Technical Standards for Neuroscience

Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field, which brings together mathematics, biology, engineering, computer science, chemistry, philosophy, psychology and medicine. Students must be able to perform these essential technical standards to perform in these courses. If a student determines that they need accommodations for access to meet these standards, appropriate and reasonable accommodations must be arranged with Disability and Accessibility Resources (DAR). The purpose of this document is to enable students to know the expectations of the course prior to enrollment.

The standards have been adapted from the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines, which provide a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. These guidelines are based on three principles: Engagement (for purposeful, motivated learners, to stimulate interest and motivation for learning), Representation (for resourceful, knowledgeable learners, by presenting information and content in different ways), and Action & Expression (for strategic, goal-directed learners, to differentiate the ways that students can express what they know).

1. Essential judgment skills include the ability to identify, assess and comprehend situations for the purpose of problem solving and coming to appropriate conclusions and/or a course of action. Students must meet the expectations necessary to safely perform tasks required to study neuroscience, which include the need for manual dexterity and the ability to use sight and hearing. Specifically, students must be able to:
   1. Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and eye protection, and other PPE as required by the instructor correctly and consistently
   2. Inform the course instructor and DAR of any medical conditions relevant to a laboratory setting such as allergies (chemical, latex etc.) that may lead to an allergic reaction, conditions that can cause sudden loss of consciousness, and conditions that could present additional exposure risks to chemicals
   3. Understand how to manipulate equipment and glassware to prepare for and conduct laboratory procedures
   4. Read the lab notebook in advance and proactively communicate with faculty if unable to complete any required coursework or activity
   5. Observe and note changes throughout an experiment (in color, sound, appearance, etc.) as experimental conditions progress
   6. Record in a physical or electronic laboratory notebook during the course of a laboratory experiment
   7. Input and graph data and write laboratory reports
   8. Perform statistical tests using statistical software (e.g., SPSS) to analyze data
   9. Understand written and verbal directions when completing laboratory tasks and assignments (this includes reading chemical labels accurately), when completing tasks and assignments associated with the course, and when following all safety rules and procedures including those given during emergencies.
   10. Safely navigate the lab environment to perform experimental procedures.
2. Essential communication skills include the ability to communicate effectively with fellow students, faculty and all members of the Neuroscience Program. Specifically, students must be able to:
   1. Communicate key aspects of course content with faculty and other members of the lab
   2. Respond appropriately to building and equipment alarms and directions in emergencies
   3. Communicate any issues that involve health or safety in a laboratory environment
3. Essential emotional coping skills include the ability to demonstrate the emotional health necessary to safely engage in the practice of scientific discovery and group work. Group work is highly valued and a required skill that is used across the curriculum. Group work allows for engagement to motivate learning and allows students to work together in an engaging way, drawing on unique skill sets of each student, representation by demonstrating a variety of skill sets from the lab instructor, and representation by allowing students to demonstrate what they know in a variety of ways (e.g., hands-on, written, verbal). Therefore, it is essential that all students possess the skills that will allow them to be valuable, contributing members to a group. Specifically, students must be able to:
   
   1. Engage in multitasking in a stimulating and possibly stress-inducing environment safely
   2. Understand and practice safe laboratory procedures to minimize risk to people in the laboratory
   3. Understand that exposure to chemicals or animals can have consequences
   4. Collaborate with lab partners to complete tasks and written reports in the classroom, laboratory and outside of class
   5. Cooperate with other group members to evenly and efficiently divide group work so as not to require one person to “do all the work”
   6. Work with faculty and DAR to overcome any unexpected obstacles and/or unforeseen circumstances.
4. Other essential behavioral attributes include those found in the Hope College Student Handbook with special attention to sections on the Virtues of Discourse, the Disorderly Conduct Policy, the Equal Opportunity, Harassment and Discrimination Policy, and the Drug/Alcohol Policy. Violations of the Hope College Student Handbook can negatively affect student experience and achievement in the laboratory setting and negatively impact safety in the lab to self and others.

Hope College Neuroscience Program strives to be accessible and welcoming to all students. After reviewing the Essential Technical Standards for this degree program, if you have questions about your ability to meet the technical standards, it is your responsibility as a student to contact the chair of the program. Students with disabilities will be referred to Disability and Accessibility Resources (DAR) to determine reasonable accommodations consistent with legal obligations under applicable state and federal laws. Determining reasonable accommodations is a collaborative process involving the student, DAR and the academic department. Due to the complex nature of laboratories, as well as the possible need for specialized equipment, any necessary accommodations must be planned and approved by DAR in advance before being implemented in a course. Information about the college's reasonable accommodation process can be found on the DAR website.

References

About Universal Design for Learning - CAST. (2024, March 28). CAST. https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl

Document adapted with permission from the Essential Abilities/Technical Standards of the Hope College Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.