Including students in undergraduate classes within a university setting

Abstract

Aim: This paper explores how young people with ID studying a 12-month Certificate in Contemporary Living (CCL) course were included in undergraduate classes at Trinity College Dublin. The views of students, their lecturers and peer mentors are reported. Method: Each student (n = 7) chose to attend lectures at the undergraduate level in a particular discipline of interest. The lecturers sought to adapt their teaching strategies to be inclusive of the students multiple learning styles. Peer mentors were asked to support students before, during and after class, and share some social time on campus. Data were collected via student and peer mentor focus groups and individual interviews with lecturers. Coding of the data led to triangulation of the emerging themes. Results: The findings revealed that all three participant groups perceived that they had grown in increased competence. For the lecturers, it was associated with implementing adapted teaching materials; for the peer mentors, it was associated with relating to people with disabilities; while for the students, they reported being more confident to ask questions in class and to approach the lecturer after the class for clarification. Conclusion: This study showed how people with ID can be supported to take their rightful place within a university setting studying the same course content with teaching adaptations to reflect multiple learning styles.