A guide to recognising and addressing bias in higher education

Bias is ubiquitous across higher education, as it is in broader society. Conscious and unconscious assumptions and judgements about certain groups, ideas and information impact all areas of university work, from admissions and hiring to teaching, assessment and research. And this creates problems. Bias leads to the endorsement of certain voices and disregard of others. It results in behaviours and decisions that privilege some while marginalising others. It perpetuates a lack of diversity across the academy, in particular at leadership level, further shaping decision-making.  

Bias manifests within the classroom, in curricula and in research. It is rife on social media and AI outputs, exposing students both on- and offline. All this makes the mission of universities to advance critical thinking, broaden perspectives, challenge entrenched views and encourage evidence-based judgements seem ever more important.

But institutions and individual faculty must also turn a mirror to their own systems and practices to avoid reinforcing and reproducing implicit biases. This collection does not claim to cover the full multitude of ways in which bias manifests within higher education but offers guidance on notable forms of prejudice that impact work in teaching and research. You will find advice on creating fairer and more inclusive institutions in which a full diversity of talent is recognised and can flourish.

Understanding different types of bias within universities

The negative effects of bias can be felt and seen in many contexts within higher education. Bias can affect women’s progression to senior roles; it can breed hostile environments for LGBTQ+ students and staff; it can render Black, ethnic minority and Indigenous scholarship less visible. It can create environments where discriminatory behaviour towards individuals of a particular religion goes unpunished and in which disabled students and staff feel sidelined. These resources explore some of the ways in which it manifests within higher education today and what can be done to prevent it going unchecked.

Routes to equity for mothers in STEM research: How institutions can help fix the STEM “leaky pipeline” by addressing maternity bias, improving progression opportunities and equipping mothers with financial literacy, by Rachel James at the University of Edinburgh.

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, says Keon West from Goldsmiths, University of London.

Ways to improve the equitable inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in research and higher education: A summary of actions universities and research bodies should take to create truly equitable, inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ staff and students by colleagues from Pride in STEM and Nottingham Trent University.

How to help young women see themselves as coders, inventors and engineers: Female students can be overlooked in STEM fields. Janille Smith-Colin from SMU Lyle School of Engineering shares four ways to empower tomorrow’s engineering leaders to find their voice and the determination to use it.

Challenging Islamophobia across higher education: Why Islamophobia remains absent from many universities’ efforts to tackle racism and what steps can be taken to address the problem at an institutional and individual level, by Swansea University’s Ibtihal Ramadan. 

So you don’t think microaggressions have an impact?: Microaggressions are often shrugged off by perpetrators because of a supposed lack of intent. But intent and impact are very different indeed, says rashné limki from the University of Edinburgh.

Tackling accent bias: the ‘last acceptable form of discrimination’: Accent bias undermines Black international students’ confidence and belonging in UK universities. Institutions must tackle this exclusion through awareness, training and a proactive celebration of linguistic diversity, says Patrice Seuwou from the University of Northampton.

Weed out bias from university culture

A sense of belonging improves academic outcomes, many studies now show. But biases can create environments that marginalise and exclude certain students and staff, making it more difficult to engage with peers and fully participate in campus life. Read guidance on reducing this risk throughout the academy. 

Tackling bias and microaggressions in higher education: Actionable strategies and insights to help higher education institutions attract and retain ethnic-minority staff, by Pallavi Banerjee from the University of Exeter.

Address STEM inequality by reconceiving merit: The cultural yardsticks used to measure merit in STEM are warped with bias and often devalue women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ scientists with records equal to white heterosexual male peers. To fix STEM inequality, academia must reconceive merit, say Mary Blair-Loy from the University of California, San Diego and Erin A. Cech from the University of Michigan.

Beyond access: what Muslim women can teach universities about inclusion: Universities have made significant progress with widening participation, but access alone does not create belonging. UCL’s Amena Amer outlines four ways to build environments that recognise and support Muslim women.

Make universities disability-inclusive, part one: feedback, access and language: Learn how to draw on the expertise of disabled students and staff, avoid making assumptions about their experiences, and understand what language to avoid when describing them, from Meredith Wilkinson at De Montfort University.

‘Universities need to be better prepared to handle anti-religious hate’: How can institutions navigate a landscape where some religious communities see equity, diversity and inclusion efforts as an essential safeguard, while others view these initiatives as an overreach? Read advice by academics at the Ohio State University, James Madison University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Prevent language from perpetuating bias in higher education

The language we use to describe people and groups can influence how they are perceived. And what is and is not deemed acceptable can change rapidly. So, how can we ensure our wording demonstrates respect for the many identities that make up the student and staff body? Learn strategies in these resources.

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 from the University of Southampton. He offers ways to think, speak and write differently. 

A practical guide to navigating the language of diversity: Navigating the language of diversity is a continuous journey that requires commitment and effort. Read advice from Yusra Siddiqui at the University of Exeter.

Confront bias through your university teaching 

Educators can support students to challenge their assumptions, to broaden their views and to adopt inclusive behaviour, but it starts with critiquing their own biases. Learn how to spot bias in your teaching alongside strategies to educate students in how different forms of prejudice develop, self-perpetuate and disadvantage.

How to spot bias in your own teaching – and what to do about it: Bias can materialise as a set of habits no one thought to question. Dami Folayan from Arden University explains how to look at your own teaching with clear eyes.

Not just good intentions: how university staff can support genuine racial justice: Practical steps can support racial-minority students, call out bias and make campuses safer at a time when racism in Australian universities is more real than ever, writes Aaron Teo from the University of Southern Queensland.

To combat antisemitism in HE, teach students about Jewish history: When done well, history education can be a bridge to greater understanding, tolerance and respect, writes University of Chester’s Hannah Ewence. Here, she offers guidance on a more nuanced approach to teaching Jewish history to university students.

How to reshape your curriculum to fight misogyny: Embed critical art and media literacy into your students’ learning and equip them with the tools to understand and question the misogynistic ideologies that persist in society. Katarzyna Kosmala from the University of the West of Scotland outlines six strategies to do so.

Using VR to change medical students’ attitudes towards older patients: A five-minute virtual reality exercise has the power to dramatically shift students’ understanding of and empathy for dementia patients’ experience, as outlined by János Kollár at Semmelweis University.

How to address bias in the classroom and in assessment in five steps: Biases can affect personal interactions, course design, learning activities, assessment and institutional practices, thus it is vital that educators work to remove bias from their teaching. Donna Hurford and Andrew Read from the University of Southern Denmark share helpful approaches.

Teach students to spot biases and misinformation 

Today’s students have a wealth of digital information at their fingertips but this means navigating the choppy waters of search engine algorithms, social media and GenAI, where responses and sources are served up based on what these platforms think the user wants to see, rather than their credibility. Students must learn to distinguish between trustworthy sources and those that may mislead or perpetuate harmful views. Find out how educators can arm students against the rise of misinformation. 

Students aren’t giving up social media, so teach them how to question it: Whatever our own opinions on social media, we must educate our students about locating bias and reading their preferred platforms critically, says Stone Meredith from Colorado State University Global.

Rethinking critical thinking in the age of algorithms: How to help students build a three-stage daily habit that interrogates both online sources and the systems that surface them, by Temi Odusanya of Robert Gordon University.

Helping students find and learn from high-quality sources: From celebrating your university library to demonstrating your own source selection process, learn strategies to help students confront increasing misinformation and disinformation online, from Tom Hayward at UCL.

How to manage bias in AI-generated content 

GenAI tools are trained using data and media created by humans, and, as such, replicate the biases present in the original materials. While their tendency to hallucinate sources and information is widely known, their confident answers can perpetuate assumptions and stereotypes while overlooking valuable information and sources. Learn how to train students to question AI-generated output in these resources.

GrimmGPT? Use AI to rewrite fairy tales – and get your students thinking: A simple strategy to help your students question AI tools from a familiar starting point, by India Lawton from Southampton Solent University.

AI’s fluent answers hide bias. Here’s how to teach students to see it: AI advice arrives confident and efficient, which is why students don’t always notice what it assumes or when they stop deciding for themselves. Kamila Miller from the University of Reading offers four classroom practices that make bias and dependence visible.

(Re)learning critical reading in the age of GenAI: Rather than pretending students can – or even should – avoid GenAI to become critical readers, we need to develop their critical reading skills so they can successfully interrogate AI-produced materials, says Brendan Carey at the University of Exeter.

A scaffolded approach to teaching with GenAI: As GenAI continues to reshape higher education, this four-phase framework by Rena Beatrice Alcalay from Technical University of Munich offers educators ways to guide students to use these tools critically and ethically, fostering agency, bias awareness and deeper engagement in philosophical writing assignments.

Develop balanced curricula that embrace diverse forms of knowledge

By decolonising curricula, educators can surface voices previously excluded from scholarship. But what exactly constitutes decolonisation beyond diversifying reading lists? These resources answer this question and offer advice relevant to a range of disciplines.  

How can we embed Global South perspectives in GenAI teaching?: GenAI can accelerate learning, but if we aren’t careful, it can also reinforce colonial assumptions. Jasmine Mohsen of SP Jain London School of Management explains how to avoid this.

A framework for decolonising and diversifying science curricula: Actions you can take to make your science curriculum more inclusive and relevant to all students, as outlined by staff at the University of Bristol.

So you’ve decolonised your reading list – what’s next?: Reframe knowledge, champion transparency and draw on student experiences to create balanced curricula that build belonging and critical thinking, says Patrice Seuwou from the University of Northampton. Learn how.

Place Indigenous knowledge at the heart of academic enquiry: Decolonise the curriculum by engaging students with historically marginalised knowledge from a range of sources. Kam Kaur from Adelaide University explains how.

Beyond Alan Turing: bringing LGBTQ+ role models into STEM: LGBTQ+ identities remain largely invisible in STEM. Shining a light on them in everyday teaching can strengthen belonging and representation, say colleagues at the University of Exeter.

Challenge bias against international students

International students are too often viewed through a deficit lens, reinforced by the additional challenges they face in adapting to new educational and cultural norms and studying in a second, third, even fourth language. Find out how to counter limiting attitudes and recognise different ways that international students’ engagement and achievement can exhibit, in these resources.

How to confront bias about international students: Diversity in higher education does not automatically lead to inclusion. Aybike Serttaş from Istanbul Aydin University explains how subtle biases shape multicultural classrooms and how to address them.

Linguistic racism takes a toll on overseas students: Even seemingly innocuous comments on the way that students use dominant local languages can have severe effects on mental health, says Curtin University’s Sender Dovchin.

We need to get to know our international students better: To create inclusive classrooms for international students, we must address bias and challenge assumptions. Meg Maclean from the University of Edinburgh explains how.

Make higher education recruitment and promotion fairer 

The unconscious tendency to favour people who share similar backgrounds, appearance or experiences with us, known as affinity bias, can lead to strong candidates being overlooked in university hiring and promotion processes. In Western contexts, even an “English” sounding name can offer unfair advantage, research shows. But there are plenty of steps that can be taken to counter this, from diversifying recruitment panels to anonymous screening. Learn how to build fairer hiring and promotion practices. 

Beyond gut feeling: what should academic hiring panels consider?: Academic hiring often relies on gut feeling and bias. Olga Ryazanova and Peter McNamara from Maynooth University show how evidence on early-career choices and research records can help panels make fairer, more informed decisions.

How to embed inclusive recruitment practices in a higher education setting: Hiring practices – from job posting to interview – are key to creating a diverse workforce. Here, Damien Page from Bucks New University offers advice on how to drive university-wide inclusivity from the classroom to the community.

We need to dismantle the promotion patriarchy in academia from the inside: Women in academia are promoted at far lower rates than their male peers and are under-represented in senior positions. To fix this, universities will need to embrace systemic change, says Rachael Jefferson at Charles Sturt University.

Beyond lived experience: choosing effective candidates for identified roles: Roles that centre diversity, equity and inclusion research and practice should be filled by candidates with lived experience. For recruitment teams outside these communities, however, it is not always clear what to consider or what to ask in an interview. Brooke Szücs from The University of Queensland offers guidance.

Thank you to all Campus contributors who shared their expertise in this guide.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.