Skip to Main Content
You are now in the main content area

Memory Aids

Logo with green circle and yellow icon of a person's head in profile and a bell in their head

Memory Aids

Also known as memory cue sheets

A memory aid is an accommodation that is provided to support the recall of learned information. It is a tool designed by and for the student to cue or trigger their memory to recall information they've previously learned.

Memory aids are distinct from "cheat sheets" as they do not contain course-specific material or answers. Instead, they consist of personalized cues or triggers such as pictures, acronyms, or symbols. These cues are meaningful only to the student who created them. As a memory aid is designed to support the recall of learned information, students still require a solid understanding of course material.

This accommodation is provided when there's evidence of a specific type of memory disorder where students can learn information but are unable to retrieve it without cues. 

Determining the appropriateness of a memory aid as a reasonable accommodation requires careful assessment beyond self-report or a single low test score in a psychological assessment. Research shows that almost everyone benefits from cues when asked to recall information. Memory cues help all individuals retrieve more information than can be recalled spontaneously, so memory aids as a disability-related accommodation are provided only in very specific and limited circumstances.

In order to determine that a memory aid accommodation is appropriate there must be evidence that there is:

  • demonstrated ability to learn designated material; 
  • clinically significant difficulty retrieving it under conditions of free recall (spontaneously); and 
  • a marked improvement retrieving the information in response to cues, over and above the improvement found for all other individuals their age.

AAS, like many universities in Ontario, relies on the expertise of the Regional Assessment Resource Centre (external link)  (RARC) for advice and guidelines1 for determining when to provide memory aids as a reasonable disability-related accommodation. AAS uses these criteria when reviewing documentation2 to determine when a memory aid accommodation is appropriate. 

 1Harrison, A.G., Holmes, A., & Pollock, B. (2021).  Memory aids as a disability-related accommodation? Let’s remember to recommend them appropriately for post-secondary education. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 36(3), 255-272.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0829573520979581 (external link) 

2Appropriate documentation is a psychoeducational assessment conducted within the last 5 years and/or administered at 18 years of age or older using adult norms.

Criterion 1: Objective evidence demonstrating the validity of memory test scores.

  • Administration and consideration of results from performance validity tests within the context of the assessment battery, as recommended by best practice guidelines for psychological assessments1.

Criterion 2: The recommendation should be based on scores from measures of memory rather than working memory.

  • The memory test administered must measure immediate recall, delayed recall, and recognition memory. 
  • Simply because a test has the word “memory” in its title does not mean that it is actually useful in identifying poor free-recall long-term memory. Low scores on measures of working memory or short-term memory (such as Digit Span, Arithmetic, Picture Span, or Letter-Number Sequencing from the WAIS2 or WISC3 ) are not sufficient evidence to support the need for a memory aid accommodation.

Criterion 3: Evidence that actual learning took place. 

  • Students who have problems with attention and/or impulsivity may perform poorly on some memory tests if they are unable to learn the information they are required to recall.
  • Memory tests must explicitly inform the student that later recall will be required, controlling for lapses in attention during the learning phase

Criterion 4: The assessor must consider the profile of memory scores to demonstrate a true “retrieval deficit.”

  • When evaluating delayed memory scores, the clinician must control for the initial amount learned to understand the percentage of information that was retained.
  • To determine that there is a true “retrieval deficit,” the clinician must demonstrate impaired (at least below the 16th percentile) free recall of the material (when controlling for initial amount learned) and significantly improved delayed recall with the use of cues.

Criterion 5: Confirmation that cues significantly enhance recall beyond what is observed in same age peers. 

  • Research shows that almost everyone benefits from cues when asked to recall information to which they were previously exposed
  • The difference between spontaneous recollection and cued recollection must be significantly larger compared to their peers (e.g., normed comparisons).
  • The test should compare the initial amount of information retrieved under free-recall conditions versus what can be retrieved with the assistance of cues.
  • Further, a true retrieval deficit typically spans across modalities. As such, demonstrating that there is a retrieval deficit on only one subtest from a memory measure (but not on others) is not sufficient to indicate a need for a memory aid. 

Criterion 6: Guidance on when a memory aid is appropriate.

  • Clinical reports must be clear in stating that the recommended memory aids may not be appropriate in every course, and that the instructor has the final say regarding whether this accommodation is reasonable or appropriate for their course.

Considering the complexities and potential impact on academic outcomes, AAS often seeks an external third-party review of relevant documentation before supporting this accommodation.

1Ontario Psychological Association. (2020). Guidelines for diagnosis and assessment of children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities-consensus statement and supporting documents. Author. (PDF file) https://www.psych.on.ca/getmedia/9710b802-aae3-4b6e-a215-789f2bfe59c5/OPA-Guidelines-for-Diagnosis-and-Assessment-of-Learning-Disabilities-03-2020.pdf (external link) 

2Wechsler, D. (2008). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – 4th edition: Technical and interpretive manual. Pearson

3Wechsler, D. (2014). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 5th edition. Pearson.

There are two types of memory aids - a memory cue sheet and a formula sheet. These are two different accommodations and are not interchangeable. Students who are eligible for one type of memory aid are not automatically eligible for the other. 

Memory Cue Sheet 

A memory cue sheet contains information in the form of acronyms, images, graphics, mnemonics, etc. that help to cue/trigger learned information.

Guidelines

  • Single side of 8”x11” page
  • May be handwritten or typed (12pt font)
  • Contains coded memory “cues”, such as acronyms, lists, images, mnemonics, etc
  • Does not include verbatim course content, answers, definitions, or essential course knowledge.

Formula Sheet

A formula sheet contains information in the form of symbols, figures, numbers, etc. that help to cue/trigger learned rules and information.

Guidelines

  • Single side of 8”x11” page.
  • May be handwritten or typed (12pt font)
  • Contains unelaborated/expanded and unlabelled root formulas
  • Does not contain instructions, steps, or specific examples, or essential course knowledge.

Quick Tips

A memory aid:

  • Honors the academic integrity of the course and/or the overall program requirements
  • Helps to activate information that you already know and have reviewed well—it prompts you to remember.
  • Is meant to hold only small amounts of information—it is a brief, unelaborated list.
  • Does not provide the answers, is not a “cheat sheet”, and is not an opportunity to use every inch of space to copy in notes.
  • A memory aid is the result of a larger studying process and does not contain course content.

  • Content identified as an essential academic requirement may not be permitted on a memory aid.
  • If an instructor determines that memorizing and recalling specific information is a fundamental course objective that is being evaluated, they may prohibit the use of a memory aid.
  • If a memory aid has been deemed an appropriate accommodation by AAS and has been approved by an instructor for a particular evaluation, it is not the instructor’s responsibility to correct any errors on students’ memory aid.

  • Memory Aid Use: Memory aids are permissible only if approved by AAS and the course instructor for a specific evaluation.
  • Unauthorized Aids: If a student chooses to use an unauthorized aid, invigilators will:
    • Complete an incident report on the potential breach of academic integrity.
    • Inform the instructor, including the unauthorized aid with the returned test material.
  • Invigilator Actions:
    • As per university policies1, invigilators are required to monitor student conduct during exams, act upon suspicions of academic misconduct, and, if necessary, take immediate steps to prevent further concerns.
    • Where academic misconduct is suspected, invigilators may confiscate notes, if appropriate, but not electronic devices or personal property. See the protocols in the Examinations Guide for Faculty/Contract Lecturers and Invigilators. 
    • Invigilators will not physically intervene if a student is noncompliant.

1The Test Centre adheres to university policies including Policy 135: Final Exams, Policy 60: Academic Integrity, Policy 61: Student Code of Non-Academic Conduct

Instructors who would like to consult or discuss implementing this accommodation can contact the Accommodation Facilitator listed on the students’ accommodation plan.