[ARCHIVED] ADA Mentor Access Role

[harker]

We have a need for an ADA Mentor role, which would be just like the observer role, but would permit the mentor to view the quiz so that they can assist an impaired user that needs to take the exam. Here is a chart of Observers Visibility and Participation PDF. Again, we would like to have this but to also include quiz visability, not answering the quiz.

Scenario: A blind student is to take and exam, yet a geology instructor has made the exam to include images. According to ADA, the ALT code of any image would have to be very descriptive, thus giving the answers to the students. So the need of an ADA Mentor would be to verbally describe the image, without disclosing the terms. Thus, abled students would not have a means to gain answers.

We have tried to create this role based on the OBSERVER role, but for some reason the ability to assign a user to the new role does not work. Likewise, we do not want to base it off a different role (i.e. TA or Teacher role) because of the additional abilities that would be given.

There could be an additional issue with quiz settings. The mentor would have to see exactly what the student is accessing. This may be a challenge from the quiz settings- rotated questions, one question at a time, etc.

Thoughts?

[kmeeusen]

Ean:

I haven't needed to do this yet, but walked through the process so that I might be able to help you.

1. I opened my sandbox, and went to People,
2. I clicked the +People button, then added one of our dummy test users, and set his role as observer.
3. After he was added (and that worked well) I noted that his role was listed as "Observing: nobody",
4. So I clicked the gear icon at the end of his row, and chose "Link to Student"
5. In the "Link to Student" dialog box, I started typing the name of another test user I had in there, and autocorrect pulled up that students name for me to chose.
6. I clicked "Update",  and got the following...............

Is that what you are trying to do?

Let me know, and I will try to troubleshoot more for you.

After Note: after I sent you this, I went in as an admin and checked the permissions for the Observer role.  The observer role is locked by Canvas and very restricted, and some of the permissions cannot be changed. I would, at a minimum, enable access to manage assignments and quizzes so that your ADA person will be able to view the student's quiz and describe images. HOWEVER: I am bit concerned about security with this change, because I think that observer would be able to view everybody's quizzes and assignments, so appropriate training would be recommended.

I do not know the workflow for your ADA observers, but if they are sitting next to the student while they are taking a test, no access would be needed - they could just peak over the student's shoulder so to speak. But, if this is being managed remotely - student at one site, ADA observer at another - then the observer would have to have permission to manage the quiz so that they could view it.

KLM

[hunter]

When I apply these exact steps, it still says Observing Nobody. I wonder why it would work for one institution and not another.

Jen

[kmeeusen]

Now I am baffled, and can only suggest a support ticket!

[kona]

harker, maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't the ADA Mentor be sitting with the student when the student took the test? In the past we've had to do something similar with our students, but the test taking assistant just sat with the student in a quiet room and provided assistance (appropriately) as needed by looking over the student's shoulder. We never actually gave the assistant access to the course. I will say that for one of our hearing impaired students who needed an interpreter we provided access to the course for the interpreter, but it was student level access.

To circle back around, if the Mentor needs to have their own access to the test, then what's wrong with giving the mentor student level access. The Mentor could go into the test like a regular student and should be able to see everything they need to see.

[hunter]

In this case, it is an online class and the student is in another state.

Jen

[kona]

Wouldn't student level access for the Mentor still be enough for them to go through the test with the student?

[hunter]

If the test is not randomized, then yes a student access might work. We are looking into that option now. If the test is randomized or from a quiz bank a whole new world of problems open up. The alt text required for pictures gets to be too cumbersome when the picture is the question and you have to describe the picture without giving away the answer.

[Robbie_Grant]

harker,

We are giving the Canvas Admins area a little bit of love (especially questions that are really, really old) and just want to check in with you.  This will also bring this question new attention. 

Were you able to find an answer to your question? I am going to go ahead and mark this question as answered because there hasn't been any more activity in a while so I assume that you have the information that you need. If you still have a question about this or if you have information that you would like to share with the community, by all means, please do come back and leave a comment.  Also, if this question has been answered by one of the previous replies, please feel free to mark that answer as correct.

Robbie