course was provided
to the student using the EDDT computer drives. The student was given access to these for
the duration of the course. The kind of content provided to the student is listed below:
1. Syllabus document detailing the learning outcomes and content to be covered in order
along with assessments.
2. Worksheets containing solved problems, presentation files, assignments all in pdf form.
3. Screencasts on certain topics to clarify issues.
4. Communication between student and instructor was via e-mail predominantly.
5. Worked solutions were provided after graded assignments had been returned via regular
mail.
I reiterate that we were not allowed to use the LMS (WebCT) for this delivery by Registration
Services(Saskatchewan Polytechnic). It was not clear at the time what the reason for this
was.
For Geomatics Technology Program students in fourth semester, I implemented a written
project in place of a final exam. The original assessment of a final exam was not providing
students with an opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Instead, students were given a
series of assignments and tests throughout the semester. In addition, there was a written
paper they had to submit before the final project that was due within a given time frame.
The new assessment scheme yielded far better results and students able to demonstrate their
learning in a way that was satisfactory. This current assessment scheme has been in place
each year from 2014 onwards.
1.4. Winter 2016 MAT 200 PLAR
A student who had failed the MAT 200 in Spring 2015 was given the opportunity to complete
the course as a PLAR in Winter 200. This was the last course the student needed in order
to attend the Spring graduation in 2016. The PLAR consisted of

4. Section 1: Examples of Alternative Delivery and Assessment 4
1. Completion of a series of assignments/tests.
2. Completion of a final exam.
3. Student access to D2L for the duration of the PLAR. This provided access to all the
course notes/worksheets from the blended delivery.
The student made use of communication with the instructor via phone, e-mail and during
in-the-office visits. The end result was that the student was able to pass the course and
graduate with the rest of his cohort. Saskatchewan Polytechnic is behind in the use of online
courses for this purpose.
1.5. Fall 2018 STAT 120
A student in this course had to have an eye operation in the middle of the semester. After
this operation,the doctors required the student to stay out of class for three weeks. This led
to the student missing two tests during that time. In consultation with the program head
of the student’s department (Business Information Systems), we agreed to provide the last
two tests for the student in the form of an interview. The student was very successful in
both these tests. The purpose of the interview was to avoid straining the student’s eyes in
the regular pencil and paper tests. The student eventually took the final exam with the rest
of the class in the regular format and obtained an excellent final grade in the course.
1.6. Winter 2019 STAT 220 PLAR
A student in the Fall 2018 delivery of STAT 220 was not successful in the first attempt at
completing the course. I initiated an attempt to provide the student with the opportunity
to PLAR this course in the Winter semester so as to have a greater chance at success.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic does not have current a plan for providing online delivery options
within technology areas. Currently, blended learning is an instructional model that is just
being introduced across the institution. The student was able to successfully complete the
course on this second attempt. It is hoped that more appropriate delivery mechanisms will
be developed for this purpose.
1.7. Open Educational Resources
Using a provincial government OER grant in 2017, I created open educational resources
to use in all my Geomatics Technology Program mathematics courses. These resources
became an alternative to the more expensive publisher texts which for the most part are not
accessible to Saskatchewan Polytechnic Geomatics students. In Winter 2019, I incorporated
the use of the Odigia Platform to provide course notes online for students in the MAT 200
course. Odigia makes use of Rice Univerity’s Openstax OER content. Several of the texts
from openstax.org were used to create the notes for this course. Students paid a minimal
fee of $25 to access the content provided through this platform. The Odigia platform can be
integrated into other learning management systems such as Brightspace using LTI.
1.8. Commercial Resources
In Fall of 2018, I was preparing to teach a Business Mathematics course, MATH 139, in
Winter 2019. To provide additional resources to students, I contacted Vretta Inc., a Toronto-
based technology company. They provided access to their Business Mathematics content
along with a pilot for Elevate My Math for the MATH 139 course. This content was to

5. Section 1: Examples of Alternative Delivery and Assessment 5
provide students with help in areas of weakness in the Mathematics required for successful
completion of the MATH 139 course. Vretta provided access to additional resources for this
course that I incorporated into my teaching of the course.
1.9. Odigia Platform
In the Fall of 2018, I made a plan to integrate the Odigia Platform (www.odigia.com) into
the delivery of the fourth semester Advanced Mathematics course (MAT 200). The original
plan to use Odigia within Daylight was not allowed. Instead, students were given direct
access to the Odigia Platform. There was a $25 cost associated with this access. Students
were provided with course notes designed within the platform. Presentation files and other
documents were provided within the system for students to use. The course was to be
delivered in a blended mode using this system.