Open Education Resource (OER)
I was the lead author in the creation of an OER titled "Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity". This OER was initially developed for Engineering students at Deakin, however, has had extensive and widespread interest since being published early in 2025.
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I was approached to create the resource by a colleague in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team at Deakin and jumped at the opportunity. Although I had never created anything like this before, my passion for accessible resources and education about working alongside neurodivergent students, as well as my knowledge in the field meant I was more than willing to be involved.
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In creating this resource I was responsible for designing and coordinating the project, from inception to completion. In order to ensure the resource met all necessary standards, contained best-practice formatting and was accessible to everyone, I worked very closely with a variety of people from across Deakin. At first, I was overwhelmed by what seemed like an uphill battle; there were just so many moving parts to this project, from interactive content to Copyright requirements to peer reviewing! But as the project progressed, I become more comfortable reaching out to new people to ask for help, and delegating tasks to others on the team. I learnt that leadership does not need to be just one person doing everything on their own, and that my strength as a leader comes from my ability to ask for help when I need it. ​​This project has led to significant personal growth and learning in myself. I have needed to manage the time commitment of this project alongside my studies and other jobs and roles, which has been challenging at times. But I am incredibly grateful to the network of people, and my co-authors, who I have deepened connections and working relationships with over this projects development.
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I am pleased to be able to say the resource has now been published on the Open Education website, freely available to everyone. It has been heartening to hear so much positive feedback from students, staff and even other universities who have reached out to comment on its useability and relevance.
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The OER can be accessed at this website for anyone wishing to read it.
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I have also taken the initiative to extend what has been developed within the OER in other avenues, one of which you can read about below.
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The image on the left shows the landing page for the OER and the image above shows the number of total visitors to the OER from March 2025 to mid-July 2025.
OER Testimonials
Teagan’s hard work and leadership was essential in the production of the OER. By expertly collaborating and coordinating with a diverse array of experts and specialists, both internal and external to Deakin, Teagan displayed incredible leadership, critical thinking, expertise, and professionalism. ​
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It was a pleasure to work with Teagan as she led the project’s management and progression. Her passion and dedication throughout the project, including a willingness to lead conversations and remaining accountable to changes (particularly related to expert accessibility reviews and making content as open as possible) was both amazing and inspiring.
As a testament to Teagan’s work, the Open Education Team at Deakin have adjusted their processes and procedures related to accessibility and plan to review existing Open Education Resources, from program inception to present.
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Lisa Grbin
Open Education Librarian
Library, Outreach & Scholarly Services
Teagan is a pleasure to work with. Through the development of the resource, Teagan demonstrated a commitment to achieving deadlines, creating a quality resource that has been well received across the higher education landscape.
Teagan was our main point of contact regarding the development of the resource, converting the concept into reality. Teagan showed leadership in the development of the project by proposing suggestions and ideas and incorporating these into the developed resource. The result being a resource that was useable by students to enrich their experience of higher education.
Through this project Teagan is now a published author, demonstrating her leadership in the area of accessibility, equity and inclusion in student projects through providing practical skills for neurodiverse students.
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Angie Williamson
Open Education Librarian
Library, Outreach & Scholarly Services
Students Helping Students (SHS) Neurodiversity Module
All students in a mentor role at Deakin have access to a Mentor Development site which provides them with resources to further their skills and knowledge.​ I identified there was a gap in the training provided for mentors about working with neurodivergent students and, was able to secure project funding through the Students Initiated Projects at Deakin to address this gap. I then lead a project group comprising of myself and four staff members to create a Neurodiversity Training module which will be launched in September for student mentors at Deakin.
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Leading this project has been challenging at times, particularly finding meeting times that best suit everyone's availability! However, I have found that scheduling meetings well in advance ensures everyone has the best chance to attend. I have also become familiar with options such as sending email summaries of the meeting afterwards, or meeting individually with those who are not able to attend. As I already had experience leading the OER, I able to draw on the skills I had already developed and continue to refine them over this project.
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I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of leading this project, being able to liaise with staff from different departments and hearing their perspectives and suggestions. As well as building a comprehensive training module, I have deepened my own awareness of how students engage in training resources based on discussion and feedback from staff, and have been able to tailor this resources to meet these needs. I have appreciated the opportunity for self-reflection in how I present information. There have been a couple of instances where I have written information in a way that made sense to me, but received feedback from staff that it was confusing to them and could be worded slightly differently. Instead of perceiving this as a criticism of myself or my abilities, I have entered these conversations willing to learn and grow from others suggestions. Despite leading this project, I also respect that I do not know everything, and collaboration and open dialogue ensures the final product is the best it can possibly be.
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I am excited to see how student mentors benefit from engaging in this resource and what skills they are able to develop supporting neurodivergent peers at university.
The image on the left shows the contents page for the Neurodiversity Module and the image above shows an excerpt from one of the sections.
SHS Testimonials
I have observed Teagan flourish while confidently leading the creation of a module for the university’s Students Helping Students suite of resources. Teagan’s diligence, bright mind, inquisitive nature, and unwavering commitment to supporting her peers is demonstrated through her passion to accomplish successful outcomes for our student mentors.
In my time working with her, I have observed Teagan cultivate respectful and supportive relationships with staff encouraging the establishment of a dynamic learning environment. Teagan is an excellent listener and conveys information clearly and effectively to individuals and groups. Her attention to detail and research skills enables her to find information and provide a thorough level of assistance. I hold Teagan in very high regard.
Teagan’s contribution to our Students Helping Students suite of programs is valued immensely at the university.
Emma Ludeman
Senior Advisor, Student Success (Learning)
Working with Teagan has been an incredibly positive experience. Teagan possesses natural leadership skill that combines strategic thinking, strong communication skills and excellent delegation.
What has stood out during my time working alongside Teagan is her dedication to her work. Not only is it contagious, it’s inspiring! I’m sure others will agree that Teagan’s work has made an immensely positive contribution to Deakin.
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Andrew Synnot
Senior Officer, Neurodiverse Student Programs
Student Access & Inclusion