Access, Participation and Success

Members of communities whose aspirations have not traditionally included attending university may experience feelings of imposter syndrome, or a sense of being ‘out of place’ and not belonging to university when they commence their university career and indeed at points throughout their studies.

Autistic and neurodivergent students, as well as others with declared mental health issues, may find attending live online tutorials challenging (Hunter, no date).

This project is a pilot scheme and feasibility study for research projects with SiSE students similar to previous OU bursary schemes. The circumstances of SiSE students and difficulty of communication means that such students are discouraged from applying to such initiatives.

Winner - Best Poster Competition, 14th eSTEeM Annual Conference 2025.

Winner - eSTEeM Scholarship Projects of the Year Awards 2026.

Winner - eSTEeM Scholarship Projects of the Year Awards 2026.

Most students feel some level of anxiety when completing and submitting their tutor marked assignments (TMAs). In addition, there is an awarding gap between students with anxiety-related mental health issues or neurodiversity, compared to their peers across Higher Education.

Winner – Most Engaging and Immersive Session, Day One – 14th eSTEeM Annual Conference 2025.

Winner – Best Poster Presentation – 15th eSTEeM Annual Conference 2026.

The issue investigated and why

Maths Anxiety can be described as “an emotion that blocks a person’s reasoning ability when confronted with a mathematical situation” [Spicer 2004], in an extreme form, “when confronted with a math problem, the sufferer has sweaty palms, is nauseous, has heart palpitations, and experiences paraly

The research intends to assess how a framework (MACE) can help tutors make online tutorials more accessible and inclusive.