2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In this WIP paper, we share our analysis of interviews with faculty, staff, and administrators in STEM-affiliated departments and positions at an R1 institution in the southeastern US related to their knowledge and experiences of neurodiversity. This study is part of an ongoing look into neurodiversity in STEM majors via a course-based undergraduate research project with the goal of better understanding the unique challenges that neurodivergent learners face in academic institutions. This collaborative, interdisciplinary student-driven research began in the summer of 2023 with researchers in the Fall 2024 cohort currently implementing their evidence-based revision of their pilot survey from the fall of 2023. The survey was designed to target individuals in the STEM population and to acquire information about perceptions towards and experiences with neurodivergence in a higher education environment. As a subset of this work, this paper focuses specifically on the responses generated by faculty, staff, and administrators. Given the modern advances in accessibility using technology and the institution's overt focus on the experiences of its students, this work will further examine participants’ experiences and knowledge related to their interactions with undergraduates and graduate students. This fall, we are interviewing neurotypical and neurodivergent participants who work as faculty, staff, or administrators at the institution based on their responses to the Fall 2024 general survey. Although we will know their self-identified status, neurodivergent and neurotypical participants are asked the same questions to provide throughlines for analysis across both groups. The interview protocol begins with their understanding of neurodivergence more broadly and branches based on their knowledge and experiences with neurodiversity. Open-ended prompts focus on awareness of institutional and other resources, professional development and training experiences, accessibility and technology, and working with students. The interviews conclude by discussing any specific practices in their work that support neurodivergent students and also benefit neurotypical students. In this WIP paper, we analyze these themes for their perceived effectiveness and impact on the participants’ knowledge and attitudes regarding neurodiversity. We use a Universal Design for Learning lens with their responses toward identifying effective practices for supporting neurodivergent learners.