Faculty have identified essential skills that students need to successfully navigate higher education. These skills are primarily unwritten or unspoken, which has earned them the label of ‘hidden curriculum. This session explores the hidden curricula and strategies for helping neurodivergent students navigate and acquire these skills.

The hidden curriculum is a set of unwritten or unspoken rules for successfully navigating the dynamics of higher education. These rules encompass a variety of skills that are not typically taught to students as part of the educational experience. These skills often encompass everything from time management to self-advocacy and social skills. The ability to learn and demonstrate these skills effectively is a crucial element to actively participate in academic projects and social dynamics. Although these skills are not taught to students it is often assumed that students have already acquired them before entering into higher education. Mastery of the skills and knowledge associated with the hidden curriculum enables students to smoothly integrate into academia and to navigate its numerous complex scenarios. The development of these skills also serves as the foundation for professional skills that can be utilized in the industry after graduation. For example, time management serves to help students efficiently balance numerous assignments and submit the required work at the designated due date. As students transition to industry, these same time management skills can help students manage multiple projects or responsibilities and create meaningful milestones for breaking down the scope of work. This is simply one example of the many skills that are critical for student success. These skills often rely on executive function skills, which tend to be different among neurodivergent learners or those with Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or other neuro-cognitive challenges. This results in an uneven playing field for these students when compared to the performance of neurotypical individuals. Yet, traditional pedagogical approaches and support services may not adequately consider the diverse needs of these students, leaving gaps in understanding. To create a neuroinclusive learning environment, institutions need to actively pursue opportunities to support neurodivergent learners, to help them understand these unwritten rules, and to apply them as appropriate depending on the context. This session will explore various elements of the hidden curricula and ways in which educators can more effectively support neurodivergent learners in learning and leveraging these skills to achieve greater academic success. Plan for interactivity: Attendees will learn about the various elements of the hidden curriculum through presentation and discussion activities. They will engage in a design activity to address instances of hidden curriculum in their own courses. Takeaways: Attendees will be able to: Identify the skills and knowledge that are classified as hidden curricula. Discuss strategies for supporting neurodivergent learners to navigate the hidden curricula.