Support for neurodivergent students doing group work
Group projects can be fun, engaging and inspirational – but they can also be a massive challenge. Working as a team requires communication and interpersonal skills that are essential both in the academic environment and in the workplace. Many students may find group work intimidating, particularly if they learn or process information differently from their neurotypical group mates. To help students with communication and teamwork, Deakin has developed a new interactive resource: Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity.
Recognising the need
Deakin academics Siva Krishnan and Nick Milne observed the unique challenges facing neurodivergent students, particularly when working on team-based projects in the Engineering faculty. They decided to apply for one of Deakin’s Open Education Resource (OER) grants to develop a freely accessible resource that would fill this gap.
I was drawn to the fact that an OER resource can be shared with students and teaching colleagues freely and can be updated as needed without having to wait for a new edition. There is also wiggle room for creative minds, allowing the ability to move beyond a text, table, image format that is commonly found in textbooks, which can make the resource more attractive for students. – Siva Krishnana, Associate Head of School (Teaching & Learning – Curriculum)
Developing the content
Through discussions with Deakin Library in the early stages of the project, Teagan Menhenett from the University’s Student Experience & Engagement team joined the team to co-author the resource. Currently a Psychology (Honours) student, a mentor in the NAVIGATE program and neurodivergent herself, Teagan understands the unique barriers students like her face. The OER resource was developed collaboratively, and Teagan created H5P activities to go alongside it.
I know, as a student, I really appreciate it when learnings are interactive; I find it much more engaging for my brain. So, while developing this resource, interactivity was forefront in my mind and when I learnt about H5P’s I knew they would be perfect! When students, neurodivergent or not, are supported in a way that works best for their brain, they are much more likely to do well academically, and, most importantly, to enjoy their learning, so I tried my best to embed a variety of different interactive activities for this reason. – Teagan Menhenett, Co-Author and Psychology (Honours) student
The published resource
The published resource is an interactive text now available on the Pressbooks Platform. Designed to be accessible and inclusive, Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity includes activities and information useful to students (and staff) across the University and the wider community.
In Engineering, the resource will be made available to all students to help understand themselves and others in working in a neurodiverse environment. Students will be able to self-assess where they currently sit with regards to team skills and communication and be directed to the resources necessary to help them grow in the space. At the same time, staff will be able to draw on the resources to help scaffold student practice in project-based units that rely heavily on teamwork and communication skills. – Nick Milne, Associate Professor, School of Engineering
If you are neurodivergent and/or struggle with group project work, we encourage you to explore Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity and share with anyone you think may be interested.
More information and resources: