Question: "Would you recommend the block plan for someone with learning disabilities?"

"No. My friend has ADHD and she struggles with hard [STEM] classes. She has to record the lecture and listen to it multiple times afterwards because the pace is just too fast and she can't process it all during class type. So for neurotypical students I would not recommend they learn under the block plan."

• "I would recommend the block plan depending on want disabilities they have. The block plan moves so fast so if someone has any processing disabilities or disorders, I would tell them not to because they won't be able to learn anything. Retention and memorization are big factors as well- if you can't cram information you won't do well. Plus CC's accessibility center isn't that great. You have to jump through a lot of hoops to get accommodation like extended time on tests and even then, if you can't keep up with the information being taught, this won't help you."

• "I have ADHD, it's hard to keep up with the pace of content and a lot of the time I don't feel as “smart” as the other people in my class and lack confidence. I do think that CC isn't super academically competitive which is nice but it is hard not to doubt yourself and then fall behind. I am also not on medication and getting accommodations through the accessibility center has been tough since I don't have physical proof but thankfully most of my teachers are understanding and accommodating."

• "I try to accommodate students as much as I can and usually get positive feedback but I have heard that there aren't many resources for them to use and I have had a lot of students drop classes because they can't keep up."

• Via interview conduction with faculty members "who had fostered social and educational inclusion through inclusive practices" as identified by their students, Aguirre, A., et al., (2021) identified three notable factors to improve academic experience for students with disabilities:

  1. 1. 1. Disability-Specific training 

        2. Good faculty-student relationship

        3. Willingness to make reasonable adjustments 

• Bunbury, S. (2020) aimed to identify the role of an inclusive curriculum design in Higher Education. Conversations (and interviews) about disability in the classroom with participants led Bunbury, S. (2030) to draw the conclusion that:

  1. 1. 1. In the presence of an inclusive curriculum, the need to make reasonable accommodations, in some instances, may be minimized or negated. 

        2. A possible solution may be to switch staff and faculty focus to the "social model of disability, which focuses on attitudes."

        3. An updated definition of an inclusive curriculum would "incorporate various learning styles and needs...staff members subconsciously implement adjustments in their teaching practice due to the diverse student body, and not just because of the individual's disability.”

• An analysis of the outcomes for students with disabilities in postsecondary education who participate in student to student mentoring programs done by Hillier, A., et al., (2019) revealed:

  1. 1. 1. Mentoring had the most significant impact of social knowledge such as "knowing how things work at the university, how to meet people on campus, and accessing supports"

        2. No significant effect on academic outcomes 

        3. Mentees continued to benefit from mentoring a year after

• With the goal of closing gaps in the current understanding and literature on topics relating to motivation, emotion, and the importance of faculty-student relationships in the learning process of students with disabilities, Morina, A. (2019) found:

  1. 1. 1. Students with disabilities seem to be more motivated than their classmates

        2. Tools that induce a sense of belonging for students with disabilities may be more significant for learning and development in higher education

In conjunction with the current literature and student perspectives...

• Information Processing: Students with learning disabilities studying under the block plan struggle to properly encode information to their memory due to the fast pace of the content and lack of supportive resources. They cannot internalize all the information and work twice as hard as their classmates to learn and remember the material.

• Zone of Proximal Development / Sociocultural Theory:  Social interaction and relationships seem to be one of the most significant contributors to success for students with learning disabilities. Having someone support students in learning about campus life and aiding them in content management allows them to feel more comfortable and grow their resource toolbox (skill set). If students with learning disabilities (and in general) can learn from those around them and continue to expand their ZPD, they may be able to manage learning on the block plan more efficiently.

• Ecological Systems Theory: The shift from family and friends at home to friends, teachers, and advisors in school (microsystem) is crucial in supporting students with learning disabilities. Having teachers willing to form direct and personal student relationships has implications for how the student feels about their ability to perform. Similarly, peer relations in higher education impact how individuals view themselves as a part of the student body and campus community. The mesosystem surrounding an individual, and the interactions between teachers and peers concerning the student, also allow for increased support and awareness. 

• Motivation / Stress Performance Curve: Due to the increased obstacles, students face with learning disabilities, the balance between motivation and stress has significant implications. Although previous literature has found that students with learning disabilities tend to be more motivated than their classmates, under the block plan, this may differ. Professors and peers must meet students with learning disabilities with proper accommodations and flexibility. Falling too high or low on the stress performance curve will increase students' likelihood of dropping their classes or performing poorly on assessments. As one cannot procrastinate on the block plan, continued motivation and manageable stress must occur for students with learning disabilities to succeed. 

In order to better support students with learning disabilities under the block plan, we suggest...

• On going pedagogical training for all faculty and staff- focusing on the social model of disability.

• Continued efforts to communicate effectively with students by way of weekly check-ins 

• Professors implement a flexible syllabus that is open to modification to meet student needs

• Mentoring systems between students to increase resources 

• Increased availability from accessibility and resources that allows students with learning disabilities of all degrees to receive aid and support

• Specifically for hard STEM courses implementing new methods to slow down the intake of information (chunking, providing material prior to the block, shifting certain classes to a 2 block model, etc,.

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