Implicit Bias and Microaggressions in the College Classroom

Whether conscious of it or not, instructors and students bring most of who they are to the learning environment, including their stereotypes and implicit biases. Such biases can emerge in the form of (micro)aggressions during class discussions, in student-student interactions during group or lab work, or in interactions between students and instructors. If left unaddressed, biases and microaggressions negatively impact the learning climate and can hurt students’ engagement, their sense of belonging and academic success. Facilitated by Dr. Jonique Childs (College of Education) and Dr. Kirsten Helmer (CTL), this session will offer an introduction to the concepts of implicit bias and microaggressions. You will learn how to identify microaggressions and explore some strategies that can help you to respond more effectively to microaggressions when they occur.