An Undergraduate Elective Course That Introduces Topics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Discussions of Science

Reese, Amy J.

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1947

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Whether it has been through collegiate classes or departmental seminars, data has shown that conversational series such as our DEI discussions have paramount effects in improving diversity and inclusion. This discussion-based format has been seen to increase the understanding of the minority experience in STEM 8 , significantly increase self-perception and implicit bias 9 , and has been shown to increase feelings of inclusion within underrepresented minority groups 10 . In addition to social changes, DEI discussions have also created tangible change, such as increasing faculty hiring of underrepresented minorities and, overall, creating a more diverse workforce 11 .…”

Section: Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Discussion-based DEI education to help create inclusive and open BME research lab environments

Naiknavare

Maisel

2022

Preprint

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Diversity in teams has been shown to enhance creativity and innovation, particularly in teams where all members felt a sense of belonging. Creating an inclusive environment in a lab setting that provides a sense of belonging to all is challenging. This is particularly true in a field like Biomedical Engineering/Bioengineering where diversity is multifaceted and includes people's diverse personal/cultural backgrounds and also diverse scientific backgrounds. In a research lab, there is additional diversity in training, as most labs contain trainees at different levels (undergrad, grad, postdoc, high school). To aid in creating a sense of belonging in a research lab, we have devised a novel initiative based upon open group discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. The initiative included a first presentation/discussion by the PI to set the stage for defining diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provided examples of existing DEI issues within our field, such as lack of racial diversity in awards like the NIH New Innovator Award and among conference speakers. After the initial presentation, trainee-led, bi-weekly-structured discussions were maintained. First, discussions focused broadly on any DEI related topic to enhance general knowledge on DEI issues and provide discussion comfort among the group. Second, there was a period to deepen knowledge of a specific topic (in our example, microaggressions), which was followed up with a period of discussions on potential solutions (such as how to react when observing a microaggression and what to do in response to realizing one's own microaggression). Students reported that our discussions were the only ones they have had in their training thus far, and felt that these discussions made them feel like they belonged in the lab, made the lab more inclusive, enhanced their awareness of how to create inclusive spaces, and taught them about a variety of DEI topics. Overall, our DEI discussions have fostered open conversations within our lab group about DEI-related issues and topics at the lab, department, university, and countrywide levels and has established a space where students feel safe to voice their opinions and ask questions. We hope to ultimately use these DEI discussions to create actionable steps for addressing topics, e.g., microaggressions, in different scenarios that can be applied by group members in their future careers.

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Section: Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Discussion-based DEI education to help create inclusive and open BME research lab environments

Naiknavare

Maisel

2022

Preprint

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“…Other institutions have worked to enhance underrepresented students' academic skills and the supports provided to these students, such as group study sessions focused on complex problems (e.g., Treisman, 1992) and expanded opportunities for training, mentorship, and cohort-building (see the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Hrabowski, 2019). Finally, faculty at other institutions have developed courses aimed at raising students' awareness of the challenges and ethical issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the natural sciences as a component of their undergraduate science curriculum (e.g., Hudgings & Dalton, 2019;Reese, 2020). While many of these approaches provide documented improvements in underrepresented students' retention in STEM, in this paper we discuss our alternative approach-one which arose from a moment of campus conflict and reckoning, that has been developed through intensive partnership with students, and results in student-led action projects to increase all students' abilities to thrive in STEM.…”

Section: Other Institutional Efforts Towards Inclusive Stem Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

From protest to progress through partnership with students: Being human in STEM (HSTEM)

Bunnell¹,

Lyster²,

Greenland³

et al. 2021

IJSaP

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In Fall 2015, Amherst College students held a four-day sit-in in unity with student protests occurring all over the United States highlighting barriers to inclusion of underrepresented and marginalized students.Following appeals for action, students partnered with faculty and staff in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to develop the Being Human in STEM (HSTEM) Initiative. HSTEM involves exploring past diversity and inclusion efforts in STEM, sharing one’s own experiences in STEM with others, and developing student-driven projects to improve belonging in STEM. In this student, faculty, and staff co-authored paper, we describe the origin of HSTEM; share student, faculty and staff reflections on our experiences with HSTEM; and present two inquiry projects examining HSTEM impact. We discuss lessons learned and recommendations for diversity and inclusion efforts in higher education, both in and beyond STEM, emphasizing the power of an initiative that was originated by and remains driven by student partners.

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“…Given the way in which ethics and science are interwoven in medical practice, we asked the question whether ethics could be integrated in biomedical science curriculum of pre-clinical medical training. While a review of literature has revealed recent efforts to implement ethics education into science education [23][24][25][26], we couldn't find any discussion of efforts to embed ethics curriculum within the biomedical science curriculum in particular, except for anatomy [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Building connections between biomedical sciences and ethics for medical students

et al. 2022

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Background Medical ethics education is crucial for preparing medical students to face ethical situations that can arise in patient care. Instances of ethics being integrated into biomedical science education to build the connection between human science and ethics is limited. The specific aim of this study was to measure student attitudes towards an innovative curriculum design that integrates ethics education directly into a biomedical science course in pre-clinical medical curriculum. Methods In this cross-sectional study, three ethics learning modules were designed and built in a biomedical science course in the pre-clinical curriculum. All students of Class of 2024 who were enrolled in the course in 2021 were included in the study. Each module integrated ethics with basic science topics and was delivered with different teaching modalities. The first module used a documentary about a well-known patient with severe combined immunodeficiency disease. The second module was delivered through a clinical scenario on HIV infection. The third module used small group discussion and debate on the topic of blood transfusion. For evaluation, students were asked to self-identify the ethical challenges associated with each module and complete reflective writing to assess their knowledge and attitude. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on student perceptions of each module. Results Likert scale ratings on the usefulness of each module revealed significantly higher ratings for the small group discussion/debate module, seconded by the documentary and lastly the case scenario only modules. Narrative analysis on student feedback revealed three themes: General favorable impression, Perceived learning outcomes, and Critiques and suggestion. Common and unique codes were identified to measure the strengths and weaknesses of each module. Overall, students’ perception of the curriculum design was extremely positive. Conclusions This curriculum design enabled us to highlight foundational biomedical sciences and clinical conditions with ethical dilemmas that physicians are likely to face in practice. Students found value in the modules, with a preference for the most active learning method. This study provides insight on a novel approach for integrating medical ethics into biomedical science courses that can be tailored to any institution. Strategies learned include utilizing active learning modalities and discussion.

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An Undergraduate Elective Course That Introduces Topics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Discussions of Science

Cited by 11 publications

References 12 publications

Discussion-based DEI education to help create inclusive and open BME research lab environments

Discussion-based DEI education to help create inclusive and open BME research lab environments

From protest to progress through partnership with students: Being human in STEM (HSTEM)

Building connections between biomedical sciences and ethics for medical students

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