Relaxed Tutorials: Adapting Front-of-House Practices to Accommodate Autistic Students in Distance Learning

Abstract

Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent students encounter persistent barriers in higher education, including sensory overload, social anxiety and uncertainty around interactional expectations. In this case study I report on the design, implementation and evaluation of the ‘Relaxed Tutorial Project’ in the Department of Classical Studies at The Open University, a UK-based distance learning university delivering primarily online teaching. Adapting ‘relaxed’ front‑of‑house practices from the Arts and Heritage sectors, our team translated five common anxiety triggers in synchronous online tutorials – webcams, microphones, being ‘put on the spot’, breakout rooms, and uncertainty – into a set of explicit commitments communicated to students prior to tutorial sessions. Across the two years of the project, attendance at our ‘relaxed tutorials’ substantially exceeded typical tutorial numbers; participation via text chat was unexpectedly high; and students reported reduced anxiety, improved comfort and better concentration. Benefits extended beyond autistic students, to learners managing long-term health conditions, caring responsibilities or employment constraints. This case study will cover design choices, limitations, and implications for inclusive digital pedagogy in the Humanities. I argue that relaxed tutorials constitute a feasible and low‑cost addition to online provision that reframes ‘inclusivity’ as affective, sensory and social design rather than content modification. The project demonstrates that transparent choice architecture – advance slides, clear norms, and opt‑in participation – can reduce anxiety‑related barriers to attendance and retention without affecting academic standards; and that insights from autistic teachers can offer new ways of looking at educational inclusion.