Reflections and Criticality:
Reflecting here, it seems the main takeaways from this reading are:
- All students regardless of ND or ADHD specifically benefit from clear and structured unit briefings
- Second language students tend to suffer the most with indirect or dense briefings, which has a causal effect of financially less stable students being more negatively confused as well. For more positive outcomes for poor or ESL students, briefs should have a simple and very legible formatting that can be easily understood, especially with tasks highlighted
- Cognitive load, how to scaffold information to help students feel less burdened and overwhelmed
- UDL has broad benefits for all students and staff
‘Cognitive Load’ is a key term in this batch of reading, again this is such a helpful term to further communications with students and staff during formative assessments; it’s especially helpful in a mindfulness sense when we talk about diverse student needs. Often times i’ve found students struggle with mental health issues whilst at university, the phrasing of ‘cognitive load’ is such a useful tool for us to help discuss how to manage their workload and life balance. In regard to my research question, this is an extremely helpful set of reading data
UDL stood out to me as well, it correlates to what I looked at in the previous data set when the reading suggested that the visual design of unit briefings has a direct and trackable outcome for student marks and grades. I’ve also found myself struggling to read documents with gray boxes and tiny text filled with heavy academic language, I do wonder if briefs ought to be split into ‘direct actionable required tasks’, like ‘make a dress’ and have the other side of the brief be the research and query based section, for example ‘whilst researching sewing techniques look into how your practice will have an enviornmental impact’.
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