Fostering Diversity and Inclusion and Understanding Implicit Bias in Undergraduate Chemical Education

Abstract

With changes in the nation’s demographic profile, it is important to identify approaches to foster appreciation for diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) into undergraduate chemistry education. In order for science and engineering education to broaden and become inclusive, activities fostering an awareness of diversity and understanding implicit bias were incorporated into undergraduate chemistry courses as bonus point opportunities. The activities were voluntary, and time spent on them was outside the classroom. These activities are examples of high-impact educational practices, which have been shown to increase rates of student retention and engagement. In this article, student participants wrote reflective essays after either attending community engagement talks on topics describing elements of diversity and inclusion or completing an Implicit Association Test. The students’ follow-up survey results were analyzed to gauge their responses to these experiences. The surveyed students’ feedback suggests that activities associated with DEIR successfully promoted the importance of diversity and inclusion and have positive effects on their social awareness.

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