At Open SU, we believe that all students should be able to access their learning in ways that work for them. For neurodivergent students, this means ensuring that module materials are designed and delivered in ways that are clear, flexible, and inclusive from the outset.
Neurodivergence encompasses a wide range of ways of thinking, processing information, and engaging with study. This includes (but is not limited to) students with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, for example. While experiences vary, many neurodivergent students can face barriers where materials are inconsistent, unclear, or do not support different ways of engaging.
Access to module materials goes beyond simply providing information – it is about ensuring that students can fully engage with, make sense of, and confidently use their learning resources.
Effective access to module materials for neurodivergent students includes:
- Predictability and structure: Materials are organised in a consistent and logical way, reducing anxiety and cognitive load. Predictability enables students to prepare mentally, manage executive functioning challenges, and build stable study routines.
- Clarity of language and purpose: Instructions, learning outcomes, and expectations are explicit, concrete, and free from unnecessary ambiguity. Clear language reduces interpretation demands, allowing students to focus on content rather than deciphering meaning.
- Flexible engagement: Students can engage with materials in ways that align with their processing styles, energy levels, as well as any accessibility needs. This flexibility is particularly important for students who work in bursts of focus or who need to revisit materials multiple times for understanding.
- Timely availability: Materials are released early enough to allow for planning, use of assistive technology, and self-paced learning. Early access also supports periods of fluctuating wellbeing, allowing students to study during times of stability.
- Inclusive assumptions: Materials are designed with neurodivergent students in mind by default, rather than relying on disclosure or delayed adjustments. This proactive approach minimises the emotional burden of self-advocacy, and reduces fear of judgement or dismissal.
Tutor engagement and communication about materials
Clear guidance and expectation-setting
- Tutors should clearly explain how module materials are structured and how students are expected to use them.
- Weekly or block-level overviews should outline:
- What needs to be completed
- What is essential versus optional
- How materials link to assessments
- Information should be presented in clear, concise language, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
Example of poor practice: Telling students to “engage with the readings for this week” without specifying which ones are essential.
Example of good practice: Providing a bullet-point list with direct links and brief explanations of purpose.
Encouraging clarification and reducing fear of asking
- Tutors should explicitly state that questions and requests for clarification are welcome and expected.
- Communication should normalise confusion as part of learning.
- Tutors should proactively address common misunderstandings in group communications.
- Tutors should also model transparency by acknowledging when multiple interpretations of a task are possible, reducing the pressure on students to “guess correctly”.
- Encouraging clarification and reducing fear of asking and help to foster psychologically safe learning environments, particularly for students who may have experienced marginalisation, misunderstanding, or exclusion in previous educational settings.
Structure, organisation and cognitive load
Consistency across materials
- Use a consistent structure for weekly materials across the module.
- Clearly label sections using predictable headings (e.g. ‘This week’s tasks’, ‘Key readings’, ‘Assessment links’) that help students clearly define and absorb what is required and when.
- Avoid unnecessary changes to layout or navigation.
Reducing overwhelm
- Break content into smaller, clearly defined sections.
- Use bullet points, summaries, and visual cues.
- Provide ‘at a glance’ summaries highlighting key actions and deadlines.
Where possible, avoid presenting multiple tasks; prioritisation cues help students manage workload more effectively.
Reducing unnecessary cognitive load supports equitable participation by ensuring that success is determined by learning and understanding, rather than by a student’s capacity to navigate avoidable complexity or inconsistency.
Accessibility, format, and design
Multiple learning formats
- Provide materials in multiple formats wherever possible (text, audio, video, printable).
- Ensure compatibility with screen readers, note-taking software, and other assistive technologies.
- Offer neurodivergent-friendly versions of key documents.
Visual and linguistic accessibility
- Use readable fonts, sufficient font size, sufficient spacing, and high-contrast design.
- Avoid overly complex sentence structures.
- Explain technical terms and avoid unexplained jargon.
Where specialised vocabulary is required, a glossary or brief definitions list can significantly support comprehension.
Timing, early access and flexibility
Early release of materials
- Release materials as early as possible to allow students to work ahead.
- Clearly communicate release schedules and notify students of changes promptly.
Flexible engagement expectations
- Allow flexibility in how students engage with materials, where learning outcomes permit.
- Avoid penalising non-linear study patterns.
Assessment-related materials
Clarity of assessment instructions
- Assessment briefs should use clear, direct language.
- Provide examples, checklists, or task breakdowns.
- Ensure consistency in guidance across tutors within the same module.
Work examples demonstrating both strong and adequate submissions can significantly reduce anxiety and confusion.
Supportive preparation resources
- Explicitly link module materials to assessment requirements.
- Provide revision summaries or worked examples where appropriate.
Where possible, offer short videos or diagrams to support visual and auditory learners.
Tutor training and institutional responsibility
Neurodivergent-informed training
- All teaching and module design staff should receive mandatory, regularly updated training on neurodivergent-inclusive teaching and material design.
- Training should be informed by lived experience and current research.
- Tutors should also be supported to further support students, through access to relevant guidance and resources.
Training should also emphasise the importance of consistency across faculties, minimising the inconsistency where access varies depending on the tutor or discipline.
Reducing reliance on disclosure
- Tutors should refer to the document ‘Understanding Me as a Learner’ when provided by a student, and follow the University’s formal process for accessing student support information, so that students do not have to repeatedly disclose their needs.
- Inclusive design should reduce the need for individual disclosure.
- Both diagnosed and self-diagnosed students should benefit from accessible materials as standard.
By minimising reliance on disclosure, the OU can reduce stigma and ensure that students who are undiagnosed, in assessment, or unsure whether to disclose, are not disadvantaged, particularly in contexts of stigma or long diagnostic waiting times.
For more information on these recommendations, take a look at the full Best Practice in Supporting Neurodivergent Students’ Access to Module Materials document below.
Open SU: Best Practice in Supporting Neurodivergent Students' Access to Module Materials