As Canadian universities and colleges strive to advance equity, staff training in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is increasing required. Whether the requirement comes from collective agreements or administrative policies, academic staff can benefit from effective EDI training, particularly for those serving on hiring and promotion committees.
Promising practices in the provision of EDI training on campus includes the following:
- Institutional data on EDI is collected, analyzed, and reported to those involved in the design, delivery, and evaluation of the training program, and to the academic staff association. Data provided includes baseline and target data.
- The academic staff association decides or jointly decides on the training objectives, design, participant list, scheduling, delivery, and evaluation.
- Academic staff involved in the development, delivery and evaluation of the training are compensated and recognized.
- The training takes place in-person, unless an accommodation is needed, and numbers are limited to a small group (less than 10).
- The training reviews institutional EDI policies, baseline, and target data.
- The training reviews provincial human rights legislation.
- The training references the collective agreement and the hiring and appointment process.
- EDI training is ongoing and cumulative to support hiring, promotion, and retention of equity-deserving members.
- The training provided per member should be tracked by the administration and shared with the academic staff association.
Sources:
- FitzGerald, C., Martin, A., Berner, D. & Hurst, S. Interventions Designed to Reduce Implicit Prejudices and Implicit Stereotypes in Real World Contexts: A Systematic Review. BMC Psychology, May 2019.
- Chang, E.H., Milkman, K.L., Gromet, D.M. & Grant, A.M. The Mixed Effects of Online Diversity Training. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 2019.
- Paluck, E.L. & Green, D.P., Prejudice Reduction: What Works? A Review and Assessment of Research and Practice, Annual Review of Psychology, Jan 2009.
- UM ADVANCE Program. Faculty Diversity. Faculty Excellence. Programs, resources, and research supporting faculty recruitment, retention, climate, and leadership. University of Michigan.