Accessible Information Management (AIM) for Faculty

The department of Access Services at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota now uses Accessible Information Management (AIM), a secure web-based portal that allows students to request and coordinate their accommodations with faculty. AIM is a comprehensive accommodation and case management software that’s designed for university disability resource offices.  Beginning this fall, faculty will be emailed from the AIM system when a student shares their accommodations with them.  AIM generates a Faculty Notification Letter (formerly called Notice of Accommodation letter) that instructors can view while the student is enrolled in their course.  Instructors will have access to an AIM Instructor Portal to view and manage accommodations in a central location.  This portal is where they will be able to view Faculty Notification Letters. Instructors will login into the AIM Instructor Portal using their SMU credentials. 

Guide for Using the AIM Instructor Portal

What Faculty Can Do In The AIM Instructor Portal

Overview on Faculty Notification Letters

Using the Video Captioning Module

Using the Alternate Format Module

Using the Communication Access Module

Adding an Additional Instructor in AIM

Using the Alternative Testing Module

Faculty can use the AIM Instructor Portal to:

• Review the Faculty Notification letters (formerly called Notice of Accommodation letters) you’ve received, which outline accommodations that a student is approved for.
• 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.
• Use the Alternative Testing Module to track exam requests and upload exams for students with testing accommodations who will be using the Access Services Testing Center in Winona.

Overview on Faculty Notification Letters 

A notice that a student in your course has shared a Faculty Notification Letter with you (formerly called a Notice of Accommodation) will be sent to instructors from the AIM system after a student requests their accommodations. An email will be addressed from the Department of Access Services, and the student will be included on the email.  The faculty member will login to the AIM Instructor Portal to view or print any Faculty Notification Letters.  Please note, Faculty Notification Letters will not be included directly in the email, you will need to login to the AIM Instructor Portal to view them or print them as PDFs.  

• Change in Faculty Notification Letter Recipients:  Only professors teaching a course will receive a Faculty Notification Letter.  Program Directors and Advisors will no longer receive Faculty Notification Letters from Access Services.  If you need a student’s Faculty Notification Letter, you will need to request that the student share it with you directly.  

In the AIM Instructor Portal, Faculty Notification Letters will be available to review on the Overview page by clicking on “View” next to the student’s name in the student listing.

Testing Agreement Forms for Winona Faculty

If an undergraduate student in Winona has testing accommodations, their Faculty Notification Letter will have a link to a Faculty Testing Agreement Form you must complete for that course. 

• If the student chooses to use testing accommodations, their Faculty Notification Letter will have a link to a Faculty Testing Agreement Form for that course.
• The link is specific to the class and section in which the student is enrolled.
• You only need to complete one Testing Agreement per section.
• If students using our services are enrolled in multiple sections of the same course you teach, you will need to complete separate agreements for every section, but agreements can be duplicated to simplify the process.   
• Visit the Faculty Information for the AIM Alternative Testing Module section for more information.

Using the Video Captioning Module

You can submit a request that a video or media in your course be closed-captioned through this module.  While in this module, you can view a list of your requests, upcoming videos, or all videos by toggling through the choices in the top right corner of your screen. 

List Requests

Upcoming Videos

All Videos

Using the Alternate Format Module

You can use this module to view students in your courses who are approved for the accommodation of alternate format textbooks.  As an instructor, there is no action you need to take in this module, it is just for you to stay updated on alternate format book requests that students have made. 

List Students/List Books

Instructors can see which textbooks are being converted for accessibility. You can view lists By Student or By Books and can navigate between terms. 

List Students: List students with the request in a table by term. 

List Books: Lists books and other materials individually.

Using the Communication Access Module

In this module, you can view the requests for ASL interpreting or CART services that students in your courses have made.   As an instructor, there is no action you need to take in this module, it is just for you to stay updated on ASL interpreter or CART services requests that students have made. 

List Students

Instructors can see a list of requests for all of their course by students with the service. Clicking View will display the assignment details. 

View Assignment

In this module, assignments are services such as ASL interpreting or CART that are booked by a student.  This is what you will see if you click “View” on the left side of an assignment.  

View Transcripts

Click on the Transcripts tab in the top right corner to view transcript files for courses. If the course has any third party assignments, details will be listed at the top of the page. 

Adding an Additional Instructor in AIM

This feature is available to instructors who are teaching a course and need to add an additional instructor so that person can also have access to student accommodations and engage with the modules within AIM.

AIM does have a tool that provides a way to add additional staff (i.e. teaching assistants, administrative staff, course coordinator) to have access to be able to review the information available in AIM and help with completing AIM tasks (i.e. Testing Agreements, uploading/downloading exams) through the “Add Instructor” tool. 

Step 1: Current Instructor Submits Request to Add Instructor

1. Current instructor, log into the AIM Instructor Portal
2. On the Overview page, in the top right click on Add Instructor.
3. Select the Class and set Type to “Add Additional Instructor to the Course”.
4. Enter the additional instructor’s name and email address (please use their @smumn.edu address).
5. Click Add Instructor.

Step 2: Added Instructor/Staff member responds to email confirmation

1. AIM will generate an email to the added instructor/staff member for each class/section they have been added to by the instructor of record.
2. There will be a Confirm Your Assignment link in the email that will take that individual to the SMU login page.
3. If there are multiple classes/sections, the added instructor will need to confirm each class.
4. Once the added instructor completes the SMU login tasks, AIM will verify their instructor profile.  It may take up to 24 hours for newly added instructors to be verified.

Using the Alternative Testing Module

This section is coming soon.