Supporting the Efficacy of Admission Counselors When Working with Neurodivergent Students: A Study for an Equitable Review Process

The focus of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing a universal design learning training module for college admission professionals to help assess student fit during the application review process. The conceptual framework in the research design followed that of the Universal Design of Learning (UDL) framework, which upholds the United Nations Sustainable Developmental Goals (UN-SDG), specifically goal four of quality education and goal 10 of reduced inequalities. The hypothesis for using an equitable training module is that an improved understanding of working with diverse students will lead to more confident admission professionals holistically recommending an admission decision for the applicant. The mixed methods research design included the distribution of pre- and post-surveys to address competency when considering working with students with documented diagnosed learning differences. Open-ended questions and a Likert scale were used to gauge the basis of the participants’ knowledge and capture their experiences after completing a hands-on professional development module. Questions regarding implicit bias were an area or theme in the surveys to help evaluate and reflect on areas to improve the training module. The purpose of the case study was to answer the research questions based on what the admission application experiences are when working with neurodivergent students, what the onboarding experiences of admission counselors are when working with neurodivergent students, and what training is needed to be successful when working through the admission process and on the admissions application review process with neurodivergent students.