Spork

Challenge: How might we provide tailored support to neurodivergent students struggling with executive functioning skills to help them meet their academic goals?

Solution: Spork is a supportive coach and personalized planning tool that makes managing academic demands easier by using AI to provide effective study plans that work with your brain - not against it.

Course: Independent Research Project (Thesis)


Project Length: September 2023 - March 2024

Disclaimer

I would like to acknowledge that I’m looking at this project from an outsider’s perspective. I highly recommend looking to those with lived experience, advocacy groups and expert organizations for more information on what neurodiversity is and more on the neurodivergent experience. What I have described here is gathered from secondary research and what I heard in my interviews with individuals who identify as neurodivergent.

What is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term used to describe people whose brains work differently than what is considered “normal” or neurotypical. Neurodiversity can include Autism, ADHD, ADD, and so much more. Because neurodivergent can include so many different types of brains, every individual may experience neurodiversity differently. It is important to remember that many groups and individuals hold their own definitions of what neurodiversity is and I highly recommend learning more from organizations such as:

  1. Neurodiversity Hub

  2. Exceptional Individuals

  3. The Neurodiversity Initiative | William & Mary College

Neurodiversity in Higher Education

For my thesis project, I wanted to understand more how neurodiversity played a part in the experiences of students moving into university. I began my research with students by asking them what challenges they experienced regularly because of their neurodiversity and overwhelmingly the responses I received revolve around executive functioning skills such as task initiation, time management, and memory. I also looked more into what support resources were available for students at different universities and I was surprised to see that once students move into higher education, the amount of support systems available drastically decreases. The lack of support resources available meant that a lot of neurodivergent students were left feeling unsupported and this negatively affected their lives both in and out of the classroom. Many students described the impact on their mental health, particularly their self esteem and the frustration and pressure they felt trying to meet academic expectations. Taking all of this into consideration, it may not be surprising to learn that neurodivergent students are graduating at a lower rate than their neurotypical peers. All of this inspired me to understand how we can provide tailored support to neurodivergent students struggling with executive functioning skills to help them meet their academic goals.

Research Process

Source: Cortica

“I can’t focus, I’m always late, and I’m always tired. I have low self esteem because of my neurodivergence and have a lot of frustration about how it affects my schoolwork. I get really anxious about my performance.”
— Abby, undergraduate

I started my research by looking at online forums such as Reddit and Facebook to hear more about what neurodivergent students are experiencing in college. I wanted to understand first what challenges they faced both in and out of the classroom and what resources students were using to address those challenges, particularly ones that are accessed outside of the university. I also researched how other universities in the U.S addressed neurodiversity. I was looking for what resources were available and what language was being used by the university to address neurodiversity. After conducting a first round of interviews with students, I spoke to several professors and learning designers to get their perspectives on the issue.

Throughout my research, I found that:

1.There are numerous challenges with receiving university-provided accommodations

Many universities rely on an official diagnosis to provide accommodations for students; however, there are many reasons why a student may not be able to or want to receive a diagnosis including financial ability and stigma. Additionally, even if a student manages to receive accommodations, there are many situations in which a student would need to advocate for their needs to take full advantage of their accommodations. Many students feared being discriminated against or looked down on by a professor for needing accommodations which caused stress and anxiety that prohibited them from using their accommodations and from seeking the help they needed.

2. Professors play a crucial role in creating neurodivergent-friendly environments

Many students (both in my interviews and from secondary research) expressed that communicating with professors about their needs was crucial to improving their experiences in the classroom. However, in my interviews with professors, many of them expressed that they felt unable to provide more support to their students who had accommodations through the university. Part of the process of receiving accommodations is to notify the professor of what accommodations a student has but after receiving this information, professors were often unsure what to do next. Additionally, professors felt that they weren’t completely familiar with what neurodiversity was and therefore what accommodations they could make in their classrooms. It wasn’t that professors didn’t want to help, it was that they weren’t exactly sure how to go about it. This often resulted in a communication gap between professors and students where the professor wants to help but isn’t sure how to approach the student and the student wants the help but isn’t sure how to advocate for themselves. 

  1. It’s also important to note that if a student didn’t have accommodations through the university (which we’ve already established is difficult to obtain for many students) the professor felt unable or restricted in providing accommodations without the paperwork to support it.

3. Students want more than what accommodations could provide for them

For students who were able to obtain accommodations through the university, many of them felt that the accommodations they were receiving were not addressing what they actually needed in order to make their university experience work for them. The most common accommodation that students were receiving was exam/assignment time extensions. However, in my interviews, many students expressed wanting to learn more about how to manage their time, their emotions and overall adjusting to university life. Accommodations were falling short of providing essential skill development that would lead to a smoother transition into university.

After conducting a first round of interviews and secondary research, I decided to pursue the third finding and focus on helping students develop essential skills. Most of the skills students wanted help with revolved around executive functioning such as planning and time management.

Spork

Spork is a personalized planning coach that is intended for students who struggle with executive functioning skills such as task initiation, time management, and memory. With the help of AI, Spork is dynamic and able to adjust to the needs of the student as they develop their own methods over time.

There are four main parts to Spork including the onboarding experience, uploading syllabi, Task Generation and AI support.

  • Setting Preferences

    Indicate when you feel most productive for studying and when you want to be reminded of upcoming due dates

  • Study Questionnaire

    The questionnaire helps Spork understand the student better to recommend study tips tailored to each student based on current studying habits, learning styles and indicated areas of improvement.

  • Student Profile

    Responses from the study questionnaire are saved in the students profile for reference or change their responses as necessary.

  • Syllabus Upload

    Students can upload their syllabus and Spork will extract the due dates listed. Once the list is confirmed by the student, Spork will automatically sync it to their calendar.

  • Calendar

    A complete calendar will have the student’s class schedule, when assignments are due, and when they will be receiving reminders for upcoming assignments.

  • Class Profiles

    Spork will also use the uploaded syllabus to create class profiles. Each profile will have when the class is, when office hours is and the instructor’s contact information for easy reference.

  • Task Generation

    Spork includes task generation where a student can input what task they want to complete and using AI as well as the information gathered in the onboarding experience on study preferences, Spork will generate an action plan for the student. The plan includes time estimations for the student to get an idea on how best to manage their time

  • Task List

    The task list generated for the student using AI, can be synced into the calendar automatically to easily schedule study sessions. The task will also be uploaded to their task list

  • Feedback

    After a student completes a task, Spork will periodically check in with the student to see how things went and if the student wants to change anything with their study plans

  • New List Item

    If a student indicates that they want to change their study plan, they can chat with Spork’s AI assistant Sporky. Typically the student would have to go through a series of trial and error to find something that works for them but now the student and Sporky can work together to find a new study plan that works.

What I learned:

  1. Design considerations for neurodiversity

This project was my first look into designing a UI/UX while prioritizing neurodiverse brains. I used universal design principles as well as neurodivergent design playbooks to get examples for how best to present information and interactions. Ultimately there are a lot of design considerations that are beneficial for all users and for every project I approach in the future, I will always be reminded of what I learned here.

2. Acknowledging the gaps in my understanding

As designers, I think we are used to being trusted to know best after conducting research and interviewing folks. Designers are often expected to be the experts and have all the answers. In some cases, although that can be true, I think this project is a prime example of when expertise needs to be handed elsewhere. As I said in the disclaimer, I don’t identify as neurodivergent therefore I took a lot of time to listen and learn from those who did. Designing is about breaking down power structures. I was not going to be the expert in this case. I wanted to make sure that I was honoring the stories of the people I interviewed.

3. Working within the scope

I learned so much from my time working on this project and ultimately, if I had another month, year, or decade to work on this project I would do it differently. Ultimately, I had six months to work on this and only 8 minutes to summarize the work I did but truthfully, I could talk about this project for hours. I also quickly understood there was a lot of work to be done within academic systems in order to put forward the changes I wanted to see. I also want to acknowledge that Spork does not solve the majority of the challenges that neurodivergent students face in academic environments but equipping students with any resource is a step in the right direction.

Acknowledgements

  • I want to give a special thanks to my mentor, Stephanie Boron for sharing her story with me, guiding me throughout this project and for the amazing amount of support and encouragement she gave me throughout the project. Her passion for neurodiversity advocacy is endlessly inspiring.

  • I want to thank all the students who took the time to speak with me to share their stories, give feedback on prototypes and fill out surveys for me. This would not have been possible without the help of all of you.

  • I also want to thank my cohort, the class of EDI 2024, for the mutual support and help as we all completed our projects side by side. Congratulations to all of you on all your work and accomplishments!

Next

Athena