Assistive Technology (Notetaking Support) - OARS Accommodation

In order for a student to receive this accommodation, they must:

Be registered with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS).
Be approved for this accommodation based on their needs and have it documented in their accommodation letter.
Communicate with the professor that they intend to use their accommodations in the course.

Professors will first be alerted via receipt of the Faculty Notification Letter each semester by the student. If the student is registered for Assistive Technology it will be stated in the student's letter as follows:

Accommodation Letter Text

LiveScribe: "The student will be using a LiveScribe Pen, a technology that allows the student to take notes while recording lectures simultaneously. It is the student’s responsibility to not share the recordings with other students or use the recordings for any purpose besides review of lecture content. It is the professor’s responsibility to communicate with the student if there are any portions of the lecture that should not be recorded."

Notability: "The student will be using Notability software, a technology that allows the student to take notes while recording lectures simultaneously. It is the student’s responsibility to not share the recordings with other students or use the recordings for any purpose besides review of lecture content. It is the professor’s responsibility to communicate with the student if there are any portions of the lecture that should not be recorded."

Glean: "The student will be using Glean software, a technology that allows the student to take notes while recording lectures simultaneously. It is the student’s responsibility to not share the recordings with other students or use the recordings for any purpose besides review of lecture content. It is the professor’s responsibility to communicate with the student if there are any portions of the lecture that should not be recorded."

Use of Personal Recording Device: "The student will use a personal recording device that allows the student to take notes while recording lectures simultaneously. It is the student’s responsibility to not share the recordings with other students or use the recordings for any purpose besides review of lecture content. It is the professor’s responsibility to communicate with the student if there are any portions of the lecture that should not be recorded."

OARS Responsibility

Student Responsibility

Faculty Responsibility

Determine eligibility for Assistive Technology accommodation.

Provide access to the assistive technology of choice. OARS will email the student further information.

LiveScribe pens are loaned to students on a yearly basis through OARS.
The Noteability app is provided to the student by OARS.
Instructions to set up a Glean account is emailed to the student.

Consult with faculty, when necessary, to discuss this accommodation.

Be available to students and faculty to answer questions.

Communicate with the professor the intention to use this accommodation by sending the Faculty Notification Letter in a timely manner.

Alert OARS as soon as possible to any issues the student is having with the assistive technology.

For the personal recording device accommodation, the student will provide the recording device.

Communicate with OARS about any concerns with this accommodation.

It is the professor’s responsibility to communicate with the student if there are any portions of the lecture that should not be recorded such as personal student stories or outside speakers.

Application in an online setting: This accommodation applies the same online as face-to-face.

Qualification of accommodation: The accommodation assistive technology is for students who need additional helps due to a physical, learning or other disability that creates a barrier to notetaking.

Why assistive technology? OARS believe that each of these three tools helps increase student engagement with course material, which fosters learning and retention of information. These technologies allow students to review audio from class sessions, providing the opportunity to hear information they may have missed when it was initially presented, or review new concepts that are hard to grasp. Students can also organize the information in systems that best works for them. OARS believes in introducing tools that can be used in employment settings or other contexts beyond the classroom to support the individual’s access for years to come.

LiveScribe Pen: This assistive technology is a physical pen that records audio on a student's phone while taking written notes. The student can later upload both the audio and their notes to their computer for organization and review. Link to LiveScribe resource page.

Noteability: This app can be used on Apple devices (iPad, iPhone or MacBook). Noteability records audio while the student writes/types on their device. Students can also take pictures to include in their notes. As with Glean and the LiveScribe Pen, Notetability allows for students to organize and review the audio and their notes following class sessions.

Glean: Glean is a web-based software that students can use on their laptops and/or smartphones. Glean uses a CORI approach to note-taking: Capture, Organize, Refine, Integrate. Glean is designed to record audio information for students to review following the class session in order to more effectively capture and learn information. Students using Glean on their computers can type notes directly into the program.