Inclusivity through online learning

-            Helps hearing issues

-            Helps anxiety but also could make it a lot worse? Depending on the student

-            Camera more likely to be on during one to one

-            Less likely to participate with group work?

-            How do you feel on camera?

o   During covid, they wanted to see each other. Now, they don’t and it’s like pulling teeth to get engagement.

-            Do you prefer group lectures/one on one tutorial online?

-            Neurodiversity – how do we make it more engaging for someone who is neurodiverse?

-            Focus on live videos, but add in a question of if they prefer a live lecture or a recorded one?

Breaking Barriers or Building Them? Online Learning for Neurodiverse Students

Navigating Online Learning: A Neurodiverse Perspective

1.        Can you describe your experience using online learning platforms? What works well for you?

2.        What are the biggest challenges you face when learning online?

3.        Do you prefer live online sessions, recorded lectures, or interactive elements (e.g., quizzes, discussions)? Why?

4.        Do you find it easier to learn independently at your own pace or with structured guidance from an instructor? Why?

5.        Do you prefer 1:1 sessions or group sessions when learning online? What influences your preference?

6.        How do you feel about having your camera on during online sessions? Does your decision depend on whether other students have theirs on?

7.        How do you feel about speaking up to answer questions in an online session? Does this cause you anxiety? Is it more or less stressful compared to an in-person classroom?

8.        Are there any accessibility tools (e.g., captions, text-to-speech, customisable layouts) that you find particularly useful?

9.        What could be done to make online lessons or seminars more engaging and supportive for neurodiverse students?

10.  Would you recommend online learning to other neurodiverse students? Why or why not?

• As a neurodiverse student, does online learning ease or hinder some of the barriers faced when learning something?

• Do you find it easier to work with live lectures or recorded sessions? Why?

• What is the impact online learning has in terms of interacting with your classmates? Do you find this interaction different than being in person?

• What is the impact online learning has with your tutors? Do you feel they are more or less accessible?

• Do you choose to participate in a live session with the camera on or off? Why? Is this the same in a group setting as it is to a tutorial setting?

• How do you think online learning can be made more engaging?

What are your thoughts on mandatory camera-on policies?

Do you find certain online platforms easier or harder to navigate? Which platform features help or hinder your learning?

How does the visual layout or design of an online learning environment affect your ability to concentrate?

How comfortable do you feel interacting with classmates through chat or messaging compared to verbal interactions?

Do you feel that your instructors understand and accommodate your neurodiverse learning needs effectively? Why or why not?

Are there particular content formats (e.g., video, audio, text) that help you better absorb information?

Has your experience with online learning changed your approach to studying or learning new skills? If so, how?

1) We should have the interviewee state the type/level of learning/program they are engaged in and their field of study.

2) We could also ask them to disclose their neurodiversity "type", or if they consider themselves to have particular processing difficulties (I'm also aware that this might be an uncomfortable thing to disclose for some folks, so might not be a good idea?)

Some ideas for questions:

1) How did you feel when you first attended an online learning session. Have those feelings changed over time? How have they changed?

2) Do you think your experience of online learning is dependent upon the software or platform being used, or the way your teacher conducts the session? Is it a combination of both? Can you talk about it a bit? (eg: "I think Teams is a great place to do seminars for ______ reasons, but my tutor insisted we turn on our cameras and that made me feel put on the spot")

3) Can you tell me about a time when you had a positive experience in an online session? What software/platform were you using? What was the session like/can you describe it?

4) Can you tell me about a time when you had a negative experience in an online session? What software/platform were you using? What was the session like/can you describe it?

I think tonight we need to finalise the questions, so we can interview in next few days. Rachel do you have any preferred questions? Are you ok if we do a suggested final list tonight and add on here for your input?

Rachel are the email dates ok for extra meetings for you? If so I will send out invites as we need to agree "discussion' format etc.