What is EDI?
EDI is a framework that, applied to the research context, is used to guide research principles, research design, participation on research teams, and data collection and analysis.
In order to understand what EDI is, it is helpful to break it down and understand what equity, diversity and inclusion are and how they are connected. According to the D5 Coalition, Racial Equity Tools Glossary and UC Berkeley:
- Equity is the fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within the procedures and processes of institutions or systems, as well as in their distribution of resources. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of the root causes of outcome disparities within our society.
- Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. While diversity is often used in reference to race, ethnicity, and gender, we embrace a broader definition of diversity that also includes age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. Our definition also includes diversity of thought: ideas, perspectives, and values.
- Inclusion is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people. It is important to note that while an inclusive group is by definition diverse, a diverse group isn’t always inclusive. Increasingly, recognition of unconscious or ‘implicit’ bias helps organizations be deliberate about addressing issues of inclusivity.
Why EDI in Research?
An equitable, diverse, and inclusive research culture is essential to research excellence.
The Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC), the group responsible for Canada’s federal research strategy, names EDI in research as a key priority, explaining: “by considering differing views, ideas and approaches, equitable and inclusive practices help promote research excellence that better addresses the needs of a diverse Canadian population.” (Government of Canada, “Strengthening equity, diversity, and inclusion in research”)
According to NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR, the federal organizations providing research funding in Canada, “sound EDI-informed policies and practices improve access to the largest pool of qualified potential participants, enhance the integrity of a program’s application and selection processes, strengthen research outputs and increase the overall excellence of research.” (Dimensions Charter).
Huron, together with most major post-secondary institutions in Canada, is a signatory on the Dimensions Charter. This signature represents a commitment to advancing EDI principles and practices in research conducted at Huron by faculty, staff, and students.
The immediate Huron context also compels attention to EDI in Research. In January 2020, Western University created the Anti-Racism Working Group, comprised of 20 Western students, faculty and staff, to begin to address systemic racism in the Western academic community. The working group report, which was published and publicly shared in May 2020 amidst protests relating to the Black Lives Matter movement in London and across the world, serves as a “call to action” for the Western community and beyond to learn about and work towards anti-racism.
This context of ongoing efforts to shift a larger institutional culture forms a critical backdrop to our presentation of EDI in these modules.
Module Structure
We recognize that this training is just a tiny piece of a much larger and complex narrative and movement to create and maintain positive, inclusive, and necessary change within post-secondary institutions.
We also acknowledge that each person brings with them unique perspectives and experiences relating to the set of issues discussed in these modules. The design of these modules is to provide an overview and introduction to key concepts in EDI for students who may not have encountered them before, focussing specifically on some ways that EDI is relevant to the world of academic research, and pointing you towards directions for further exploration.
The following modules aim to situate EDI frameworks within a research context, and are organized into:
- Module 1: Privilege and Power in Research
- Module 2: Gender and Race in Research
- Module 3: Decolonization in Research
Inside of each module there are sub-topics and issues presented primarily through resources and videos. The content is intended to give you the tools to think critically about certain topics and issues in research, and to consider how these issues are navigated by researchers. Reflection questions are included to encourage you to make connections and consider how this content is relevant to not only research practices, but also to your own experiences within and outside of research.
Before the first module, please take a few minutes to consider:
- What do you currently know about EDI?
- What do you hope to learn by the end of these modules?