| dc.description | My presentation consisted of four parts: First, Bonnie (co-presenter) and I offered a brief overview of ADHD and how the features of this diagnosis in woman can present differently from men.
Secondly, I provided a very thorough powerpoint detailing many of these features for consideration to offer a user-friendly “take-away” resource for front-line service providers who may be encountering this diagnosis in their student population. The powerpoint was made available on the CADDSPE portion of the CACUSS website for participants to download.
The videodocumentary was then presented, followed by a discussion, including a question/answer opportunity with Bonnie specific to her personal/professional experiences as a woman with ADHD in a post-secondary setting. The powerpoint will be sent for review.
There were approximately 70 people who attended my presentation. Of those participants, the following support services were reported to be present: the Disability/Accessibility Service providers, Counsellors, Directors/Managers of Learning Service Centres, Academic Advisors, staff from Residence, Peer Mentorship Coordinators, Student Union, Directors of Counselling Centres, Learning Strategists/Academic Strategists, Tutors, and several students (two of which were diagnosed with ADHD and currently in programs) from Ryerson University.
I received 50 evaluations, mostly indicating “very satisfied”. The majority of anecdotal comments fit three general themes: pleased to hear an overview of features more prevalent in women with ADHD; appreciation for the resource available to download; and compliments on the videography for conveying the unique truths of 3 women. Two evaluations indicated in their anecdotal comments that while they felt the presentation and video were “excellent”, they would have liked more opportunity for discussion at the end of the presentation to consolidate what they learned and to hear from other university/college settings. Interestingly, five people approached me privately to disclose their diagnosis and to reflect on the presentation and how it fit with their personal experiences as a student or staff member at a post-secondary institution.
In my opinion as a presenter, I was very satisfied with both the turnout and the response to my presentation. I do wish there had been more time as one-hour was not sufficient to provide opportunity for a more in-depth follow-up conversation with workshop participants. I did not articulate learning outcomes in a clear enough manner and I will address this in future presentations.
Bonnie and I briefly addressed common themes we have heard students with ADHD in distance learning settings versus traditional classroom settings. For instance, distance learning requires the student to be able to manage their time, organize their schedule, prioritize and approach coursework in a relatively systematic way. A great deal of independence is required in distance learning. A person with ADHD may find this lack of structure and need for systematic planning more challenging than an individual without ADHD. Students with ADHD in a more traditional setting have an external structure already in place (for example, class times are set, exam schedules are in place, and there is opportunity to immediately request clarification or interact with other students to clarify next steps). However, students with ADHD have also suggested that distance learning can be very beneficial and tremendously appealing once they learn more about their personal strengths and develop learning strategies to assist with time management, organization, prioritization and so forth. Generally we have heard students feel they often enjoy the varied pace available through distance learning, the opportunity to move around/take physical breaks while learning, the reduced need for extensive listening, and the prospect for more flexible scheduling around other activities. This is just one example for your interest. Several individuals approached me after my presentation which segued into an animated 2-hour follow up conversation discussing the strengths and potential opportunities for students with ADHD to combine traditional and distance learning coursework. From this, several university representatives (two Directors from Counselling Centres and one Director from Accessibility Services) approached me to discuss possible opportunities for future collaboration with AU Counselling Services and possible professional development opportunities (i.e., present to their departments and to engage in some type of ongoing discussion to help guide best practice) to better accommodate and serve students in their institutions who maybe enrolled in both distance and traditionally-delivered coursework or programs.
As well, the central focus of this conference was diversity, and within that, learners with more complex mental health issues. Many students diagnosed with ADHD may also have co-existing challenges related to mental health. I facilitated a pre-conference discussion with other interested institutions regarding various challenges, including: students in crisis who do not readily access support services; methods for supporting students with diverse needs via distance learning; and, the emerging use of on-line forums to offer education, resources and support for students in an e-campus/distance learning program.
A particular point of discussion continued over a 3-day period with several representatives (both staff from universities as well as students attending the conference) regarding the benefits and opportunities of a more integrated learning services approach (e.g., learning strategists, counsellors, accessibility services, academic advisors tend to collaborate more as a team for students), versus more traditional settings where teams may tend to work independently and without much overlap. A summary of comments from these conversations include perceived (and reported) benefits of a more integrated approach to be: increased student retention, particularly first year students; aligning of services and therefore more efficient use of time/less redundancy of service; improved efficiency for students seeking support in a timely manner; increased communication and opportunity to problem-solve challenges between different support services; and, increased overall student satisfaction with support services.
The information, ideas and considerations which surfaced for me in this conference has provided occasion for discussion with the AU counselling team regarding best practice and future directions. To guide our team’s conversation, we are reviewing my collected notes and resources, as well as a position paper developed by CACUSS in 2005 entitled: Personal Counselling in a Canadian Post-Secondary Setting. This paper was written by Connie Coniglio, Graham McLean, and Todd Meuser.
Finally, based on the response to my presentation and my overall experience at the CACUSS 2011 conference, some possible future directions (presentations, position papers, posters) from AU at future conferences may include:
1. Counselling from a Distance: Review of methods for appropriately and ethically supporting students with mental health issues.
This was a major topic of discussion throughout the conference, and many university/college representatives approached me as an AU staff member to discuss working with students in an e-campus/distance learning environment as opportunities for students to engage in online coursework is increasing in many institutions. As a burgeoning field, the prevalent assumption at the conference from other institutions was that AU has refined its approach in this area because of its longitudinal history/experience in the area of distance learning. I believe that there is an important opportunity for AU to be a leader in this emerging area, as well as to continue to refine its approach and understanding of what counselling is and can be in our unique environment.
2. Retention Issues and Counselling: Role of counsellors in a distance learning environment in assisting with the retention of students.
Two workshops I attended focused on the changing role of counsellors in post-secondary institutions with the emergence of more complex mental health concerns. The topic of the role of counsellors and other support services in retention was prevalent and several universities have conducted (I believe) more informal studies to determine the role of counselling in assisting with the retention of all students, including those with more complex needs. Much of that focus appeared to revolve on financially viable ways in which support service personnel may contribute to retention and the need for increased manpower to effectively play this role. The role of counsellor at AU is somewhat unique as it blends short-term, solution-focused counselling with learning strategy support as well as prospective student contact to assist with choosing programs to fit career goals. Significant interest from other institutions was expressed to learn more about AU’s choice to blend these services. As well, the development of this would help to guide best practice for AU counselling services.
3. Counselling, ASD, and Academic Advising: Challenges, limitations and potential opportunities for increased collaboration of services in a distance learning environment for students with complex needs.
Informal discussions, as I mentioned earlier, focused on the differences amongst institutions in the way they interact and collaborate with other support services to provide student support. Many opportunities emerged in these discussions (in particular with two other institutions). I believe a position paper or presentation based on a literature review of current best practice, as well as a reflection on an organized discussion amongst the three institutions regarding different approaches would be of great interest to our post-secondary community. AU would offer the collective perspective of the unique challenges and potential benefits within a distance learning environment.
4. Peer Mentorship: Potential benefits and methods for providing online peer mentorship to students in a distance learning environment.
Throughout the conference a theme emerged from Peer Mentor staff as well as attending students of the success of integrating peer mentors with certain support services, particularly for first year students. I believe it would be interesting to explore what AU currently offers to students via this approach, review current literature and then develop a workshop/presentation to reflect on information to guide future discussion and possible research opportunities. Examples of guiding themes: general ethical implications of on-line forums, manpower and criteria for those who may oversee/supervise; maintenance of blogs/forums; consideration of diversity within an online forum; confidentiality/privacy issues; student response, participation and retention; effectiveness of forums already in place at other institutions…
5. Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Benefits and challenges with online/Distance learning versus the traditional classroom experience.
This of course stemmed from my own presentation, my past involved with Accessibility Services in another institution with students who were enrolled in both distance learning and traditionally-delivered courses. I believe there is potential to promote distance learning as part of an overall educational experience for many students, including those individuals diagnosed with ADHD. I believe a review of current literature both on educational delivery methods and ADHD as well as learning strategy support would be of interest to many institutions that are only now entering the on-line learning delivery model.
Thank you again for this tremendous opportunity.
Mary Cole, M. Couns., CCC
Athabasca Counselling Services | en |
