If you’ve read my recent posts, you know that 2025 was a year of personal discovery. Coming to terms with my AuDHD diagnosis has been a journey of recovery, discovery, and peace. While reading the feedback from my students in the Subject Evaluation Surveys, I realised that my personal journey had bled into my professional life as a lecturer, and I **think** it only made me a better lecturer (I hope).

This year, my teaching wasn’t just about delivering content; it was about creating the kind of environment I needed as a student, but didn’t always get.

The Wins

Looking at the feedback, my heart is so full. The In the Zone study sessions continued to be an absolute highlight of my week. Students mentioned that these sessions created a “safe and welcoming environment” where they could network and ask questions without fear. That safety is everything to me, and I look forward to finding ways to make this a more sustainable model for myself and my future students.

I also leaned hard into scaffolding this year. I’ve realised just how much my neurodivergent brain craves structure to manage executive dysfunction, so I introduced or updated detailed weekly checklists and assessment checklists for my subjects. I was thrilled to see so many students describe these as invaluable for keeping them on task. It turns out, what works for my brain works for many of yours, too!

The Growth

As I always say to my students, being a reflective practitioner doesn’t mean much if you don’t also consider suggestions for improvement or areas of confusion. I genuinely appreciate students sharing their thoughts about assessment feedback and processes. In some subjects, there was a feeling that marks weren’t always aligned with the advice I gave in our Zoom sessions or with the task instructions. That is not good enough, and I am taking these comments very seriously. I am making it my mission to ensure high-quality feedback for all students.

Inclusive by Design

This year, “inclusive teaching” meant something different to me. It wasn’t just about following policy; it was about empathy. Accepting my own neurodivergence made me hyper-aware of the cognitive load placed on students.

I need to give a huge shout-out to Mentimeter, which was a game-changer for engagement in the second session of the year. Many students mentioned they “loved the interaction” and found the lectures “innovative” because of it. For me, using Menti wasn’t just about polling; it was about lowering the barrier to participation. It gave everyone a voice in real time without the pressure of unmuting a microphone. Seeing my students’ thoughts appear on the screen made meetings less about me and my voice and more about them. It made me feel like I was teaching, truly teaching, and so I wanted to thank all my students who tolerated my experimentation and engaged with these new tools.

When I create diverse resources, it’s not just for variety. It’s because I know students need multiple entry points to success. I wanted to move away from rigid, essay-style forum posts to more authentic conversations, because forced formality can feel like ticking boxes rather than genuine learning. I didn’t always get it right, and I was often thwarted by the tools I used, but I will never stop trying to create authentic learning experiences for my students.

2025 was the year I stopped trying to fit a mould and started building a virtual classroom that accommodates all our brains. There is work to do, but I am proud of what I’ve achieved so far. I promise to continue exploring new ways to engage with my students in the online environment.

To all my students in 2025, thank you for trusting me with your learning journey. I will see many of you, and some new names and faces, when I return to teaching in July 2026 (more on this later).

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