Reducing Bias In and Out of the Classroom

“Bias is a natural part of human behavior. We make thousands of decisions a day, many of which by necessity are based on preconceived or pre-learned ideas. But professors have an obligation to their students to try and overcome their natural biases and provide all students with equal opportunities. With effort and understanding, it can be done” (Block, 2016).

Bias affects many of the things we do in higher education, but there are some techniques that can help mitigate it.  This in turn can help increase equity, which one might define as freedom from bias.

Here are some examples of research on how bias impacts different things we do in higher education:

• Grading and evaluating students
• Student evaluations of teaching
• Student peer assessments
• Undergraduate research
• Teaching strategies
• Mentoring, advising, admissions
• Performance evaluations
• Promotion, tenure, and evaluating research
• Hiring and interviewing
• Meetings
• Publication bias

More Resources on Bias in Higher Education

• Self-Assessments
  • Harvard’s Implicit Association Tests that you (or your students) can take online
  • Peralta Online Equity Rubric – for evaluating courses
• Equity Training Modules
  • Kirwan Implicit Bias Videos
  • Online Equity Training from Peralta
• Strategies for Mitigating Bias in Higher Education
  • How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive: Advice Guide
  • Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity
  • Anonymous grading and anonymous surveys in Canvas
  • Advice for how to make grading more equitable
  • Better Allies (@betterallies on Twitter) has many useful tips for fostering a more inclusive culture
  • Toward Inclusive STEM Classrooms: What Personal Role Do Faculty Play?
  • Evidence-Based Strategies for Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Undergraduate Research Labs
  • Equity Literacy for Educators: Definition and Abilities & see more Equity Literacy resources
  • Mitigating gender bias in student evaluations of teaching
  • Fair Play – online game, role play as a graduate student
  • Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) resources
  • The Eighth Characteristic for Successful Calculus Programs: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Practices
  • Discretion Elimination