About Academic Support Services
Individual Curricular Schedule
Office of Student Learning and Development (Disabilities Services)
Requesting Accommodations
National Board Exams
About Academic Support Services
Academic Support Services assists you in understanding and adapting to the academic challenges of a chiropractic education. Our goal is to help you develop skills and strategies that contribute to a successful and satisfying educational experience. Academic Consultants are available to clarify the college's academic policies, practices and procedures. The Academic Consultants can also discuss a variety of academic options and policies, including:
- criteria for satisfactory academic progress
- minimum requirements for financial aid eligibility
- Individualized Curricular schedule options that allow you to proceed through the curriculum at a more personalized pace
- information about on-campus academic support services
- assistance with general questions regarding the academic program and how to access other department’s services
- advice about preparation and planning for National Board Exams
Academic Support Services also works with you individually to help identify more efficient or effective study strategies. You are welcome to review our online academic support brochures available at the Self-Help Study Skills link.
For Palmer Academic Support Services contact Lori Newman, Ph.D. or Ann Margrave, D.C.
Individual Curricular Schedule
Success in the ten-trimester curriculum requires excellent time management skills, solid preparation in the basic sciences and effective study strategies. Many students find they are able to maximize educational and personal benefits of the program by taking less than the 18-21 credits that are necessary to complete the curriculum in ten trimesters. Taking fewer credits per term and extending the length of the curriculum to eleven or twelve trimesters allows students a variety of benefits:
- time and energy to spend with your spouse and/or children and significant others
- time and energy to participate in co-curricular activities on and off campus
- time to more thoroughly study and master course content
- time to attend to your personal growth and wellness
Three Individual Curricular schedules (ICS) have been developed to reduce the number of credits per trimester through the first year basic sciences portion of the curriculum, where students tend to have the most difficulty. If you are interested in taking a reduced number of credits and would like to speak with an Academic Counselor please contact Dr. Newman or Dr. Margrave.
Student Disability Services (formerly Office of Student Learning and Development)
Palmer College values the diverse talents and abilities students bring to chiropractic education. Student Disability Services promotes diversity by striving to provide greater access to qualified students with disabilities. Recognizing that the chiropractic profession will benefit from the skills and talents of persons with differing abilities, and in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Student Disability Services coordinates services for students with documented disabilities. On the Davenport Campus, Jan Bozman, administrates our Testing Center and can be reached at jan.bozman@palmer.edu. Disabilities covered by 504 and ADA include:
- learning disabilities
- medical disabilities
- psychiatric disabilities
If you have documented disabilities, questions or concerns about eligibility or services please contact Dr. Lori Newman at (563) 884-5408 or visit Student Academic Support Centers in West Hall Suite 128, Room B. Inquiries should be sent to Dr. Newman at lori.newman@palmer.edu or faxed to her at (563) 884-5244. The Handbook for Students and Applicants with Disabilities and Guidelines for Documentation of Disabilities provides information on college policies, practices and procedures in compliance with Section 504 and the ADA.
If you are experiencing academic difficulties, we encourage you to consult with Dr. Newman to discuss the possibility of a previously unidentified disability and referral options. Various approaches to academic success are also explored.
Reasonable academic adjustments and/or accommodations are designed to provide equal opportunity to students with disabilities. Please review our guide to requesting accommodations.
Requesting Accommodations
Upon review of your documentation materials, Dr. Newman works with you to design a program of academic and/or testing accommodations. If your documentation is incomplete, the evaluating professional who provided your documentation materials may be consulted for further information with your written consent. The goal of services for students with disabilities is to provide you with an equal opportunity to participate in the educational experience and to demonstrate what you know. All documentation and information is confidential, except for college officials who have a compelling educational need to know. Student files in the Student Disability Services Center are not part of your academic files, and the information is securely kept in Student Disability Services Center. We strictly observe the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Accommodations that may be available to students with supporting documentation includes:
- a quiet, minimum-distraction environment for exams
- time and a half or double time on exams
- a reader and scribe for exams
- a private testing room
- assistive listening devices
- sign language interpreters
- a text enlarger
- large monitors (19” and 21”) in classrooms and computer labs
- modification of college policies, practices and procedures as needed under extenuating circumstances
National Board Exams
If you have a documented disability, you may request test accommodations from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners for all four parts of National Board Exams. Applications and information are available from Dr. Newman, Counseling Services, West Hall Room 128 or lori.newman@palmer.edu; or at the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners website www.nbce.org.