University educators’ perceptions of academic adjustments following a concussion for student-athletes and non-student-athletes

Abstract

Objective: To identify (1) university educators’ perceptions of academic adjustments (AA), and (2) if teaching experience correlated with AA perceptions following concussion. Participants: Two hundred twenty educators. Methods: University educators were invited to complete a survey containing four subsections; this manuscript focuses on AA following concussion. Objective 1 was descriptive; we conducted spearman’s rho correlations between years of teaching experience and AA perceptions to address objective 2. Results: Educators were moderately familiar with AA but were not confident in their knowledge about AA following concussion. Participants who provided AA following concussion most often allowed excused absences and extra time for exams/assignments. There were no significant relationships between teaching experience and perceptions of AA. Conclusions: University educators largely feel unprepared to provide or recommend AA following concussion but had favorable AA perceptions following concussion. Standardized policies or referral sites within the university system may be warranted to improve post-concussion AA.

Keywords:

• College
• mild traumatic brain injury
• professor
• teachers

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from The University of Georgia Institutional Review Board.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.