Faculty Handbook 2012 - 2013
The central mission of the Academic Support & Enrichment Center is to enrich and enhance the educational experience of all Denison students and support faculty/student interaction. The office coordinates a unique combination of programs and services designed to help students improve their overall academic performance and ultimately assist them in realizing academic accomplishment and excellence.
Educational workshops, Academic Plans, and individual consultations with the staff are regularly available upon request or by faculty referral. Standard workshop topics include college reading and writing skills, test preparation, study skills, time management, plus skill building strategies for attaining academic success at the university level. The Center offers a specific intrusive advising program called "Back on Track" for probation students and other outreach efforts designed to support students who are struggling academically. Tutoring for academic courses is available at no cost to the student. The Academic Support & Enrichment Center fosters connections between faculty and students by maintaining funds for the Faculty/Student Meal program. The Academic Support & Enrichment Center is located on the first floor of Doane Administration Building.
The Academic Support & Enrichment Center offers faculty and students use of the Center's resource room. A self-serve kiosk makes handouts on a variety of study skills issues readily accessible. Students or faculty can check out books on file in the resource room for additional ideas on how to prepare for an exam or deal with other study skill challenges. The Center's resource room will be made available for testing accommodations when no available space is able to be secured in the department. Please give 48 hours notice for reserving the resource room. Faculty can find information about the services of the Center as well as a link to the materials that can be found in the Center's resource room library at the following web site http://www.denison.edu/acad-support.
Denison University is committed to providing equal access and reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities as defined under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. The Academic Support & Enrichment Center works closely with students and faculty providing services and academic assistance to students with documented disabilities. Students seeking academic accommodations or auxiliary services should forward a copy of their most recent medical report or evaluation documenting the existence of a specific disability to the Academic Support & Enrichment Center. Documentation should be recent, preferably within the last three years, and should have been compiled by an appropriate licensed professional, e.g. psychologist, psychiatrist, learning specialist, physician, etc.
Specific accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis by the Academic Support & Enrichment Center and based upon individual consultation with the student and supporting documentation. Upon the student's request, the Academic Support & Enrichment Center will notify individual faculty members of a student's eligibility for accommodations. Please make note that only the student can disclose the nature of his/her disablility. It is the student's responsibility to discuss specific accommodation needs directly with his/her faculty at the beginning of each semester.
Reasonable academic accommodations include, but are not limited to: extended time on exams, note-taking assistance, reduced distraction locations for testing, reduced course load, texts on tape/CD, etc. Procedures for accessing "texts on tape/CD" can be obtained in Doane 102 or by calling ext. 6666.
Faculty and students seeking additional information regarding Denison's Disability Grievance Procedures should refer to the Student Handbook or contact the Academic Support & Enrichment Center in 102 Doane.
In an effort to encourage students to disclose their disability and/or need for accommodation in a timely manner, teaching faculty members at Denison are encouraged to incorporate a disability statement on his/her syllabus for each course. This statment on the syllabus creates an invitation to discuss both the student's and instructor's needs in advance and provides the opportunity to discuss the course material in greater detail. It is equally important that students make an official request for accommodations through the Academic Support & Enrichment Center. Even when a faculty member is aware that a student is registered with the Academic Support & Enrichment Center and has received accommodations in the past, it is important to create a record of such accommodations to cover the institution's legal obligations of accessibility.
An example disability statement that can be used/adapted for course syllabi:
"Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately as soon as possible to discuss his or her specific needs. I rely on the Academic Support & Enrichment Center in 102 Doane to verify the need for reasonable accommodations based on documentation on file in that office."