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Addressing Gender Bias in STEM Graduate and Post-graduate Students Using Equity in STEM for All Genders Course

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Abstract

Implicit gender bias is frequently cited as a contributor to the gender disparity that persists in STEM fields, despite continued efforts toward equity. While many bias interventions are aimed at faculty, scientific trainees (graduate students and post-docs) are a powerful group with the potential to enact future change. A graduate level, synchronous online course entitled, Equity in STEM for all Genders, is presented as a gender bias intervention. Course participants include graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, academic staff, and faculty. The course pairs weekly discussions (synchronous and asynchronous) about gender and gender bias-related topics with experimentally validated video interventions, primary literature, and popular articles. Over three course iterations, we observed increased bias literacy and participant motivation to mitigate gender-related bias within their local STEM contexts. We provide suggestions for making this course more widely available to STEM future faculty.

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Availability of Data and Materials

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Open Science Framework repository, https://osf.io/jrukm/?view_only=532767423c7c4818a301c66cef6276b8.

Abbreviations

Cis woman:

Cisgender woman

cis man:

Cisgender man

trans man:

Transgender man

RCT:

Randomized controlled trials

VIDS:

Video Interventions for Diversity in STEM

CIRTL:

Center for the Integration of Research Teaching and Learning

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Kaury Kucera, one of the creators of the course and the instructor of the course’s first offering. Additionally, Dr. Leo Taylor, instructor of 2019 and 2020 offerings of the course, was instrumental in the course development from the first to second iteration. We hope to see continued progress to report on in the future.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA

    Stephanie N. Knezz

  2. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

    Evava S. Pietri

  3. Collaborative for Advancing Learning & Teaching, Office of the Provost, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

    Donald L. Gillian-Daniel

Authors
  1. Stephanie N. Knezz
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  2. Evava S. Pietri
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  3. Donald L. Gillian-Daniel
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Contributions

SK and DGD instructed the 2018–2019 cohort of this course. SK instructed the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 course with another instructor. EP analyzed and interpreted the survey data from students in the course. The authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephanie N. Knezz.

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This research has been declared as exempt by the Institutional Review Board of Northwestern University.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Knezz, S.N., Pietri, E.S. & Gillian-Daniel, D.L. Addressing Gender Bias in STEM Graduate and Post-graduate Students Using Equity in STEM for All Genders Course. J Sci Educ Technol 31, 638–648 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-022-09983-y

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