AIM Information for Faculty and Instructors

The DRC uses Accessible Information Management (AIM), an online accommodation management system that helps students request and coordinate their accommodations with instructors through a secure web portal. Student accommodation letters (called Faculty Notification Letters in AIM) will be emailed to instructors. Instructors will also have access to an AIM Instructor Portal to view and manage accommodations in a central location.

Instructors can use the AIM Instructor Portal to:

  • Review the accommodation letters you’ve received
  • Track exam requests and upload exams for students with testing accommodations who will be using the DRC Testing Center
  • Find information about whether students need sign language interpreting, real-time captioning, media captioning, and/or materials in alternative formats— ebooks, Braille, large print, etc.

How-to guide for using the Instructor Portal:

Overview of the AIM Instructor Portal 


Accommodation Letters

Accommodation letters will be sent to faculty and instructors from the AIM system after a student requests their accommodations. The email will be addressed from the student’s assigned Access Consultant and the student will receive a seperate copy of each email when the notifications are sent. This replaces the process of having students email a PDF copy of the accommodation letters to their instructors. The subject line will read: [DRC] Notification of Disability Accommodations – Course Number – Course Title (CRN) – Semester.

Viewing Accommodations in the Instructor Portal

  • Login to the Instructor Portal using your UMN credentials. Full Tunnel VPN is required to use the portal off campus.
  • You will be prompted to review an Access Policy each time you log in to the Instructor Portal. After reviewing, click “Continue to Student Accommodations Requests” to access the Overview screen in the Instructor Portal.
  • On the Overview screen, you will find a table that lists students who have requested accommodations for your courses. In the table you can view students’ accommodation letters or download the letter as a PDF. You can also view and sort by student name, class number, subject, request date, and last updated date.
     
Figure 1: Table with 15 columns including student name, course information, accommodations (each as its own column), request dates, and "View" and "PDF" columns whose cell contents contain links to view or download accommodations letters.

 

Refining your search

You may choose to refine your search based on course, student name, and/or accommodations (called eligibilities in AIM). To refine your search follow these steps:

  • Click the black “Refine Search Button” 
Screenshot of the Overview screen with the "Refine Search" button highlighted by a red outline. The button appears at the bottom of the page which also has the visible headings on it of "Announcement" and "Students Who Requested Accommodations".

 

  • Select or enter the information that you would like to filter by
  • Click the “Search” button below the search fields 
Screenshot of the menu of accommodation filter options with the "Search" button at the bottom highlighted by a red outline.

 

  • A new table will show up on the screen with the filtered information

 

Exporting a spreadsheet

To export a spreadsheet of accommodation information, follow these steps:

  • Navigate to the yellow box labeled “Export Data: Students” and click the down arrow in the box
Menu bar labeled "Export Data: Students" with a down arrow button on the right side to expand the section highlighted by a red outline.

 

  • Select the data that you would like to export:
    • Do Not Include Cancelled Requests OR
    • Include All Requests 

 

Screenshot of the expanded "Export Data: Students" section with a drop down menu labeled "Type of Data". The options of the drop down menu are shown: "Do Not Include Cancelled Requests" and "Include All Requests".

 

  • Click the button labeled “Export Accommodation Requests” to export a list of all requested accommodations by student and course OR Click the button labeled “Export Student Eligibilities” to export a list of all listed student eligbilities (accommodations), whether they requested them or not
  • After clicking one of the buttons, an excel spreadsheet will automatically be downloaded to your computer

Adding an Instructor

Primary and secondary instructors of record have access to the AIM Instructor Portal. Course and instructor information is imported directly from the University records system and is updated through a nightly data feed in case the information changes. Instructors may add additional people, such as a TA or course coordinator, who have a role in implementing accommodations for the course, such as completing Testing Agreements or uploading/downloading exams. Follow these steps to add an instructor:

  • Login to the AIM Instructor Portal
  • Click the “Add Instructor” link under the “Home” menu
  • Fill in the following fields in the “Personal Information” tile
    • Class: Select the course for which you want to add an instructor
    • Type: Select whether you are adding or replacing an instructor
    • Instructor: Type in the name of the instructor you would like to add
    • Email Address: Type in their email address
  • Click the “Add Instructor” Button
     

Other sections of “Home” navigation menu

Under the Home navigation menu on the left side of the Instructor Portal, you will find the following sections:
 

Alternative Formats

This section will display which students need materials in materials in alternative formats— ebooks, Braille, large print, etc.

Communication Access & Access Assistance

This section will display which students have accommodations for sign language interpreting, real-time captioning, or Access Assistants.

Testing Center

In this section you can track exam requests and upload exams for students with testing accommodations using the DRC Testing Center.

Video Captioning

This section will display which students have media captioning accommodations.