Undergraduates with atypical development: how to create an inclusive learning environment
Posted by
Francesca De Vita,
on Oct. 8, 2024, 6:45 p.m.
Francesca De Vita
Department of Physics and Chemistry, University of Palermo, Italy
Challenge and goal
The number of undergraduates with atypical development is constantly growing among Italian universities. The university of Palermo (similarly to other Italian faculties) implemented a specific service called Ce.N.Dis. (Centre for Neurodiversity and Disabilities) that supports and mediates the relationship between students with atypical development and teachers. It is crucial now to investigate the knowlege that teachers have about atypical developement and Ce.N.Dis. service and if they relie on Ce.N.Dis. support when they have to implement their classes (in order to create an inclusive learning environment).
The lack of knowlwdge could lead lectures to feel frustrated and unable to adapting their teaching methodologies to the different cognitive profile of these students. This could have negative effects on students academic success, and in some cases it could increase students' drop out.
Topic of the user case
Undergraduates with atypical development; inclusive learning environment
Local context (specific)
The number of undergraduates with atypical development is constantly growing among Italian universities. This group include different type of people with Specific Learnig Disabilities (dyslexia, dysorthogrphy, dyscalculia, dysgraphia), with ADHD, with autism spectrum disorder. At the University of Palermo a specific service called Ce.N.Dis. (Centre for Neurodiversity and Disabilities) was implemented in 2023. This service supports and medites the relationship between students with atypical development and teachers. The Ce.N.Dis. actived different services to support students with atypical development, such as: study method courses, tutoring programs, psychological counseling service, etc. Additionaly, it developed and shared among lectures guidelines to help them to understand students with atypical development and what strategies they could implement to improve these students' learining. Additionally, these service organizes information and counseling activities for lectures who request for it.
Therefore, it seems intresting to investigate the knowlege that teachers have about atypical developement and Ce.N.Dis. service and if they relie on Ce.N.Dis. support when they have to implement their classes (in order to create an inclusive learning environment).
The University of Palermo has develped a peer-mertoring program that involves 135 lectures from different departments (most of them teach in STEM degree courses) and this project intend to improve lecturs teaching abilities. The existing community of peer-mentors represent the perfect context that could help in the implementation of CPD activites aimed at promoting a inclusive learinging environment.
Local CPD goals
The main goal is to investigate the knowledge that lectures (peer-mentor especially those who belong to STEM area) have about atypical development and Ce.N.Dis. service and if they relie on Ce.N.Dis. support when they have to implement their classes (in order to create an inclusive learning environment). Moreover, this preliminary investigation will also inform about their previous experiences with students with atypical development and if they struggle in implementing teaching strategies and methodologies to create and inclusive learning environment. Secondly, materials and CPD activities will be implemented in order to strength lectures knowledge about students with atypical development and the strategies can be implemented in class in order to create a more inclusive learning context.
Needs defined in STEM-CPD Roadmap
Competences
19 design active learning classes / sessions using digital technology
22 use research based teaching methods
4 engage students and arouse interest for the discipline in the class
Attitudes
4 make students feel special, included, safe and secure.
12 share experience and knowledge gained through continuous professional development (CPD) with lecturers from other institutions.
Activities
10 attending workshops that are organized generally for lecturers from different disciplines.
18 giving workshops to other lecturers.
CPD activities at the local university
- Create and dissaminate among peer-mentor who belong to scientific area a short survy that investigate the lecures knowledge and experiences with students with atypical development and with the Ce.N.Dis.
This part will require the help of few lectures who belong to the peer-mentoring project and that will engage other colleagues and peer-mentors. - Organize a presentation with an expert about students with atypical development (if it is necessary)
- Implement a workshop (with the help of few people who are part of the peer-mentoring preogram) that could be inclueded in the peer-moentoring activities agenda: the idea is to create an interactive session in which lectures can: compare and share their personal expereces; reflect togheter about the strategies they can implement to create a more inclusive learning environment. The expert coul be present during this workshop if the group of lectures find it necessary/useful.
Teaching and learning materials
Lecturs will recive textual (short texts) and visual (short videos) in which the diffent profile of atypical development will be described (if a lack of knowledge about them emeges from the survey). Share with them the research results about strategies and methodologies that seems to be effective in promoting academic success amng students with atypical disorder.
Sustainable implementation
The involvment of peer-mentors of the University of Palermo (whose mission is to promote good teaching practice and to engage colleagues in their activities) will hopefully guarantee the engagement of more colleagues form differnt deparment.
Expected impact of the CPD User Case
- stimulate a reflection among lectures about their knowledge and experiences with students with atypical development
- give them the instruments and the strategies in order to create an inclusive learning context in their class
- give the lectures the opportunity to metacognitive reflect about the differences in terms of knowledge and self-efficacy they gained thanks to the CPD activities
- give them the opportunity to create a community of colleagues who can share different experiences and learn for each other
- observe with a follow up if they have been able to implement some new strategies to create a more inclusive learning context
Plans for eventual continuation of the CPD within the same topic
The idea is that those lectures who took part at the survy and at the following intercative workshop will spread the knowlege among their collegues and they will engage other lectures to the same CPD activity. Possibily, they will the ones that will implement and organizise the similar CPD activities according to their collegues knowlege, expirences and
Developing confidence in interactive teaching, and learning facilitation (type P1-2, P1-3)
This CPD scenario describes a User case in which lecturers develop their competence in designing interactive teaching and facilitating problem solving and how to engage and motivate students and how to facilitate discipline specific thinking and develop attitudes in supporting student development and enabling students’ well-being in a learning process and inclusivity and knowledge sharing.
The approximate duration of a User case that follows this scenario is several months.
In this CPD scenario the participants professionalize in a close connection to their own teaching practice (at their workplace) and meet in person on location with the training staff and with other participants.
Competences
Learning environment
Workplace
Face-to-face
Time
Several months
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