Introduction
I’m a full-time lecturer on BA Fashion Photography and a year leader. The cohorts are of about 50 students per year group. In recent years, and possibly post-Covid there has been an increase of ISAs (Individual Support Agreements) (Detmer, Welton, 2023). These agreements are in place to safeguard the students that are neurodiverse. The current cohort has 50 students and out of those 15 have ISAs.
Considering the HESA ‘Table 15 – UK permanent address student enrolments by disability and sex’, we may get more clarity on this issue through the scope of statists:
Learning difference such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or AD(H)D.
2018/19 total: 113,420
2022/2023 total: 137,555
Mental health condition, challenge or disorder, such as depression, schizophrenia or anxiety.
2018/19 total: 84,350
2022/23 total: 122,760
(Hesa, 2023)
Evaluation
Due to students’ privacy the teaching team are not made aware of specific neurodiversity diagnoses. The content of ISAs provides insight through illustrating how these students may feel challenged, which may be the cause of anxiety. Here are some of the most common directions to be mindful of when in class:
- ‘Consider adjustments to presentations if (student) requests this. Adjustments may include presenting to smaller groups or tutors only, video-recording presentations, going first or last; submitting scripts or tasks, or an alternative task that meets the learning outcomes.’
- ‘Consider adjustments to group work if needed. This may include (student) to choose their own group or giving (student) a defined role within a group.’
- ‘Give advance warning about presentations or reading aloud.’
- ‘Give (student) time to make verbal contributions, if necessary, e.g. in crits, seminars, group work.’
(Content from Individual Support Agreements, 2025)
Moving Forward
The ISA directions above are mainly centred around students’ anxiety re. performing in class, this being key to designing activities that facilitate non-direct or non-challenging processes of learning. To accommodate these diversities, I have had to specifically considered the design and model of activity-based sessions and presentations.
Planninggroup-based activities that allow students to respond to delivery content in a less pressured way, should provide a space for exchanges to flourish and pave the way for a more student-centred learning. The model of group presentations – in which each participant can a role they are comfortable with – would include each group being asked to prepare a visual and vocal presentation providing space for the selection presentation roles.
Benefits of group-activity work that supports neurodiverse learning alternatives are outlined in the following bullet points:
- ‘Promotion of discussion, debating and questioning skills.’
- ‘Transferrable skills development – collaboration, teamwork, negotiation, listening, time management and leadership.’
- ‘Development of working relationships with students outside the normal friendship groups.’
- ‘Active learning strategy, allowing students to learn by participation. Creative thinking skills can be enhanced through brainstorming.’
- ‘Bringing students with different learning experiences together, can develop new learning strategies and foster life-long learning skills.’
- ‘Increases the range and variety of assignments that can be undertaken.’
- ‘Working in groups mimics the ‘real-world’ working environment.’
(Francis, Allen & Thomas, 2022)
Conclusion
This model has worked well in the activities that I have planned and fulfilled the aim to provide a space for students that required a less direct approach. This model addressed the content of the ISA agreements, by giving autonomy to individuals: ad hoc group formation, non-obligatory presentations, role defining in groups, providing time for presenting and ample time to prepare for those.
One difficulty encountered has been that more diligent students have voiced their dislike to always work in groups as they would find the time more beneficially spent on resolving tasks on their own, in such a way adding to their personal project progress.
Due to ISA directions, I allowed the groups to form organically. However, realising the benefit of orchestrated groups where students get a more varied learning experience in exchanging with less familiar classmates. This design could be particularly useful for international students, as repeating group formations often happen due to shared languages and backgrounds.
Next steps
In response to student’s personal progress in the planned course delivery, I have implemented the following:
A variation of activity models, allowing more personal activities.
An increased number of 1-to-1 tutorials
References
HESA, www.hesa.ac.uk, CC BY 4.0
Francis, N., Allen M. and Thomas J. (2022) ‘Using group work in assessment – an academics perspective’. Cardiff University Press
Dettmer, J. & Welton, K. (2023) ‘Increasing neurodiversity awareness through a community of practice’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education [Preprint], (29). Available in: https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1126