Alternatives to oral presentations
Disability- or chronic health-related functional impacts can significantly impact the student's ability to demonstrate knowledge through oral presentations. For example, a student with vasovagal syncope may suddenly lose consciousness when experiencing high stress, or a student with a social anxiety disorder may experience severe panic attacks.
The alternatives to oral presentations accommodation offer flexibility when disability-related impacts interfere with the student’s ability to present information orally. Alternatives cannot change essential course requirements.
The spirit of the accommodation is to provide flexibility in the way a student demonstrates their learning, when oral presentations are an assessment method.
Many students experience challenges with oral presentations, but don't necessarily experience disability-related impacts. This accommodation is only assigned when a student's ability to deliver oral presentations is significantly hindered by disability-related functional impacts.
Student responsibilities
Contact the instructor as early in the term as possible to discuss alternatives to oral presentations.
Consider alternatives that help mitigate the barrier like those listed in the alternatives section below.
Instructor responsibilities
Negotiate an alternative to oral presentation, if it is not an essential course requirement.
Refer to processes for resolving academic accommodation implementation in the academic accommodation policy (section 11, page 6) if you think this accommodation conflicts with an essential course requirement.
Alternatives
Consider the following alternatives to oral presentations:
- play a recorded presentation to the class
- submit a recorded presentation to the instructor
- present orally to a small group
- present orally to the instructor
- use notes while presenting orally to the class
- stay seated while speaking
- an alternative assignment, like a paper or project
These alternatives may not be appropriate for every student. Individual students and instructors may have their own suggestions for alternatives.
These alternatives may not be appropriate for every course. For example, an essential requirement of the course may be to demonstrate the skills associated with delivering an oral presentation.
How to help
Provide a clear explanation of the skills that students are expected to demonstrate and how these will be graded in the syllabus.
Build flexible assessments into your course. Allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in multiple ways.