This workshop will explore to what extent geographic bias (specifically a bias toward research from high-income countries) may exist in the faculty and the curricula at Imperial College London. This stems from the well-documented observation that research from prestigious institutions, many of which are in high-income countries, is more frequently published and cited in the research literature. We situate this workshop within the broader debate surrounding the “decolonization” of the higher education, and query which role reading lists may or may not play in the process. Through a series of small group discussions and plenaries, this workshop presents an opportunity for you to learn more about this issue, examine your own practices, and share experiences with your colleagues. This workshop is part of a larger research project funded through the Presidents Excellence Award for Teaching and Learning.

Ahead of attending the workshop, we kindly ask that you complete an online implicit association test (IAT). The anonymized aggregate results of this IAT will be discussed at the workshop. Participation is strictly voluntary but completing the IAT will likely enhance your experience during the session.

This workshop, developed in partnership between the School of Public Health and Library Services, is part of a larger research project funded through the Excellence Fund for Learning and Teaching Innovation.

Who should attend?

This half day workshop, which is part of the Inclusive Learning and Teaching series, is intended for lecturers and teaching staff with responsibility for designing sessions and teaching undergraduate and/or postgraduate students at Imperial.

Key areas   

• Representativeness of your curriculum’s current content
• Understanding the IAT: what it means, what it doesn’t and what to do next
• Existing barriers to including marginalised thinking and less privileged knowledge
• Critically reviewing and diversifying the sources of reading, evidence, research and methodologies used in your teaching

Prerequisites

This workshop builds on ideas introduced in the workshop Introduction to making teaching more inclusive but you do not need to have attended that workshop in advance.

In advance of attending the workshop, participants will be required to complete an online implicit association test (IAT) and the anonymised aggregate results of this IAT will be discussed at the workshop.

Opportunity to get involved in research

After the workshop, you will be invited for a brief, voluntary individual interview about your views on this topic. We wish to conduct 10-15 interviews in total. These will be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be scheduled at your convenience. A Participant Consent Form will be distributed to volunteers before the interviews.

Even if you do not choose to participate in the workshop you can still access this IAT and learn whether you may have unconscious bias towards research from certain sources.