RPT Bias Literacy Workshop

Bias Literacy in RPT Review

RPT Review
Bias Literacy for the RPT Review Process

Long-term mitigation of bias that impedes women and other underserved, historically excluded and minoritized faculty's career progression requires creating shared values and norms that become part of the fabric and culture of the institution (Carnes et al., 2012). Part of Project CREST's mission is to establish enduring sense-making opportunities to provide our campus community experiential learning activities to help them avoid bias in decision-making. Leaning on the ADVANCE Program at Georgia Tech University's Awareness of Decisions in Evaluating Promotion and Tenure (ADEPT) materials, members of evaluation committees will engage in sense-making activities aimed at removing barriers and improving the equity and inclusivity in the RPT review process.  

 

The Sense-Making Workshop

The Problem

Despite important gains, the academy retains significant barriers to the advancement of minoritized scholars.

These barriers include:

  • A hostile work environment
  • Lack of support
  • Not valuing inclusive diversity

UCCS tenure stream faculty are overwhelmingly white and women-identified faculty tend to stall at the associate level. 
Part I

The first part of this two-and-a-half hour sense-making opportunity reviews empirical research on bias in the RPT process.

Topics Include:

  • How bias affects the RPT process
  • Elements of the RPT process
  • Strategies to ensure an equitable, inclusive process
Part II

Then the workshop participants engage in a simulated RPT review meeting where they put their knowledge of bias into practice.

Minimizing Bias?

  • Ask yourself "How has this person been successful?" INSTEAD of "How successful is this person?"
  • Unintentional bias is like a habit: difficult, but not impossible to break!

Fall Workshops By the Numbers

 

In fall 2023 CREST Faculty Fellow Dr. Edwardo Portillos held four bias literacy workshops for campus review committees - particularly Primary Unit Committee members. Over 50 review committee members took part in the workshops 

Creating an Inclusive and Equitable RPT Process

Resources for an equitable RPT review
  • NEW Faculty Fellow Dr. Eddie Portillos

    Eddie Portillos The Project CREST Team is excited to welcome Dr. Portillos as the new faculty fellow for Project CREST! He onboarded in the summer of 2023 with Dr. Montez de Oca and led these sense-making workshops through fall 2023. He will be back again next year to train our news review committee members!

  • Meet our Faculty Fellow
    Dr. Jeffery Montez de Oca

     

    Jeff

    Dr. Jeffery Montez de Oca joined the Sociology Department in 2010 and Project CREST in 2021. As a faculty Fellow for Project CREST, he has adopted an evidence-based educational workshop from Georgia Tech University to minimize bias and discrimination in the RPT process.

  • Attend a Workshop

    Workshops have concluded for fall 2023. We will schedule new dates for the fall 2024 review cycle. If you are serving on a PUEC, DRC, or the VCRC in the upcoming here, reach out to advance@uccs.edu to join a workshop!

     

  • Advice on Running an Equitable Review

    If you are unable to attend one of our sense-making workshop sessions, consider reviewing the handout below summarizing important considerations for running an equitable and inclusive review of your faculty.

    Review the Handout HERE

    Review Key Literature from the Training HERE

  • UCCS Bias Literacy in RPT Facilitation Guide

    Project CREST developed a facilitation guide for those wanting to coach their own review committee members on why and how to improve the equity in the review process.

    Download the facilitator's guide here

  • COVID and RPT Considerations

    We are all too familiar with the disruptions the COVID-19 pandemic caused in our lives. However, not everyone was affected the same and we must remain cognizant that fallout from the pandemic as it pertains to faculty's careers may not be evident until years down the road. Consider reviewing the following resources for tenure Dossiers:

  • Bias in Academia Reference Guide

    Review a comprehensive list of publication on identifying and combatting bias in academia compiled by the UCCS Research Faculty Advisory Board.