Diversity and inclusion work

Young man wearing headphones while working on a laptop

Culturally sensitive support for Black international students

Ongoing support, cultural sensitivity and strategic planning can create an environment where Black international students feel valued and empowered to succeed

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

A group of multicultural students smiling to camera

How can HE institutions become fairer and more inclusive?

Rather than treating inclusivity as a tick-box exercise, institutions should be implementing strategies to ensure they champion it

Sankar Sivarajah

University of Bradford

A multiculutral group of staff having a group discussion

Tackling bias and microaggressions in higher education

Actionable strategies and insights to help higher education institutions attract and retain ethnic-minority staff

Pallavi Banerjee

University of Exeter

A Black student walking around campus with books in hand

Improving the digital experience for Black international students

Strategies UK institutions should take to enable Black international students’ smooth transition into university

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

academics having a meeting

A practical guide to navigating the language of diversity

Navigating the language of diversity is a continuous journey that requires commitment and effort

Yusra Siddiqui

University of Exeter

Four Black students pose on campus

The importance of Black spaces in white academia

An epistemological approach is needed to build more inclusive environments, argues Blanca Elizabeth Vega in this excerpt from Black Scholarship in a White Academy

Blanca Elizabeth Vega, Robert T Palmer, Sosanya Jones, Alonzo M Flowers

Montclair State University

Diverse speech concept

The language of inclusivity is not inclusive

Terms such as equity, diversity and inclusion give the impression that they are dealing with what is present. In fact, EDI work deals with what is absent, writes Pascal Matthias. He offers ways to think, speak and write differently

Pascal Matthias

University of Southampton

Black academic presenting at medical conference

Lots of talk about diversity in corporations, but what about universities?

Why real progress won’t be made unless universities solve three persistent issues: access to networks, unconscious bias and insider culture, writes Blane Ruschak

Blane Ruschak

The PhD Project

Rohingya refugees in camp

The problem with equity, diversity and inclusion in a multiracist world

EDI initiatives are commonplace in Western higher education. They pay little or no attention to the global diversity of racism. But should they, asks Alastair Bonnett

Alastair Bonnett

Newcastle University

Black person excluded at university

Diversity efforts in academia are leading us towards ‘the oppression Olympics’

EDI campaigns and scholarships keep failing ethnic minority students because they are tailored to the needs of white people, writes Andrea E.L. Attipoe

Andrea E.L. Attipoe

Imperial College London

Female doctor checks a woman's thyroid

A checklist for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in medical sciences and education, part two

Three questions that medical sciences lecturers should ask when revising curricula to promote ethical considerations, an understanding of health inequities and diverse perspectives

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Mia-Rose Gillison

University of Exeter

A diverse group of medics sitting through a seminar

A checklist for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in medical sciences and education, part one

Three questions that lecturers in medical sciences should ask when revising their curricula to promote diverse representation and health equity

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Mia-Rose Gillison

University of Exeter

People in balance

What can we do about the diversity problem in economics?

A group of economists offer five ideas on how to allow and encourage wider access to economics degrees – which is crucial to making the discipline more effective

Amrit Amirapu, Amanda Gosling, Emma Gorman

University of Kent, University of Westminster

Multi-racial students walking arm in arm on graduation day

Supreme Court holds affirmative action unconstitutional, so what’s next?

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling against race-conscious admissions means many US universities must review their policies and practices to avoid further legal action. Audrey J. Anderson offers some useful first steps

Audrey J. Anderson

Bass, Berry & Sims Plc

Two Maori women talking in an office

Decolonising interview methods: a call to look to the moon

The interview process often rests on colonial perceptions of what counts as knowledge, how knowledge is generated and who ‘owns’ it. But researchers can use orienting questions to reflect upon and decentre this approach

Rosalind Edwards, Teah Carlson , Rachel Liebert

University of Southampton, Massey University, University of East London

Black student in wheelchair

For diverse communities to thrive, we need intersectional policies and practices

Inna Stepaniuk offers suggestions on how to design an inclusive and equitable campus

Inna Stepaniuk

Simon Fraser University

A Black woman lecturer speaks to a university class

What we can learn from Black women academics in the UK

As a Black female lecturer, Shelley McLetchie-Holder outlines lessons she has drawn from other Black women academics working in the UK and explains how institutions can best support these staff

Shelley McLetchie-Holder

King’s College London

Anti-racist ally on university campus

How to be an anti-racist ally on the university campus

Three academics from the University of Westminster provide practical advice on ensuring allyship is taken seriously in higher education institutions

Stephen Bunbury, Deborah Husbands , Dibyesh Anand

University of Westminster

Black allyship in academia

Backing Black scholars: here’s how universities can do better

Yaz Osho offers nine ways that HEIs can start chipping away at the structural disadvantages and institutional practices that negatively impact Black scholars

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

Is your university taking diversity seriously?

How to tell if your university is making a genuine effort to increase diversity

There is zero doubt that bias pervades the HE system. Universities need to show they are taking it as seriously as they take publication and other key performance areas

Keon West

Goldsmiths, University of London

Primary source materials

Primary sources as a tool for greater diversity

Primary sources can be used to diversify curricula and bring in marginalised voices. Jade G. Winn and Michaela Ullmann explain what library teams can do to support faculty and students in finding and assessing diverse materials

Jade G. Winn , Michaela Ullmann

University of Southern California

Illustration showing profiles in different pastel colours

Intersectionality is the only way to nurture academics of colour

Finding the blind spots in EDI efforts will more effectively support academics sitting at the intersection of minority identities. Here are three places to start

Wajeeha Aziz , Raheela Awais, Melody Obeng , Ellie Harrison

University of Sussex, University of Liverpool, University of Sheffield

A group of university staff in discussions

Action to improve diversity and inclusion for Black students and staff

Where should action to improve equity, diversity and inclusion within universities be focused in order to have a tangible impact? Christina Dzineku and Patrice Sewou explain

Christina Dzineku, Patrice Seuwou

Leeds Trinity University, University of Northampton

Universities must bridge the gap between diversity and belonging

Universities must do better at bridging the gap between diversity and belonging

Lillian Nave outlines the three key interventions required for universities to help diverse students learn about, accept and participate in each other’s worlds

Lillian Nave

Appalachian State University

Diversity statements in higher education can embed inequality more deeply

Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion within public policy training for academics

Steps higher education institutions can take to make their policy engagement training programmes as diverse and inclusive as possible, based on the experience of a UK university

Audrey Tan

University College London

Group of people of various ages and nationalities lean in together

Belonging: why it is the next step on the equity, diversity and inclusion ladder

Belonging feels good, improves student retention rates and supports other EDI efforts. Joanna West offers six ways campuses can foster this intangible essential

Joanna West

University of Luxembourg

How universities can advance social justice within and beyond their campus walls

Social justice in, through and beyond higher education

Higher education institutions can work individually and together to advance social justice well beyond their campus walls, as Pardis Mahdavi explains

Pardis Mahdavi

Arizona State University

Equity, diversity and inclusion work: Advice on sparking renewed enthusiasm among faculty and university staff

Rekindling passion for equality, diversity and inclusion work

Equality, diversity and inclusion work is too often dogged by scepticism and dismissed as a tick-box exercise. So how can institutional leaders rekindle enthusiasm and belief in the work? Rajani Naidoo shares her top recommendations

Rajani Naidoo

University of Bath

Advice on purposefully creating a sense of belonging among black students in majority white universities

How to create a sense of belonging for black students in a majority white academy

Taking active, practical and nuanced approaches to ensuring the belonging of black students in majority white universities, at a micro and macro level, is everyone’s responsibility, explains Edith Lewis

Edith Lewis

Canterbury Christ Church University

It is incumbent upon university leaders to create diverse and inclusive communities and curricula

Breaking the oldest rules in the book: making promotion and tenure more equitable

Pardis Mahdavi and Scott Brooks explain how a rethink of the processes that govern promotion and tenure to put diversity work at its heart could result in a more equitable higher education system

Pardis Mahdavi, Scott Brooks

Arizona State University

It is incumbent upon university leaders to create diverse and inclusive communities and curricula

Fellow vice-chancellors, we must lead the charge on equality

It’s incumbent on us all to ensure our universities offer inclusive and diverse settings in which anyone, regardless of their background, can flourish, says Craig Mahoney

Craig Mahoney

University of the West of Scotland

Advice on bringing international and intercultural dimensions into your curricula

Bringing international and intercultural dimensions into your programmes

Jeanine Gregersen-Hermans and Karen M. Lauridsen address how educators may create an internationalised learning experience for all students by including global and intercultural dimensions in curriculum design and delivery

Jeanine Gregersen-Hermans, Karen M. Lauridsen

Zuyd University, Aarhus University, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Selection criteria in academia often creates invisible barriers for underrepresented groups

We must dismantle the invisible career barriers in HE

Despite surface appearances, universities’ recruitment and selection practices still present hidden obstacles to under-represented groups

Rebecca Jarrett

Cranfield University

Using the Jedi framework to drive the diversity agenda in online teaching

May the force be with you: driving diversity in online teaching

Pardis Mahdavi explains how academics can ensure they support and enhance diversity work in their online teaching through her Jedi – justice, equity, diversity and inclusion – framework

Pardis Mahdavi

Arizona State University