Tag: Learners

  • Supporting neurodiverse learners requires more than accommodation: It demands systemic change

    Supporting neurodiverse learners requires more than accommodation: It demands systemic change

    Key points:

    Approximately 1 in 5 children in the United States are estimated to be neurodivergent, representing a spectrum of learning and thinking differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more. These children experience the world in unique and valuable ways, but too often, our education systems fail to recognize or nurture their potential. In an already challenging educational landscape, where studies show a growing lack of school readiness nationwide, it is more important than ever to ensure that neurodivergent young learners receive the resources and support they need to succeed.

    Early support and intervention

    As President and CEO of Collaborative for Children, I have personally seen the impact that high-quality early childhood education can have on a child’s trajectory. Birth to age five is the most critical window for brain development, laying the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and health. However, many children are entering their academic years without the basic skills needed to flourish. For neurodivergent children, who often need tailored approaches to learning, the gap is even wider.

    Research indicates that early intervention, initiated within the first three years of life, can significantly enhance outcomes for neurodivergent children. Children who receive individualized support are more likely to develop stronger language, problem-solving, and social skills. These gains not only help in the classroom but can also lead to higher self-confidence, better relationships and improved well-being into adulthood.

    The Collaborative for Children difference

    Collaborative for Children in Houston focuses on early childhood education and is committed to creating inclusive environments where all children can thrive. In Houston, we have established 125 Centers of Excellence within our early childhood learning network. The Centers of Excellence program helps child care providers deliver high-quality early education that prepares children for kindergarten and beyond. Unlike drop-in daycare, our certified early childhood education model focuses on long-term development, combining research-backed curriculum, business support and family engagement.

    This year, we are expanding our efforts by providing enhanced training to center staff and classroom teachers, equipping them with effective strategies to support neurodivergent learners. These efforts will focus on implementing practical, evidence-based approaches that make a real difference.

    Actionable strategies

    As educators and leaders, we need to reimagine how learning environments are designed and delivered. Among the most effective actionable strategies are:

    • Creating sensory-friendly classrooms that reduce environmental stressors like noise, lighting, and clutter to help children stay calm and focused.
    • Offering flexible learning formats to meet a range of communication, motor, and cognitive styles, including visual aids, movement-based activities, and assistive technology.
    • Training teachers to recognize and respond to diverse behaviors with empathy and without stigma, so that what is often misinterpreted as “disruption” is instead seen as a signal of unmet needs.
    • Partnering with families to create support plans tailored to each child’s strengths and challenges to ensure continuity between home and classroom.
    • Incorporating play-based learning that promotes executive functioning, creativity, and social-emotional development, especially for children who struggle in more traditional formats.

    Benefits of inclusive early education

    Investing in inclusive, high-quality early education has meaningful benefits not only for neurodivergent children, but for other students, educators, families and the broader community. Research indicates that neurotypical students who learn alongside neurodivergent peers develop critical social-emotional skills such as patience, compassion and acceptance. Training in inclusive practices can help educators gain the confidence and tools needed to effectively support a wide range of learning styles and behaviors as well as foster a more responsive learning environment.

    Prioritizing inclusive early education can also create strong bonds between families and schools. These partnerships empower caregivers to play an active role in their child’s development, helping them navigate challenges and access critical resources early on. Having this type of support can be transformative for families by reducing feelings of isolation and reinforcing that their child is seen, valued, and supported.

    The benefits of inclusive early education extend far beyond the classroom. When neurodivergent children receive the support they need early in life, it lays the groundwork for increased workforce readiness. Long-term economic gains can include higher employment rates and greater earning potential for individuals. 

    Early childhood education must evolve to meet the needs of neurodivergent learners. We cannot afford to overlook the importance of early intervention and tailored learning environments. If we are serious about improving outcomes for all children, we must act now and commit to inclusivity as a core pillar of our approach. When we support all children early, everyone benefits.

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  • Refocusing apprenticeships towards younger learners will require a renewed focus on student support

    Refocusing apprenticeships towards younger learners will require a renewed focus on student support

    A recent announcement from the Department for Education promised “radical skills reforms” and focused the government’s sights on developing the “next generation” of home-grown talent.

    It included eye-catching offerings to sectors in need of rejuvenation such as construction and healthcare – and a refocusing of funding away from older learners on level 7 apprenticeships. This is significant as, although the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) has fallen slightly of late, ONS statistics still record half a million economically inactive young people in the UK.

    The revised strategy points to purposeful investment in the country’s youth, which should encourage further green shoots of economic recovery. For a young generation constrained by coronavirus restrictions and economic stagnation, securing their future will be vital to economic prosperity.

    Given this shift in government narrative, we wanted to explore how age impacts apprentices’ learning experiences.

    Does age make a difference?

    Our research is based on experiences of the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship, a cornerstone of skills development in leadership and management, where employed apprentices learn both at work, and with a higher education institution for one day a week. Our data includes interviews with both apprentices and their line managers supporting their learning in the workplace.

    Our findings show very different approaches to ownership of learning depending on prior workplace experience. While apprenticeship alumni acknowledge the benefits of a degree apprenticeship programme and its worth to them and their careers, we found distinct differences in the way that learners connect with their studies and the amount of support they require.

    Weighing up apprenticeships as an alternative option to traditional university study is now well-trodden ground for young people, their families, and careers advisers in schools and colleges. We found, however, that starting an apprenticeship straight out of school presents unique challenges for younger learners.

    Prior research has shown that older workers have also benefited from apprenticeship initiatives and parity of opportunity. These learners – that we term “upskillers” – have typically been mature learners requiring a degree to progress with their existing employers. Our research shows that upskillers, in contrast to younger apprentices, lean into the challenges of degree apprenticeships, bolstered by the personal agency and independence that experience brings.

    Straight from school?

    We found much positivity amongst younger learners undertaking degree apprenticeships as an alternative to enrolling in a traditional degree. For them, having “a job secured” provided a strong rationale for the apprenticeship route, with individuals rating the opportunity to gain experience at such a young age. They noted that it was “very, very, beneficial”, and emphasised that “campus is not the only way to start your career”.

    However, one young alum noted the programme was “not an easy ask”, going on to comment:

    If you put in all the work, and you’re inclined to really work hard at age 18, 19, you’ll reap the rewards… [yet] once you package the entire full picture of a young person’s life and then you’re asking for this on top… it becomes a tough ask.

    Others highlighted downsides and stresses of starting an apprenticeship straight from school, rather than after at least a brief experience of working life:

    You’d need at least a year before doing it… you need that context… you don’t even know what a business is, what it entails, how it runs… you don’t know the real-life workings.

    Employer respondents could also see the benefit of apprentices having at least some work experience and organisational understanding before commencing an apprenticeship. They argued that apprentices needed a “baseline of knowledge” to be able to “give it your all”, in terms of “managing people [and] managing situations”.

    Older dogs, new tricks?

    Young people’s experiences contrasted with work-experienced apprentices who took opportunities with both hands, including evaluating the pros and cons of different universities and the qualification on offer. One older apprentice talked about the freedom to “go and have a look to see what else I could find” when the existing workplace scheme recommended by his employer didn’t meet his needs. The travelling nature of his job meant he was keen to do his degree apprenticeship remotely, rather than having to spend “time on campus every week”.

    Reliance on programme structure and planning was also less important for more mature learners. Two took time to reflect on their ability to be proactive in managing their learning: “I have to negotiate with the team… and plan my own time”. Another spoke of having both organisational understanding and skill available to choose their own final year project, ensuring it was relevant and useful to both him and his organisation. This made the qualification more valuable than having someone else direct their study.

    Wonkhe analysis has noted that older degree apprentices are more likely to complete their studies. This fits with the sentiment of seizing a chance later in life in line with one of our upskillers commenting that “the older you are… you’ll just get it done, whatever.”

    Horses for courses

    If funding switches to younger people, providers will need to call on their expertise to support changing learner demographics if they are to retain high completion rates.

    What works in one situation might not be right for another. If “national renewal” is to be achieved through developing young talent, implementation must account for the unique needs of young apprentices.

    We hope and believe however that – despite the myriad challenges of national economic renewal – continued collaboration between the government, higher education institutions, and business will enable us to find a productive way forward within the degree apprenticeship arena.

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  • How to Make Career Connections for Online College Learners

    How to Make Career Connections for Online College Learners

    Assuring positive career outcomes for college students is a growing priority for institutions, policymakers and students themselves as they consider the value of higher education. A July report from the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice at Southern New Hampshire University identifies opportunities for institutions to enhance career readiness for online learners and nontraditional students, a growing demographic within undergraduate populations.

    The report authors urge college leaders to consider the unique needs and circumstances of working and older students and to develop creative solutions to connect classroom and career learning.

    What’s the need: Most students attend college to improve their economic circumstances or to secure employment, according to the report.

    Risepoint’s Voice of the Online Learner survey for 2025 finds that majorities work full-time while pursuing a degree (75 percent), are enrolled in a program related to their current industry (78 percent) and are parents with children under the age of 18 (53 percent). The greatest share of students pay for college out of their income and savings (48 percent) or federal loans (41 percent).

    However, not every student will participate in a work-based learning experience, and nontraditional students often face the biggest barriers to participation.

    A 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found that 34 percent of respondents working more than 30 hours a week (n=1,106) said they have had no experience with the career center on their campus. Of that group, students 25 and older (n=501) were far more likely to say they hadn’t engaged with the career center (76 percent).

    As a result, the report advocates for flexible, workforce-aligned and embedded strategies to help older students prepare for careers and their lives after college.

    Making career connections: CHEPP defines “career connection strategies” as activities, services and experiences that help students select, prepare for and pursue a career path, according to the report. These strategies range from internships to informational interviews and career exploration events.

    One opportunity is workforce-aligned curriculum, which focuses on developing students’ skills and competencies in connection to future employment roles. Workforce-aligned curricula can be particularly beneficial for adult and working learners because it makes materials engaging and “keeps them from having to choose between pursuing a degree or work-relevant training,” the report authors wrote.

    For example, Calbright College in California, an online public community college, has 10 “durable skills”—such as critical thinking and collaboration—embedded into the curriculum with dedicated modules for each that award students badges upon completion. All academic programs include at least two of these modules in their curriculum.

    The authors also advocate for career exploration opportunities that are flexible and tailored to the individual, such as offering career advising alongside credit for prior learning assessments, remote job shadows and employer relations events.

    Making career services more accessible on campus should also be a top priority for administrators, because many adult learners do not take advantage of these supports, as highlighted in the Student Voice data.

    To accommodate these students, SNHU offers professional communication and career planning courses that focus on career development. Calbright College assigns each student a student success counselor who can address some career readiness and exploration topics and connect them with workshops offered by the career services team.

    Key elements: When considering traditional models of career preparation and readiness, the report encourages higher education practitioners and policymakers to determine how best to meet adult and nontraditional students where they are, including by:

    • Establishing authentic workforce opportunities that promote real-world professional development, such as having an assignment supervisor or participating in team meetings.
    • Respecting and validating learners’ existing skills from previous life experiences, including through credit for prior learning.
    • Offering paid opportunities, which allow students to forgo earnings from work in order to pursue new career experiences or development events.
    • Pairing advising with comprehensive supports to help students understand options, develop a plan and leverage existing skills.
    • Embedding career prep into existing commitments to limit the competing priorities students must balance and the number of hours they spend on career development outside the classroom.
    • Identifying clear goals for student learning, including the duties students will perform and outcomes from the experience.
    • Instituting good data practices to ensure continuous improvement and gauge employer and student satisfaction at the end of experiences.

    Do you have a career-focused intervention that might help others promote student success? Tell us about it.

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  • From Non-Traditional Learners to the New Traditional Learners: Investing in America’s Future Workforce

    From Non-Traditional Learners to the New Traditional Learners: Investing in America’s Future Workforce

    Title: Online by Design: Improving Career Connection for Today’s Learners

    Authors: William Carroll and Brenae Smith

    Source: The Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice

    The Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice (CHEPP) recently published a report on building new career services and strengthening work-based learning strategies for the ever-growing share of adult, working, and online learners at institutions of higher education.

    CHEPP found that “new traditional learners”—which represent the one-third of all students who are adult learners, the two-thirds of all students who are working while in school, and the more than half that are enrolled in online courses—face increasing barriers to four-year institution’s traditional in-person career services. Research shows that work-based learning improves career and employment outcomes upon graduation, yet these opportunities are significantly difficult to pursue for online learners and working adults who cannot forgo their online status, working hours or wages to participate.

    The report introduces a taxonomy of career connection strategies which categorize effective programs that can be implemented by colleges and integrated into curriculum to better serve new traditional learners.

    Some of the key strategies outlined in the taxonomy include:

    • Workforce-aligned curriculum: Learning outcomes of a program are mapped to specific career skills and competencies.
    • Career exploration, exposure, and skills assessment: Institutions can create individualized and efficient pathways towards student career goals based on prior learning, work experience, and certifications.
    • Career services and advising: Institutions can utilize community employer partnerships to provide more meaningful resume development, professional development, and career exposure programming.
    • Work-based learning: Institutions are responsible for alleviating barriers to entry in work-based learning that affect new traditional learners, like adequate compensation, connecting students with relevant and authentic work experience, and comprehensive supports through mentorship.

    The report concludes that ultimately better data is needed on this relatively new student group and how these groups interact with career strategies. Further data will inform institutions and policymakers which strategies are most effective. CHEPP also finds that while there are substantial trade-offs when prioritizing new traditional learners, bolstering the integration and accessibility of career connection strategies will only strengthen the nation’s workforce.

    Read the full report here.

    —Harper Davis

    If you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please contact us.

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  • General Education for Working Learners in the Age of AI – Faculty Focus

    General Education for Working Learners in the Age of AI – Faculty Focus

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  • General Education for Working Learners in the Age of AI – Faculty Focus

    General Education for Working Learners in the Age of AI – Faculty Focus

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  • Setting learners up for success in the global workforce

    Setting learners up for success in the global workforce

    • By Sidharth Oberoi, VP of Global Strategy at Instructure.

    Imagine a world where anyone who wants to work in a different city or country can simply share all their skills and learning achievements – including those obtained through formal and informal settings – in a unified, digital format with a prospective employer. Imagine employers having an easy way to verify a candidate’s diverse skills and clearly being able to identify the applicable competencies across international boundaries.

    For anyone who has ever tried to work abroad and navigated all the paperwork and certification processes, this could sound like a very futuristic idea. However, this is precisely what digital learning portfolios are making possible – fostering student mobility and facilitating cross-institutional collaboration among universities worldwide to dynamise the global workforce.

    A digital learning portfolio is an online collection of a student’s verified skills, qualifications and learning experiences, often captured across various formal and informal settings. By functioning as a form of digital credentialling, this portfolio allows students to document and present their learning achievements in a unified, digital format. Students can seamlessly showcase a combination of academic degrees, microcredentials, short courses and experiential learning, giving domestic or international prospective employers a more comprehensive view of their capabilities.

    As more educational institutions look to expand their international reach, digital credentials present a transformational opportunity to track learning experiences and position students more competitively in the global job markets. With a structured, verifiable digital portfolio, students can demonstrate their formal and informal learning experiences in real time and highlight an array of microcredentials, skills and qualifications.

    Enabling cross-institution collaboration

    Global collaboration in higher education is growing steadily, marking a crucial step for universities – even as countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia impose tighter restrictions on international students. This trend highlights the increasing importance of cross-border partnerships in advancing research, innovation, and academic excellence.

    Students continue to seek study-abroad opportunities and universities are increasingly partnering across borders to offer joint programmes and exchange initiatives. This has been highlighted in Europe with programmes like the European Universities Initiative. However, differing approaches to credentialling can often pose challenges. These challenges are further compounded by the fact that some institutions still rely on traditional methods—such as print and paper—to manage and distribute official transcripts and certificates. This not only slows down the process but also hinders the seamless exchange of academic records across borders.

    Digital credentials and badges can help address these issues by offering a consistent and verifiable way for students to record their achievements. This consistency simplifies joint programmes, exchange students and curriculum alignment across countries. With a universal standard, students can more easily navigate international educational pathways and access opportunities that may have been limited by varying credentialing systems.

    For institutions, investing in technology to leverage digital credentials and badges will streamline the process of building and strengthening global partnerships. They can provide a reliable way to attract international students, create robust pathways to global learning opportunities and ensure smooth credit transfers between institutions in different countries. This can significantly prevent credential fraud and enhance an institution’s global appeal, as students can trust that their academic achievements and skills will be recognised no matter where they go.

    Transforming the global workforce

    Today’s employers are gradually favouring skills over traditional degrees and looking for agility and flexibility in their hiring processes. Digital credentialling supports a skills-driven hiring process that’s more responsive to the needs of a global, fast-evolving workforce.

    Digital credentials and badges will become essential for documenting and validating shorter, targeted learning experiences such as microcredentials, apprenticeships and other skill-focused learning experiences that may not necessarily fit within traditional degree frameworks. This transparency helps employers better assess candidates based on relevant, demonstrated competencies.

    Supporting global workforce readiness

    One of the key benefits of digital credentials is their ability to support lifelong career mobility. As people change roles, industries, and even countries throughout their careers, having the opportunity to access 24/7 digital credentials will provide them with an adaptable, portable record of qualifications. This flexibility empowers students to carry their skills and experiences with them, regardless of where their careers take them.

    For these students, a digital portfolio that evolves with them throughout their lives opens doors to greater global mobility and ensures that achievements from one part of the world are recognised and respected in another, strengthening graduates’ ability to apply to job opportunities abroad, or pursue additional international degrees, short courses or microcredentials and thrive in diverse job markets.

    While AI is reshaping industries by automating routine tasks, leading to the evolution of existing roles and the creation of new ones, higher education institutions must focus on the importance of lifelong learning, as continuous skill development becomes essential in an AI-driven economy.

    More than ever, universities need to invest in modern cloud-based virtual learning environments that can support and scale a lifelong learning strategy, including microcredentials and digital credentials. By offering students the tools to maintain dynamic portfolios throughout their careers, institutions can better prepare graduates to succeed in an interconnected and global workforce and stay relevant.

    Lifelong recognition

    Education is no longer confined to traditional phases of life; it’s a continual journey of growth and adaptation. By enabling seamless transitions between learning opportunities and career stages, universities can empower individuals to thrive in a world where constant upskilling is essential, and skill recognition should go beyond the boundaries of traditional learning.

    In today’s interconnected world, digital credentials and learning portfolios provide a structured way to document and share skills, supporting both students’ career ambitions and employers’ workforce needs across the globe. Institutions and employers must collaborate to integrate digital credentials into the skills journey, ensuring a seamless link between education and workforce readiness to dynamically prepare students for a global economy, paving the way for a more adaptable, skilled and mobile workforce.

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  • Mobility Isn’t a Choice: How Higher Education Can Better Serve Military Learners

    Mobility Isn’t a Choice: How Higher Education Can Better Serve Military Learners

    This post is excerpted from a forthcoming book on learner mobility to be published in July 2025 by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

    Every few years, they pack up their lives, move across states—or oceans—and start over. New schools, new systems, new expectations.

    For military learners, this isn’t a study abroad adventure or a career move; it’s a way of life. Yet while their reality is defined by mobility, too many of our systems in higher education still assume stability.

    Military learners make up about five percent of the undergraduate population—roughly 820,000 students nationwide. But they aren’t a monolith. They’re active-duty service members juggling college coursework with operational demands like exercises, surprise inspections, and even deployments. They’re veterans navigating civilian life, often in isolation, and often while supporting a family. They’re National Guard and reserve members wearing multiple hats that opposing forces demand they change on command. And they’re spouses and dependents navigating new colleges, mid-degree or mid-semester, again and again, with each relocation.

    Their stories are different, but the friction points are the same: staying on track academically while managing a life defined by mobility.

    Unlike traditional students, military learners don’t choose when or where they go—on orders, deployments, or other permanent or temporary service-related relocations. And each move can derail progress. Credits don’t transfer, residency rules reset, tuition costs spike, and financial aid doesn’t always follow the same logic. These students bring resilience, discipline, and lived experience into our classrooms, but higher education hasn’t fully adjusted to meet them where they are.

    The transfer tangle and financial aid maze

    One of the biggest hurdles is transfer credit. While articulation agreements—formal arrangements for transferring credits between institutions—do exist, they often don’t reflect the realities of military learners, especially when it comes to military training or nontraditional learning experiences. Some accumulate credits from multiple institutions, only to be told their new school won’t accept them.

    The result? Lost time, lost money, and unnecessary frustration.

    Add to that the patchwork of residency rules. Even when learners are stationed in a state under military orders, they may not qualify for in-state tuition. While states like Virginia and Florida have implemented inclusive policies, others continue to lag, turning mobility into a penalty as well as a reality.

    Financial aid adds another layer of complexity. Programs like tuition assistance and the GI Bill are essential, but they often fall short. Tuition assistance differs by branch and may not cover full tuition at private or out-of-state schools. The Post-9/11 GI Bill is a powerful benefit, but its eligibility rules and transfer limitations don’t always align with the unpredictable, stop-and-go nature of military life.

    What states and institutions are doing right

    There are promising models to build on. In Ohio, Military Transfer Assurance Guides standardize how public institutions accept military training as credit. Texas and New York offer additional tuition support for veterans, while Florida helps cover housing and textbook costs when GI Bill payments lapse between terms.

    At the institutional level, schools like Grand Valley State University, Syracuse University, and the City University of New York (CUNY) are raising the bar. Their “Veteran Promise” programs guarantee admission, recognize military training, and offer wraparound support tailored to military-connected students.

    That’s not charity—that’s what equity looks like. When institutions commit, military learners succeed.

    The power and promise of credit for prior learning

    Credit for prior learning (CPL) may be one of the most powerful—and underused—tools to support military learners, who bring extensive work and life experience to their postsecondary studies that can be translated into credit.

    CPL recognizes that learning happens outside the classroom: through military training, job experience, CLEP exams, or portfolio assessments. When applied effectively, it can shorten the path to graduation, reduce student debt, and boost confidence for learners who’ve already mastered real-world skills.

    Tools like ACE’s Military Guide help institutions apply CPL consistently and responsibly. But here’s the problem: CPL isn’t consistently communicated, awarded, or valued. In some cases, it’s limited to elective credits rather than core degree requirements, undermining its purpose.

    CPL isn’t just about transfer and awarding credit; it’s also about unlocking opportunity. Validated learning can, and should, play a role in admissions, satisfying prerequisites, waiving introductory or duplicative coursework, and advising military learners on the path that is best for them. When institutions fully embrace the broader utility of CPL, they open more doors for military learners to engage meaningfully with higher education from the very start of their journeys.

    To change that, institutions need more than buy-in—they need system-wide strategies. CPL should be central to transfer reform conversations, especially when supporting learners who are older, more experienced, and balancing school with work or caregiving.

    The role of advising and ecosystem support

    Too often, military learners don’t get the tailored advice they need. On-base education centers can be vital entry points, but they need stronger bridges to campus advising teams who understand military culture, CPL, and transfer systems. Institutions sometimes resist broader CPL use over concerns about revenue loss or academic rigor, while students are left unaware of opportunities due to poor communication or advising gaps. Aligning on-base education centers with well-trained campus advisors is one step forward; improving internal communication across departments is another.

    Student Veterans of America’s Success Hub, which includes the SVA Advising Center, supports all service members, veterans, and their families in making informed decisions about higher education opportunities and meaningful careers through the use of AI, success coaches, and expertise where the military, veterans, and higher education intersect.

    Organizations like NACADA are doing the work to improve professional development in this area, but we need deeper, sustained collaboration. Cross-sector partnerships between colleges, employers, and the U.S. Department of Defense are where real impact happens.

    Programs like Syracuse’s Onward to Opportunity and ACE’s Reimagining Transfer for Student Success illustrate what’s possible when higher education and workforce systems align.

    The BLUF, or Bottom Line Up Front

    Military learners aren’t asking for special treatment. They ask for systems to make sense for the lives they actually lead. With the right policy changes, institutional commitments, and collaborative frameworks, we can turn mobility from a barrier into a bridge.

    But we also need better data, better pathways, and a better understanding of what success looks like for these students—not just access, but degree completion and career readiness. Military learners aren’t an exception. They are the future of an inclusive, prepared, and resilient workforce.

    It’s time higher education met these students where they are because they’re already leading the way.

    If you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please contact us.

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  • Empowering neurodiverse learners with AI-driven solutions

    Empowering neurodiverse learners with AI-driven solutions

    Key points:

    A traditional classroom is like a symphony, where every student is handed the same sheet music and expected to play in perfect unison. But neurodiverse learners are not able to hear the same rhythm–or even the same notes. For them, learning can feel like trying to play an instrument that was never built for them. This is where AI-powered educational tools step in, not as a replacement for the teacher, but as a skilled accompanist, tuning into each learner’s individual tempo and helping them find their own melody.

    At its best, education should recognize and support the unique ways students absorb, process, and respond to information. For neurodiverse students–those with ADHD, dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other learning differences–this need is especially acute. Traditional approaches often fail to take care of their varied needs, leading to frustration, disengagement, and lost potential. But with advances in AI, we have the opportunity to reshape learning environments into inclusive spaces where all students can thrive.

    Crafting personalized learning paths

    AI’s strength lies in pattern recognition and personalization at scale. In education, this means AI can adapt content and delivery in real time based on how a student is interacting with a lesson. For neurodiverse learners who may need more repetition, multi-sensory engagement, or pacing adjustments, this adaptability is a game changer.

    For example, a child with ADHD may benefit from shorter, interactive modules that reward progress quickly, while a learner with dyslexia might receive visual and audio cues alongside text to reinforce comprehension. AI can dynamically adjust these elements based on observed learning patterns, making the experience feel intuitive rather than corrective.

    This level of personalization is difficult to achieve in traditional classrooms, where one teacher may be responsible for 20 or more students with diverse needs. AI doesn’t replace that teacher; it augments their ability to reach each student more effectively.

    Recent research supports this approach–a 2025 systematic review published in the EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research found that AI-powered adaptive learning systems significantly enhance accessibility and social-emotional development for students with conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.

    Equipping educators with real-time insights

    One of the most significant benefits of AI tools for neurodiverse learners is the data they generate–not just for students, but for educators. These systems can provide real-time dashboards indicating which students are struggling, where they’re excelling, and how their engagement levels fluctuate over time. For a teacher managing multiple neurodiverse learners, these insights are crucial. Rather than relying on periodic assessments or observations, educators can intervene early, adjusting lesson plans, offering additional resources, or simply recognizing when a student needs a break.

    Imagine a teacher noticing that a student with ASD consistently disengages during word problems but thrives in visual storytelling tasks. AI can surface these patterns quickly and suggest alternatives that align with the student’s strengths, enabling faster, more informed decisions that support learning continuity.

    Success stories from the classroom

    Across the U.S., school districts are beginning to see the tangible benefits of AI-powered tools for neurodiverse learners. For instance, Humble Independent School District in Texas adopted an AI-driven tool called Ucnlearn to manage its expanding dyslexia intervention programs. The platform streamlines progress monitoring and generates detailed reports using AI, helping interventionists provide timely, personalized support to students. Since its rollout, educators have been able to handle growing caseloads more efficiently, with improved tracking of student outcomes.

    Meanwhile, Houston Independent School District partnered with an AI company to develop reading passages tailored to individual student levels and classroom goals. These passages are algorithmically aligned to Texas curriculum standards, offering engaging and relevant reading material to students, including those with dyslexia and other learning differences, at just the right level of challenge.

    The future of neurodiverse education

    The promise of AI in education goes beyond improved test scores or sleek digital interfaces, it’s about advancing equity. True inclusion means providing every student with tools that align with how they best learn. This could be gamified lessons that minimize cognitive overload, voice-assisted content to reduce reading anxiety, or real-time emotional feedback to help manage frustration. Looking ahead, AI-driven platforms could even support early identification of undiagnosed learning differences by detecting subtle patterns in student interactions, offering a new frontier for timely and personalized intervention.

    Still, AI is not a silver bullet. Its impact depends on thoughtful integration into curricula, alignment with proven pedagogical goals, and ongoing evaluation of its effectiveness. To be truly inclusive, these tools must be co-designed with input from both neurodiverse learners and the educators who work with them. The score is not yet finished; we are still composing. Technology’s real legacy in education will not be in algorithms or interfaces, but in the meaningful opportunities it creates for every student to thrive.

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  • How Can Institutions Best Support Their Online Learners?

    How Can Institutions Best Support Their Online Learners?

    Title: Supporting Online Learners: Insights from SUNY’s Campus Coaching Programs

    Authors: Marjorie Dorimé-Williams, Jálynn Castleman, Parker Cellura, Rebekah O’Donoghue, and Makoto Toyoda

    Source: MDRC

    The structure and delivery of online programs can have significant impacts on a student’s ability to succeed. After examining success coaching practices at three State University of New York institutions, the authors of new analysis from MDRC offer several policy recommendations to support online learners.

    Within each university, there were a variety of approaches to providing help for online students. Analyzing and comparing the programs indicated there are three primary types of support for online learners: coaching communication strategies and technology applications, student engagement, and academic outcomes.

    Some of the most effective practices in each category are:

    Coaching Strategies

    Personalized support from coaches is one of the most effective ways to help students. By minimizing the coach-to-student ratio, institutions can ensure coaches have a manageable workload, enabling them to cater their coaching to fit individual students’ needs.

    Tracking student data can help coaches identify needs and tailor support. Performance and outcome metrics, such as grades, course attendance, and credit accumulation, can be used to identify struggling students and guide intervention strategies. Additionally, learning management systems that track student engagement can facilitate personalized communication to fit students’ needs and preferences.

    Opportunities for professional development help coaches provide the best support for their students. Institutions should continually provide training opportunities to help inform online pedagogy.

    Student Engagement

    Centralizing support services improves student access and awareness.A unified, easily accessible platform can ensure that students know about and use available resources.

    Building community is especially important—and especially challenging—for asynchronous learners. Faculty can foster connections through synchronous or asynchronous study groups and should be mindful of online students’ varied schedules.

    Responsive, innovative communication helps keep students engaged. Timely feedback and meeting students where they are—through tools and communication styles they prefer—can promote sustained engagement.

    Academic Outcomes

    Faculty need targeted training to effectively adapt courses for online delivery. Professional development can help instructors redesign courses for virtual environments and maintain instructional quality.

    Quality standards for course design can improve consistency and effectiveness. Standardized templates and interaction guidelines help ensure that all online courses meet a baseline of student support and instructional quality.

    Coaches and faculty can collaborate to provide holistic academic support. Integration of coaching within academic programs strengthens both in- and out-of-classroom support, creating a more cohesive experience for online students.

    With an increasing proportion of students participating in online courses, building capacity to support online learners promotes success for all students, especially those who are entirely online. Institutions committed to improving their online programs can dedicate resources to developing and evaluating courses and support systems.

    To read the full report, click here.

    —Erica Swirsky

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