This is my reusable template for making unit briefing more accessible and clear for independent learning, accommodating second language students, neurodiversity and general anxiety.
The ‘Pocket guide’ template I’ve made above is the culmination of the small-scale research I’ve done in this unit. It includes: visuals, redirection to the larger Moodle page, contact information, bullet points, and examples of previous hand-ins. The flow of information is laid out to be sequential; to further the analogy between learning and travel it is designed to help students understand where they are in relation to the hand-in. It’s also designed to lessen cognitive load, keeping information free of jargon, quickly explained, and without complex descriptions.
I’ve filled out an example below to display how the template can be used in a real unit briefing;
If I were to apply changes, I’d make time blindness accommodations such as laying out the ideal placement with which week we are in. for example;
Week 1–2: Research
Week 3: Experimentation
Week 4: Refinement
Week 5–7: Sculpting
But I fear this will overload students with dyslexia and dyscalculia, and it could also accidentally cause a freeze within students who feel ‘left behind’ if they aren’t in the perfect place that I’ve allotted.
For now I’ll keep this little pocket guide as is and see if it needs further work as I go ahead –
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