New Majority Learner data stories: neurodivergent students

Over the past few decades, the student population in higher education has undergone a dramatic demographic transformation.

Non-traditional learners now constitute the New Majority, with 40.2% of students over the age of 22 and 69.3% working while studying. The conventional concept of a college student is no longer accurate.

As such, higher education institutions need to evolve their approach to attract, retain, and support a changing student population, thereby ensuring their long term viability.

The key to achieving this lies in pivoting toward the needs of the New Majority, by understanding how the experiences of non-traditional students differ to those they have historically catered for.

This requires a greater appreciation of the various traits and characteristics that define non-traditional learners, in this case, neurodivergent students.

Here we’ll explore how they influence the student population, introduce the fundamental learning challenges they’re likely to face and suggest methods through which institutions can better serve this segment of the New Majority population.

To read the full New Majority learner report, click here.

Neurodivergent students in higher education

Compared to all other defining characteristics of the New Majority, it is neurodiversity that has seen the sharpest rise. 16.5% of learners identified as neurodivergent in 2022 marking a 267% increase since 2004.

Utah (18.2%) and Arizona (17.5%) have experienced this increase most keenly, with their neurodivergent populations being the largest across the United States.

And yet, research indicates that a significant 65% of students who require support are not receiving it. There are a number of reasons for this, including a lack of belief that the college has useful resources to offer, waiting times to receive support and an expectation that by disclosing their situation, they would be treated differently by faculty.

But given the dramatic increase in the number of neurodivergent learners, that 65% in real terms is growing from tens to hundreds of thousands.

The question for institutions to answer is: how is this experienced, for both students and teachers, in a learning environment? Often misunderstood as a lack of focus, neurodiversity is inherently interwoven with core learning challenges around attention and cognitive overload.

Traditional course delivery methods such as lectures can overlook near universal challenges with engagement, focus, and retention. For neurodiverse students, the need for an alternative is more vital than ever.

Neurodiversity is inherently interwoven with core learning challenges.

Poor learning experiences can be exacerbated by neurodiversity, leading to self-blame, frustration, and reduced effort which ultimately ends in a downward spiral of disengagement.

The NSPAS data indicates that this leads to a lower course completion rate, with neurodivergent students being 26% less likely to complete compared to their peers.

Learning isn't just about teaching; it's about empowering learners to actively engage with information. Therefore, when looking to better understand and equip neurodiverse learners, there is a critical need to recognize learning as an active, personal process and provide the tools and support for them to take control.

Fundamental neurodivergent learner challenges

For the New Majority, their challenges can be sorted into one of three core categories. For neurodivergent students, they are most likely to sit within the learner with barriers segment.

This segment encompasses students with barriers to content and learning processes. Most often this includes learners with disabilities, mental health challenges, and language barriers.

Imagine the student with dyslexia struggling to decipher dense texts, the student with anxiety navigating the pressures of exams, or the international student grappling with unfamiliar academic terminology.

These learners often face significant hurdles in accessing and processing information. They may struggle with attention and concentration, feel overwhelmed by information overload, and find organization a daunting task.

Beyond the academic challenges, they may also encounter social stigma, experience a lack of confidence, or added stress related to their learning differences.

Despite these obstacles, learners with barriers are driven by a powerful desire for equity. They yearn to study effectively alongside their peers, to prove their capabilities, and to achieve their full potential, regardless of the challenges they face.

They seek a level playing field where their unique needs are met, and they can thrive academically without feeling singled out.

Supporting neurodivergent students

The current model of student support often operates within a compliance driven framework. This is particularly true for students with registered disabilities, seeking accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The emphasis on regulation, and ticking boxes, can unintentionally restrict the scope of services to ensuring students meet minimum requirements for participation. This often leads to scenarios where institutions already have a lot of the right tools, they will simply be siloed in specific departments, rather than spread across campus for everyone to leverage.

Perhaps the most problematic facet of a regulatory approach is the reliance on self-advocacy. This is a new reality for learners entering higher education compared to the mandated support students received in high school or help from parents to apply for it.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, among those who responded that they did have a disability while attending college, only one-third of students actually informed their college. That means there is a missing 65% of disabled, or neurodivergent, students in Higher Education who do not receive the accommodations that they would benefit from.

Therefore, there is merit in looking beyond providing a baseline, and investing in long term success for all. This is becoming accessible by design.

In her thesis, Dr Shelley Moore employs a bowling analogy to explain what a more appropriate, alternative approach could be so as to provide equity, rather than equality.

Adopting a campus-wide, success driven approach moves beyond a transactional model of service delivery and centers instead on the student's holistic development. It recognizes that students have individual and varied needs and aspirations, and that success encompasses more than just academic achievement.

By prioritizing success, institutions can empower neurodivergent students to actively participate in their learning, develop self-advocacy skills, and build resilience in the face of challenges.

There are a three key components that constitute a success driven model:

• Equip: By providing the right tools & technology to help students with their personal learning process, institutions make learning more accessible for all.
• Empower: By starting with early, proactive engagement and personalised support plans, institutions can directly help learners to develop their study skills.
• Encourage: By collaborating across departments and taking a strength-based approach, institutions can encourage students to learn from each other, fostering a stronger, more collaborative environment across campus.

Expanding access will allow institutions to improve neurodivergent student outcomes including increased retention rates, graduation rates, and overall academic achievement.

As a result, the institution's reputation is enhanced, gaining recognition as a leader in providing high-quality student services and more successful graduates. Ultimately, these efforts have a positive societal impact by contributing to a more dynamic and skilled workforce.