@theADHDAcademic@academicchatter@udl I have also struggled with timed exams because my poor working memory means I spend more time referring to my materials.
Some academics set far too many questions for the allotted time. This is inherently discriminatory because it disproportionately affects those of us with poor working memory.
Also, such an exam lacks construct validity because it doesn't assess what it purports to be assessing.
@lulu_powerful@theADHDAcademic@academicchatter@udl What's the alternative? You can say the same about school. Exams and grades do not measure what they are supposed to. But you can't start giving out degrees without any "outcome control" at all, can you? Or do you propose to have more oral exams?
Also, I think "inherently discriminating" is a mouthful. You can and should ask for accommodations, just like with any other kind of disability, in case you need it. Such as having more time.
@lulu_powerful@theADHDAcademic@academicchatter@udl okay that I can agree with. Some profs don't even bother to let their PhD students give the exam a test run and adjust. Then it ends up too difficult.
Others just reuse the same exam every year so everybody just learns the answers, which is absolutely pointless.
Yes, good exams need quite some thought and work, but apparently some can't really be bothered with that annoying teaching thing they have to do.
@academicchatter@lulu_powerful@udl@zenforyen@theADHDAcademic The problem with this approach is that we don’t know how many students are disclosing their ADHD or haven’t been diagnosed. I’d suggest best practice is to design an exam that accommodates neurodivergence.
@EricaMcIntyre@academicchatter@lulu_powerful@udl@theADHDAcademic I like that idea in theory, but don't see how this is supposed to work in practice. Even having ADHD myself I can't know how it affects others, because everybody is different. How should then neurotypical staff even start to have an idea about what would help?
I know basics about designing slides so they are accessible for color-blind people, and even that is nothing you are actively taught, unless you care and learn yourself.
@zenforyen@princelysum@EricaMcIntyre@academicchatter@lulu_powerful@udl@theADHDAcademic I am pretty sure that the more STEM you are, academic or industry, the more you depart from 'normal', and some of those differences may line up with ADHD for example. (I definitely don't have ADHD as far as I can tell, but as someone who is clearly a bit weird I also really don't understand how it's 'normal' or fun to slump infront of a TV for hours on end, for example!)
Whether they're choosing how they learn the material or how they demonstrate that knowledge, UDL can go a long way in removing barriers for disabled students.
@absurdlyinsane@arinbasu1@academicchatter@theADHDAcademic Are there more specific barriers we can be aware of? Anyone doing these things should be reprimanded on the spot...not even considering ADHD.
True but many still do or they don't understand the extent to which ADHD brains need help with focusing and executive function skills. For example a half page of text with instructions and numbered steps may seem accessible. ADHD students will be further helped by pulling the numbered steps out of the text and into a list.
@rspfau@absurdlyinsane@arinbasu1@academicchatter Barriers are obviously classroom dependent and dependent on the ADHD individual but in general any sort of strict attendance/late policy will be a barrier, bans on laptops or other strict requirements on how students listen during class (ADHDers focus better when we fidget), lectures in general aren't very ADHD-friendly, grading punctuation, spelling, and formatting (unless absolutely relevant to the course), inflexibility in general, etc.
True. Besides, if we design a course keeping in mind the needs of the ADHDs, this will benefit everyone, like a curb cut effect and can bring about unexpected benefits.
@arinbasu1@academicchatter@rspfau@theADHDAcademic@absurdlyinsane Last year I went through some Quality Matters training, and some of it was like... hey, that would have been AWESOME in college. A "getting started" area in every course where you can find all the stuff you need? Expected lesson outcomes that I can refer back to to make sure I'm on track? YES.
@arinbasu1@academicchatter@theADHDAcademic Absolutely. Also especially students whose first language is not English, and whose culture does not include our academic norms.
Add comment