Supporting the Learning Needs of a Diverse Student Body

Supporting the Learning Needs of a Diverse Student Body

Everyone has a personal learning profile that changes throughout their life. 

Your profile is made up of your experiences, interests, talents, learning challenges and learning gifts. The way your brain is wired is also a part of this learner profile and it refers to how you process sensory input, encode and retrieve memories, manage attention or emotions, and how you engage with the world socially. An individual’s mental or physical health and their environment are also included in this mix of factors.

The resulting profiles are jagged, often exhibiting asymmetric development, and entirely unique. This is why it is important that the support we provide be tailored and learner-informed. Some students will know exactly what type of support they need to thrive, others may be discovering they have a cognitive or learning difference as they are trying to complete their coursework.

Learners are best supported when we:

• meet them where they are, 
• develop their talents and strengths, 
• provide accessible learning materials,
• use their interests to drive scholarship and 
• offer flexibility on the types of deliverables required of them.

Learning Support Services welcomes conversations with faculty about supporting particular students or their classroom in general. 

Learn more about neurodiversity, creating accessible class materials including Blackboard Ally, adaptive technologies (speech-to-text, text-to-speech, OCR), and sensory sensitivities in the classroom.