How Glean helps neurodivergent students become more independent learners

The student population has changed. 16.5% of learners identified as neurodiverse in 2022, a 267% increase since 2004!

Neurodivergent students face a number of challenges inherently associated with learning, much more than simply a lack of focus. Here we’ll share the reality of being a neurodivergent learner through the lived experiences of our student ambassadors.

Neurodivergent students in higher education

According to NPSAS data, neurodivergent students are 26% less likely to graduate compared to other students.

Without strategies in place that allow neurodivergent students to thrive and learn independently, the risk of dropping out or failing to graduate will continue to be prevalent. So, what are their biggest challenges and what can we do to close that gap?

Challenge #1: Cognitive overload

“I spend most of my time in lectures feeling like there is no chance that I could pass. All I hear are words that I cannot fully comprehend because I cannot type down the notes quick enough.

I feel overwhelmed and stressed by my inability to keep up with my lecturer and others in my class. I am autistic and my processing time is different to everyone else’s and without Glean that really starts to show” 
- Rebekah, Glean ambassador

Sound familiar? Struggling to maintain focus in lectures is a common challenge for lots of students.

For neurotypical students this is usually brief and focus can be regained relatively easily, allowing them to become active learners again. Research shows that, for neurodivergent students with ADHD or autism, this can be much harder to overcome. 

“With my ADHD I struggle to listen and concentrate for long lectures, I end up daydreaming a lot, or getting up and leaving lectures for a bit. But during that time I miss a lot of information which is crucial for my essays” 
- Sophie, Glean ambassador

 “ADHD and anxiety affects my lectures by not allowing me to be fully engaged with material. So I’ll be talking to the instructor and zone out. Or the instructor says something important and my mind goes somewhere else and I don’t catch it.

Most of the time it makes me feel angry because I feel like it’s my fault at the time which I know it’s not, but it leads to this sort of frustration that a lot of my peers can’t understand or comprehend.”

- Isabella, Glean ambassador

Not being fully present and engaged in the lecture can cause more issues than just missing out on information, such as anxiety and increased stress.

For Olufela, it was difficult to take in the large amount of information... “At times I could not remember what was said by the professor, university used to feel like a burden to me because I couldn’t navigate everything.

Especially because I have a bit of every neurodivergence but the most common among them is dyslexia, it’s a struggle as sometimes I miss letters or just write the wrong information down or zone in and out during class”. 

How Glean can help overcome zoning out due to cognitive overload

We understand that cognitive overload can lead to zoning out. Glean was designed to lighten the cognitive load by recording and transcribing lectures. This means it’s easier to re-engage if focus is lost, while also reducing anxiety around missing content.

For Sophie, zoning out is now less of a worry... “I record all the lectures which gives me the ability to turn my brain off at times and not worry that I’m missing anything”.

Similarly, Helena shares that using Glean means she doesn’t have to worry about writing down every single thing... “I can record my lectures and get transcriptions of the lectures to copy and paste into my notes so that I know that I have everything that was said written down. I’m now not worried that I’ll miss something important because I know Glean would’ve caught it”.

Some ambassadors, like Nova, even use the label feature to pin point where focus was lost... “I am able to point out where I regained focus after zoning out, so I can review the previous areas”. Same for Olufela who shared how... “When I couldn’t  remember what was said by the professor, I just went back, played the audio and understood what was explained”.

Challenge #2: Sensory overload

Adapting to a college environment can be difficult for neurodivergent students, especially so if they experience sensory overload.

“In a big lecture hall and lots of people, there’s bound to be a bit of background noise. From electricity buzzing to people having a conversation behind me, my autism will make me tune into it.

And suddenly, I can’t concentrate because all I can hear is the electricity buzzing from the power socket and I can’t focus on the important things the lecturer is telling us. Whilst I look fine on the outside, my mind will be in overdrive, trying my best to keep my frustration in.”

Helena, Glean ambassador

Large lecture halls, sometimes with over 200 students in, amplified keyboard taps, whispers and sounds, alongside often fluorescent lighting and projectors, can be extremely overwhelming.

“With autism, sensory processing gets really tricky in larger lecture halls,” says Abby.  

How Glean can help manage sensory overload

Glean is accessible by design. While we aim to enhance the learning skills of all students, we know there are certain challenges that arise with neurodivergence that we can help learners to overcome.

We understand that sensory overload can result in students missing content and having heightened anxiety around attending lectures. By recording and transcribing lectures it allows students to still participate in the lecture, often in a more relaxed manner and comfortable environment.

“On days when I need to wear ear defenders or something to block out any sound or make them quieter, I can record the lecture and still take notes based on what the professor is saying.

I do tend to sit at the front of the class in case the professor is not wearing a microphone, but for me Glean does a good job of only picking up who is speaking!”

Abby, Glean ambassador

Challenge #3: Organizing and applying understanding

“Organization skills are tricky for me. I’d say I have an unconventional way of organizing things in my life. Somehow my ADHD will let me remember that I’ve left this thing in a specific spot for the last two months, but don’t ask me what was being said five minutes ago…" 
Helena, Glean ambassador

Our executive function helps to organize and prioritize the multiple tasks and deadlines which come with being in higher education. However, many neurodivergent individuals are impacted by executive function challenges, making it difficult to keep on top of dates and assignments, or to successfully prioritize tasks.

On top of managing deadlines and staying organized, is finding time to actually learn and study your course materials. “I’m a STEM major so there’s a lot of complex words and definitions that vary from class to class”, shares Isabella.

How Glean can help organize notes and understanding

Glean was created with this in mind, with the aim of enabling students to become more organized and independent note takers. Our ambassadors suggest using the task feature to help manage to do lists and track due dates.

“With the task feature, I can input dates in both my notes and in my to-do list, so I can always refer back to my notes for more context,” shares Olufela; “And, when there is a due assignment, midterms or project it helps me keep on track”.

“With deadlines, I add it onto my calendar as soon as the date is announced and I add a few reminders – normally one for a week before, one for the day before, and one for an hour before – just so it doesn’t slip my mind. Check boxing helps me remember if I’ve handed something in or not” 
Helena, Glean ambassador

Using the event & reminder feature, you can add an event or deadline and link it directly to your Apple, Google or Outlook calendar, so you don’t need to worry about missing key dates - plus you can plan time for studying leading up to it.

Becoming an independent learner means learning how you can best retain knowledge. This is different for everyone, but, for most people simply reading notes won’t cut it.

You have to be able to test yourself and challenge your memory, through ways such as quizzes. Isabella, a STEM major and Glean ambassador, shared how “Quiz Me tool is super helpful to review difficult concepts”.

As well as this, it’s important to use dual coding to aid understanding and memory, Nova and Christina use the image and Scribble features to help with this.

Nova shares, "I use Scribble when there's a visual representation which helps future me visualize what's going on better". Whereas Christina makes use of adding images sharing how “I like that you're able to also add in different pictures and visual notes within the written notes”.

"All these elements of Glean have given me a boost in confidence when it comes to
my studies.

I can concentrate on building upon my knowledge, rather than
scrambling to find the bricks"
Helena, Glean ambassador

These are just three of the most common challenges neurodivergent students face and how you can use Glean to help overcome them.

To learn more about Glean, you can explore a number of our features here, or for some more inspiration, take a look at some success stories from our users.