TEACHx 2024

Have you had students who faithfully attend and participate in class but just don’t submit their assignments? Students who read but can’t retain what they read? Students who seem to have difficulty breaking big projects into smaller segments? While a variety of challenges can contribute to these issues, it is possible, even likely, that some of these students are neurodivergent. They may be autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic, have ADHD or OCD, or other cognitive characteristics that are often invisible, leading professors to misinterpret students’ challenges as personal failings rather than as students encountering structural barriers to learning. Some students may know they are neurodivergent, yet many will not, or they haven’t discovered meaningful supports yet. While NU offices like AccessibleNU and Academic Support and Learning Advancement may be able to provide some supports, its important faculty be mindful of how their course design or expectations may inadvertently create learning barriers. This talk builds on a collaboration between undergraduate student Emily Lester and Prof. Noelle Sullivan, where Emily will share some of her experiences with barriers and discoveries of meaningful supports, and Noelle will share relatively easy strategies faculty could incorporate to meaningfully support Northwestern’s diverse learners.