Meet Scarlett

Scarlett Jordan | Testing Coordinator | Accessibility Resources & Service | Four Years

Describe your role as Testing Coordinator. 

I am responsible for running the Accessibility Resources & Service (ARS) Testing Center and am the campus expert on accommodated testing. I work with students and faculty to implement accommodations and find alternative means if what has previously been utilized does not quite fit the situation. I am also in charge of our Student Leadership within with ARS. I am proud of the work our graduate and undergraduate students have done with us, and look forward to seeing this program grow along with them.

How is your work now different from a traditional academic year? 

Pre-pandemic, most of my work centered around the Testing Center and facilitating accommodations during exams as instructors did not have the space to do so. With the transition to remote teaching and learning, we had to come up with alternate ways to implement those accommodations. Remote proctoring was easy enough for less complex accommodations such as extended time and test setting, but what about the more complex and hands-on accommodations such as scribe/readers/paper format? My role evolved into more of a consulting manner and my calendar quickly filled up with faculty meetings. We were able to insert our knowledge into various campus planner meetings as well. The Continuity in Teaching Group did phenomenal work in planning and executing remote learning and teaching, and we were able to offer the perspective of Universal Design thought/process when planning for assessments across multiple disciplines.

What has been the biggest challenge with the switch to remote learning? 

I think the biggest challenge, for me at least, is the connection to students. Most of them have relationships with all the staff at ARS, so when we email we can still sense the connection and they can feel the support we are sending. I just don't know if the students new to connecting with ARS can feel that when they are in a remote setting.

How are you maintaining a sense of community among those you serve?

I think our weekly announcements help. We are doing targeted outreach to our connected students just to check in and make sure they are all doing well beyond the course work as well. We have stepped up our social media postings to share wider university related topics also, so I think we are doing okay.

What do you like most about your work?  

In terms of what I do, I most enjoy seeing our students find the right fit for success. Accommodations ensure access, not success. So to see them grow and achieve that once the barriers have been removed is monumental for them. Thinking about what makes my job awesome? Our team - hands down. We support each other in professional and personal settings more than any other group I have ever worked with. I've been with UNC for over 15 years, and I have never experienced this before on this level.

What is one thing you hope will stay the same once things return to normal?

I want our efforts to connect to remain constant. We have worked so hard to make sure our students and colleagues have felt supported, and it would be a shame to let all that hard work go to waste.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We completely rocked Commencement this year! The whole crew - University Events, Stadium/Athletic staff, volunteers, students and their families. Everything was a smashing success!