Publication
Improving Access for Neurodivergent Learners in Online Courses
By Elizabeth Le Febre
U-M Center for Academic Innovation · Online Teaching
- News and Current Events
- Pedagogical Course Design
- Policy & Compliance
Online learning has expanded access to education for millions of learners, but barriers remain for many, including neurodivergent learners. Creating inclusive online learning experiences requires layered approaches: accessible course materials, flexible learning pathways, and tools that help learners engage with content in ways that work best for them.
The University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation works with academic units to address accessibility needs when creating new online courses, with nearly 13 million learners taking Michigan Online courses to date. The article highlights how proactive accessible design, Universal Design for Learning, and flexible online formats benefit neurodivergent learners and all students.
“Online programming provides an asynchronous component that allows learners to engage on their own terms. Depending on whether they're overstimulated or dysregulated, that can impact learning, so an asynchronous component is really beneficial.”
“Compliance is the floor. We have technical standards we have to meet, but it goes beyond that to be truly inclusive.”
“Making things accessible is not reducing rigor.”