Unconscious Bias

Unconscious bias training is available in a variety of formats for all staff

Unconscious Bias training was first implemented in NUI Galway as part of a series of recommendations made by the Gender Equality Task Force in 2016. It is University policy that all members of UMT, Academic Management Teams, Heads of School, Chairs of Committees, members of interview and promotion boards/panels, and other senior decision-makers attend an unconscious bias training workshop and refresh their training annually.

Programmes Available

There are now a variety of Unconscious Bias training programmes available to staff at NUI Galway.  Staff members should review the options and choose the best fit for their purpose.  A three hour workshop on tackling unconscious bias is provided on select dates each semester, an online learning module is available as a refresher to those who have attended the workshop previously, there are introductory lunch & learn sessions for all staff who want to learn a bit more, and introductory unconscious bias training is now being included for all new staff during the induction process. 

Unconscious Bias Workshop

Face-to-face unconscious bias workshops are scheduled each semester, please review the Staff Training and Development courses page to see if a course is currently available.  The OVPEDI will work to communicate the dates of these training workshops to all staff as they are made available. This face-to-face workshop is mandatory for all members of the University and Academic Management Teams, Heads of School, Chairs of committees, members of interview and promotion boards/panels, and other senior decision-makers, and then can be refreshed each year using the online module.

--- Please note that since COVID-19 there has been no face-to-face training. See below for access to online unconscious bias training ---

Other members of staff are also welcome to attend these workshops to learn more about unconscious bias, review case studies, and work through the ways to mitigate bias in the workplace.

As part of the Unconscious Bias workshop, you may be asked to complete an Implicit Association Test (IAT). These tests are meant simply to raise awareness of unconscious bias, and anyone that may be interested can take a sample IAT test. Participants in these tests may choose to submit some demographic data for the researchers behind this project,  alternatively participants may opt not to share this information by clicking the ‘Decline’ link for each question.

Unconscious Bias Lunch & Learn Training

This 45 minute introductory session is designed to give all staff a general understanding of why it is important that we are aware of our own biases, and help in understanding the impact of unconscious bias in our daily interactions and decisions. All staff are encouraged to attend an introductory session. 

Please contact the Office of the VP for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion if you would like to host a “Lunch & Learn” session in your School, Unit, or Research Centre.  

Online Unconscious Bias Training

The online unconscious bias e-learning module is available on the Human Resources Staff Training and Development site.  This module in intended to provide you with an introduction to the basics of unconscious bias, types of bias, and the different ways to approach or address bias. All Staff are invited to complete this module if they are interested in learning more or refreshing their previous training.