UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new tool to assist accommodated students registered with Student Disability Resources (SDR) and faculty who are instructing them is being rolled out for the Fall 2026 semester at University Park, Berks, Behrend and Altoona campuses, and will continue at the Harrisburg campus, where the technology was successfully piloted this past spring.
RegisterBlast (RB), a Canvas-integrated online platform, will enhance the exam scheduling process for accommodated students and streamline the submission of exam information for faculty. For faculty, RB simplifies the process of providing exam details, making it easier to manage and support accommodated testing needs.
At University Park campus, for example, RB will expedite scheduling for instances in which a student is approved to utilize the SDR Exam Center for their exams, or a faculty member is not equipped to provide the necessary accommodations the student requires in their class. Other campuses may have a different process, as all accommodated students at a given CWC may be directed to their SDR office and Exam Center for all accommodations and SDR needs. Faculty from the four CWCs implementing RB should reach out to their SDR Office and staff for clarification and to answer any questions.
“RegisterBlast will help to create efficiency for accommodated students and their faculty, and for SDR staff to ensure that our registered students are getting the support they need, while simplifying the process," said Leah Zimmerman, executive director of Student Disability Resources. "It is important to note that RB does not change the modality of how faculty issue exams nor will it require assessments to be conducted through Canvas — RB is used only for facilitating the registration and scheduling process for accommodated exams issued via the SDR Exam Center, and faculty who already provide the necessary accommodations to their registered students have the option to utilize RB, but are not required to.”
Faculty will access RegisterBlast via a populated menu item in Canvas, which will direct them to the tool so they can enter exam information such as date, time, duration, and administration details. Faculty are encouraged to add their planned exam dates to RB for courses any time from two weeks prior to the start of a semester through one week prior to their first scheduled exam. The exam materials do not have to be submitted at the time a faculty member adds dates to RB, but will need to be provided in advance of the exam according to their campuses’ SDR submission timeline policies.
A Faculty RegisterBlast Resource Guide has been developed by SDR staff to assist instructors with understanding the platform and their responsibilities.
In addition, several in-person and hybrid learning opportunities have been planned at the five campuses that are introducing RB.
- University Park SDR's RB Faculty Open House, which is being hosted in the SDR Exam Center (105 Boucke Building), began Aug. 17 and has been extended to Aug. 28 to meet demand; the RB Open House will offer the chance for faculty to learn more about the platform in-person, if desired.
- “Lunch and Learn” sessions during the weeks of Aug. 31 and Sept. 7 at University Park will also provide demonstrations of the tool and instruct faculty on how to enter their exam information into the new system.
- In-person support and drop-in one-on-one virtual appointments will also be available to help faculty learn how to use RB.
The student process for scheduling exams will remain close to the current process; students will still need to access their SDR Student Portal, where they will then be directed to the Exam Scheduling Form via RB.
- Note: It is important for students to access RB via the Student Portal to ensure it is integrated with Penn State’s systems, and to not go directly to the RB website to find the Exam Scheduling Form.
More information about RegisterBlast can be found via the University’s SDR Website, and questions can be directed to SDRexam@psu.edu. To help the SDR team respond to RB inquiries efficiently, include “RB” in the subject line of the email.