Teaching and learning have evolved from being teacher-centred to learner-centred and this change in mindset has transformed the design of delivery of content. This has led to a shift from forward design (content governs the learning objectives, delivery, and assessment) to backward design (learning objectives govern the assessment, delivery, and content). Since, the learner-centred approach puts students in the centre, it is paramount to acknowledge the diversity in student learning when designing the assessment and delivery. To best support the students, we need to be aware about our own biases and foster diversity, not just in colour or race or ethnicity but also neurological diversity. Neurodiversity is the umbrella term to represent distinct cognitive characteristics which are categorised as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other learning differences. More than 10% of the university students are diagnosed with one of the neurodiversities and this number is an underestimate and the actual number of neurodiverse students (who may not be diagnosed due to societal and economic barriers) is expected to be much higher. So, how does being neurodiverse impact student learning? We interviewed neurodiverse university students and identified several themes which impacts student learning. These included all aspects of their university including learning environment (lecture theatres, learning spaces, etc.), social interactions (academic and non-academic), content format preferences, adjustments, and assessments. This study highlights challenges faced by neurodivergent students and discuss potential strategies and opportunities to improve student experience and learning.

Authors:
Vijesh Bhute, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Vijesh Bhute is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, UK. Vijesh is interested in all aspects of inclusion and is currently working on developing inclusive assessments

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijeshbhute

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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