TIDE delivers talks or workshops designed to start conversations about inclusion, illustrate common patterns of (unconscious) bias, provide practical tools to mitigate bias in academic practices and processes, and discuss promising ways to create more diverse and equitable unit cultures. TIDE content is constantly evolving, and draws on the literature, the experiences of members at all levels of the professoriate and in leadership, and the ideas, programs, and challenges shared with us by colleagues across the university.
- Talks (1h) typically include relevant data on representation, an explanation of how bias can affect professional decisions and assessment, examples of bias from the literature, and practical advice for personal practices or structural changes that can increase inclusion. Talks end with time for questions, and slides shared after the talk include links to resources.
- Workshops (2-3h) include a talk followed by break-out group discussions centred on the analysis of scenarios that capture real-world manifestations of bias and exclusionary practices in academic contexts. Break-outs are followed by a plenary discussion, including additional slides providing resources on mitigating the main challenges in the scenario.
TIDE holds standing talks each year, open to University of Toronto faculty and trainees. This is an excellent way to begin education on bias and inclusion. More information about these standing talks and registration information is shared below.
TIDE also accepts requests for specialized sessions customized for faculty in academic units across the University and affiliated groups. These may be talks or workshops that cover specific issues such as inclusive recruitment, or focus on particular challenges of specific scholarly fields (e.g. under-representation of particular population groups).
Please note: We are no longer accepting requests for individual units. During this time we may occasionally offer standing talks to the U of T community.
TIDE maintains a curated group of recorded sessions that may be used for self-directed education.
Upcoming Standing Talks
Recorded Sessions
Most of TIDE’s recorded sessions are available only to University of Toronto Community members, others are posted for the public (see below). Using excerpts of these sessions, or sharing password-protected session recordings outside the University community is prohibited without permission.
Unconscious Bias 101: Talk for U of T Faculty, Oct. 19 2023
Presenters: Prof. Anthony Wensley (Associate Professor, Emeritus, Information Systems and Accounting) and Dr. Nadia Alam (Clinical (MD) Adjunct Appt., Public Health & Medicine).
The purpose of this talk is to:
- Explore the existing evidence on representation and bias
- Explore case studies that illustrate how bias might intersect with various aspects of faculty experience, both within academia and beyond (e.g., everyday interactions, grant applications, interviews, award nominations, committee decisions)
- Provide an overview of how bias can affect decision-making
- Suggest strategies for reducing the effect of bias on structural and personal practices
Workshop for search committees: Inclusive Practices in Recruitment, Sept. 29 2022
Presenter: Professor Maydianne Andrade (Dept. of Biological Sciences)
The focus of the session is specifically on recruitment, but many of the approaches discussed can be leveraged in other contexts. The purpose of this workshop is to share promising practices on how to advance equity and inclusion in hiring by:
- providing an overview of how bias can affect decision-making in the academic context and beyond; and
- suggesting practical strategies for reducing the effect of bias on processes, procedures and personal practices associated with faculty recruitment.
