The University provides the mind mapping tool Inspiration 8 to help draft your assignments visually.
Mind mapping tools are great for any student - especially dyslexic students - who wish to organise their thoughts and plan their assignments in a visual way.
You can choose diagrams, pictures, symbols and colours that work for you. Every new idea may be added as branches, and you can select symbols or pictures from the left-hand side of the screen before adding your text underneath the symbol or picture.
Inspiration, or other mind mapping tools, can help alleviate some of the stress associated with planning your assignments. Rather than thinking about sentences you are able to think of ideas, messages and topics. This fresh approach will help you design your essay plan in an accessible way and overcome some of the barriers related to writing assignments.
To use Inspiration 8:
- Click 'Start' on the task bar
- Select the Software Centre
- Select Inspiration 8 and click Install
Due to licencing arrangements, Inspiration is only available on-campus via the Software Centre.
If you are a distance learner then there are plenty of free mind mapping sites available: 20 Best Free Mind Mapping Software For Getting Creative In 2024 - The Digital Project Manager.
If you want to learn more about mind mapping then Tony Buzan, the modern founder of the process, produced a short video a few years ago about mind mapping techniques.
