One of my favourite parts of being an ID is the opportunity to learn and explore endlessly. Sometimes starting with a topic and getting lost in its subtopics. An article I came across recently that really got me thinking is 7 Tips For ADHD-Friendly eLearning...From An Instructional Designer With ADHD by Aiden Gillan-Bronze. (Give it a read! There are some great tips that apply to both synchronous and asynchronous learning.)

The first line really made an impact:

“Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD a.k.a. ADD, they’re the same thing) affects 5% of the adult population—2 million adults in the UK alone!”

Let that sink in a moment. That’s not even taking into account younger learners or other geographies!

Reading through the article, I reflected on the tips and how this might affect my role as an instructional designer and my recommended design choices. Many of the recommendations are for instructor-led training. So I took some time to think about how these recommendations can be adapted for asynchronous learning.

 

1. If tidy slides help messy brains, the same is likely true for content pages and assessment instructions.

Gillan-Bronze says, “[e]nsuring plenty of white space and orderly layouts goes a long way to helping people with ADHD stay on track.” Using HTML templates can help you with that process! Keeping the [Archived Content] best practices of the elements of graphic design in mind, you can design tidy pages that are unified, use white space effectively and are organized to help keep learners on track.

2. But Not Boring Content.

Just like how Gillan-Bronze recommends slide not be boring, HTML content should not be either. Now that you’ve applied an HTML template and created a beautifully designed page that’s easy to process… don’t copy it verbatim (but with new content) for your next page. Use a variety of components to adapt the look and feel to what information you have to convey. Using the HTML templates will provide visual consistency. Sparingly using components such as callouts, decorative or demonstrative images, accordions, and more can keep things interesting.

3. Build a course plan that keeps content focused and reminds learners to take breaks.

Think about cognitive load. What are the goals and outcomes of the course? Make a list of what information is needed to achieve the learning outcomes and the order in which information should be consumed before you start writing and compiling it. You will explain the material more clearly and concisely to learners when it comes time to put it together. And remember that learners need time to absorb what they’ve learned and practiced. So add in little reminders to pause and take a break.

What tips do you have to help others design courses for learners who may find it challenging to regulate attention?