Thriving in the College of Chemistry: Assessing and Improving Academic Culture
ADT Seminar on Jan. 30th, 2024Guest speaker: Anne Baranger
Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Faculty Assistant for Teaching and Learning
Professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
The Department of Chemistry at UC Berkeley has undertaken a multiyear effort to create an inclusive academic research culture. In an initiative led by graduate students a department-tailored academic climate survey has been developed, which provides quantitative evidence that forms the foundation of annual community discussions. Longitudinal assessment indicates that interventions put in place in response to this survey have succeeded in shifting the perception of the academic climate. In response to community discussions, we have created a short course to promote discussions of the complexity of the impact of the discipline of chemistry on diverse communities and the responsibility scientists have in the discipline. Development and assessment of the climate survey and short course, along with recent work to extend these methods to undergraduate populations will be presented.