Shaping Equitable and Inclusive Undergraduate Research Opportunities

“Research is stronger when everyone is welcome in our classrooms, in our labs, in our fieldwork and in our research partnerships.”

Leah Cowen

Vice-President,
Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives

The University of Toronto is committed to fostering environments that are intentionally diverse and inclusive through the advancement of equitable practices, education and training. In the context of undergraduate research, this commitment involves ensuring that research opportunities are accessible to all students, promoting equitable outcomes, and creating a supportive environment where students from equity-deserving communities feel valued and included.

Engaging undergraduate students from equity-deserving communities also improves our research. It allows for diverse perspectives that shape research questions, methods, innovation and problem solving. An inclusive approach results in fewer biases and generates impactful research (Bhalla, 2019; Rock et al., 2016).

While the lens of equity, diversity, inclusion and access has been woven throughout the Undergraduate Research Hub, we have also compiled a summary of key considerations.

This webpage will address approaches to support equity-deserving groups more broadly, but should not be considered a comprehensive guide for supporting the hiring, onboarding and/or retention of Indigenous students.

Given Indigenous Nations’ long-standing and inherent independence, along with the University’s commitment to truth and reconciliation, it is essential to recognize the unique considerations involved in working with Indigenous students. Indeed, while Indigenous students may identify with equity-deserving groups based on aspects like sexual orientation, gender or disability, the unique identities of individual Indigenous Nations and peoples should be considered separately from EDIA initiatives (Hiring & Engaging Diverse Student Talent: Employer Toolkit). The work of supporting Indigenous students should be done in partnership with First Nations House.

Considerations for Equitable and Inclusive Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Creating an Inclusive Opportunity
Sharing a Commitment to eDIA
Sharing an Opportunity
Interviewing and Hiring
Onboarding to an Opportunity
Supporting Students in an Opportunity
Accessing REsearch Funding

As you shape your research opportunity, it’s important to be mindful of and address barriers students encounter in accessing research opportunities. How can you create opportunities that are inclusive, accessible and offer meaningful engagement for students?

The language used to describe a research opportunity may affect how students perceive the role and their qualifications. Consider how you describe the opportunity, being mindful of unintended barriers:

What are the essential skills required? What skills can be learned? Share a brief description of the role clearly highlighting the essential skills and competencies required.
- Avoid statements that indicate preference for a certain personality trait as these can cause students to self-select out of opportunities and may introduce biases that privilege certain cultural backgrounds. Outgoing, a sense of humour, and a people person are common examples.
- Sometimes too many requirements or unfamiliar terminology can discourage talented students from applying.
How will students be compensated and what are the time requirements? Consider if you will offer a curricular research opportunity (for credit and unpaid) or co-curricular (not for credit and paid).
- If co-curricular, you might consider adding your research opportunity to the Co-Curricular Recordso students will have an official U of T document detailing their participation.
- If co-curricular and paid, it is recommended you provide salary information (whether it is a specific figure or a salary range).
How accessible is the research environment? It can be helpful to share information about the accommodations process in your advertisement and your willingness to provide accommodations to students and who students can contact for further conversations. As part of the Work Study program, hiring units are asked to share details about accessibility considerations when filling out the job form. Consider sharing details of these considerations as part of your job advertisement such as:
- Has a significant amount of independent work with limited oversight and direction
- Occurs in a hybrid environment
- Occurs in an environment where loud and / or abrupt noises occur
- Regularly transports items between 2-15 lbs
- Spends the majority of shift working at a computer
- Spends the majority of the shift working at a counter-height lab station

Considerations throughout the hiring process, “Hiring” from the Hiring & Engaging Diverse Student Talent: Employer Toolkit.
Considerations when planning a research opportunity, “Considers for Inclusive Undergraduate Research Opportunity: A Faculty Guide”.
When designing research opportunities, review “Experiential Learning Accommodations Guide for Faculty, Staff and Supervisors“. You might especially focus on “Important Aspects of the Accommodations Process” that discusses flexibility in design.
Embed equity, diversity, inclusion and access in the design and development process to ensure students feel supported when pursuing an undergraduate research opportunity, “Stage 2: Design & Delivery,” Advancing Equitable & Inclusive Experiential Learning Opportunities, Faculty of Arts & Science.
Working Towards Inclusion: Equitable Practices for Hiring Student Staff and New Professionals.

Clearly define the values of the research environment and consider sharing your commitment to working towards a more equitable, diverse and inclusive workforce. Considering how these commitments inform both the hiring process (i.e., job advertisement, interview process) as well as during the onboarding process.

You might consider the practices of Professor Maydianne Andrade, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough. After a discussion at a gathering of BIPOC Women in Ecology and Evolution and with her students, Professor Andrade decided to develop a series of resources that would document the previously unwritten practices within her lab (e.g., attendance and punctuality, communication, standards of civility and collegiality). In one example, Professor Andrade details the values and commitments (PDF) upheld by the lab and asked of all of their researchers; it shares how these values and commitments are realized in processes and actions as well as ways to respond when there are violations.

Sharing practices in writing helps create an equitable environment for students who might be new to research, who might be unsure of what to expect due to neuro-divergence and mental health, who might have caregiving responsibilities and who might not yet have the academic capital or knowledge of standard practices. It also sets an expectation of inclusivity and mutual respect for all researchers, including students and faculty members.

How does equity, diversity, inclusion and access directly inform your research environment, and what practices do you implement to convey your commitment to these principles?

In sharing a commitment, review “Experiential Learning Accommodations Guide for Faculty, Staff and Supervisors“. You might especially review information about approaches to communicating accommodations with students in curricular (i.e., course syllabi) and co-curricular settings (i.e., advertising for the position).
“Stage 4, Student Preparation & Supports,” Advancing Equitable & Inclusive Experiential Learning Opportunities, Faculty of Arts & Science.

How research opportunities are shared or advertised can significantly impact which students pursue them. You likely have students who have already expressed their interest in pursuing research opportunities with you. However, many students are interested in pursuing research opportunities but are not as familiar with pathways to access them. By advertising through a variety of platforms, you will help to increase the diversity of your application pool.

The hidden curriculum has been described as “unintended messages, underpinning norms, values and assumptions that are often so unquestioned that they have become invisible” (Koutsouris et. al, 2021). Students often bring-up themes surrounding the “hidden curriculum” in discussing their attitudes and perceptions towards undergraduate research. In sharing examples of the hidden curriculum, they express their experiences with a lack of transparency on the availability of research opportunities as well as how students are selected for competitive research opportunities.

What platforms are you sharing your research opportunity on? CLNx, or the Career Learning Network, is a platform for U of T students to explore and access research, co-curricular and job opportunities at U of T and beyond. By posting your research position on CLNx, you will help to ensure equitable access to your position as it will be available to all students across the tri-campuses.
Could your research opportunity be developed into a curricular (course-based) experience? For students managing multiple responsibilities such as caregiving, part-time work and longer commutes to campus, curricular research opportunities are more accessible allowing them to complete degree requirements while gaining research experience.
Reach out to student groups or large-course instructors to advertise the opportunity through a slide or digital flier. Be mindful that student groups may already be receiving many requests for promotion (Mackay et. al, 2022).
If you are hoping to recruit students from a specific equity-deserving group, consider if there is a student support office you might consult with about how best to build relationships and meaningfully approach recruitment.

You might consider the approach of Professor Elspeth Brown, Director, Critical Digital Humanities, University of Toronto Mississauga. Wanting to create a diverse team for her LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, Professor Brown reached out to members of the LGBTQ student community at U of T by creating fliers, sharing announcements and engaging in conversations with community members, thereby raising awareness of and access to the research opportunity.

In sharing a commitment, review “Experiential Learning Accommodations Guide for Faculty, Staff and Supervisors“. You might review information about approaches to communicating accommodations with students in curricular (i.e., course syllabi) and co-curricular settings (i.e., advertising for the position).
“Stage 3, Promotion & Outreach,” Advancing Equitable & Inclusive Experiential Learning Opportunities, Faculty of Arts & Science.

The effective integration of equitable and inclusive interviewing and hiring practices helps to ensure a fair and inclusive recruitment process that values students’ diverse perspectives and experiences.

Understanding Unconscious and Systematic Bias

Recognizing and addressing unconscious and systematic bias can help to inform the selection of students for research opportunities, helping to create a more equitable and inclusive research environment and leading to a more informed hire. To help inform your understanding of biases, you might review:

“Module 1: What is Unconscious Bias?”, Toronto Initiative for Diversity & Excellence.
Unconscious Bias Training, University of California San Francisco.
Considerations throughout the hiring process, “Hiring” from the Hiring & Engaging Diverse Student Talent: Employer Toolkit.

To help support students through the interview process, you might implement these interview accommodations (PDF) recommended by Hiring & Engaging Diverse Student Talent: Employer Toolkit. By providing accessible interviews, you can support candidate success by decreasing the need for a candidate to disclose a disability.

Cultivate an encouraging and inclusive research environment where undergraduate students feel comfortable to ask questions, make mistakes and share their successes.

Establish clear expectations early on by having an open conversation. Follow-up on this conversation, putting into writing agreed upon expectations and goals. This will give students a better understanding of research objectives, deadlines, communication expectations and how to respond when issues come up, which can lead to higher-quality research outcomes.
Gently remind students of available accommodations, without making assumptions. Sharing clear examples of accommodations can be deeply supportive for students who may benefit from certain supports but might be uncertain how that would occur in practice. Although a student facing resource, you might review the “Disclosure and Accommodations Guide for the Workplace” for further information and context to support these conversations.
Undergraduate students often have many competing responsibilities. Talk to them about time management and work/life balance.
Introduce different points of contact based on common questions and concerns, so students understand pathways to seeking help (e.g., lab manager for issues with administrative work, graduate researchers for inquiries on post-bachelor’s pathways, senior undergraduate researchers for navigating work/life balance).
Share institutional resources with students for general support. This may include Navi or information about accessing an academic advisor, career educator, or experiential learning supports.

Share this list of onboarding questions (PDF) with the student(s) you are working with, and allotting time in one of your initial meetings to take them up together.
“Module 2, Onboarding,” the Hiring & Engaging Diverse Student Talent: Employer Toolkit
Provide additional opportunities where students can form community and learn more about research experiences, such as “Engaging in Research as Black, Latin American, Southeast Asian & First-Generation Undergraduate Students” by Mentorship & Peer Programs.
Review the “Disclosure and Accommodations Guide for the Workplace,” Accessibility Services. Although student-facing, this guide focuses on addressing accommodations related to disability and shares pathways for students about how to navigate disclosure and accommodation.
Review “Experiential Learning Accommodations Guide for Faculty, Staff and Supervisors“.
You might share with your students the Work Study: Professional Development Workbook to help them reflect on the goals they aim to achieve through their research opportunity.

Ensuring that the research environment is equitable, inclusive and accessible helps to show students that they are valued and supported. This can also help to create an impactful experience for students and foster a positive and productive research experience.

Students’ research workload should align with their allotted hours, job description and capabilities. Consider scaffolding their research work into a series of discrete tasks to make it more manageable, less overwhelming and to increase accountability.
Create opportunities for reflection and open dialogue with students to understand how their lived experiences inform their research approaches and interpretations.
Make time to celebrate students’ research achievements and failures and ask them to reflect on their experience, future opportunities for growth and how they can represent their work professionally.
Foreground health and well-being, sharing resources with students and ensuring they are aware of available supports including those specific to their self-identified communities.
The considerations outlined in the “Onboarding to an Opportunity” section are important to help clearly outline expectations and establish communication channels. However, if a student has not met a deadline for an assigned research task, you might reach out to ask if the student needs further support or an extension. Are they doing okay? Were your instructions clear? Does the student require training in what is being asked of them? Clearly lay out next steps and schedule a follow-up to check-in.
Are there training or workshop opportunities for students to continue to develop their research skills and connect with other student researchers? If no, how might you facilitate these kinds of connections with other labs, research groups, senior researchers and Faculty?

EDI in Research & Innovation, Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation and Strategic Initiatives, offers a compilation of readings and resources on the research environment, onboarding and mentorship processes.
“Failure: Learning in Progress,” is a pedagogical tool to help students and faculty understand how struggle and failure are important parts of the learning process.
Review “Experiential Learning Accommodations Guide for Faculty, Staff and Supervisors” to further understand how accommodations could support student learning experiences.

Many funding agencies and institutions prioritize equity, diversity, inclusion and access in their grant criteria, recognizing its importance for ethical and effective research practices. Demonstrating a commitment to EDIA can strengthen your grant application.

In seeking funding opportunities, consider how you will address equity, diversity, inclusion and access in your recruitment practices as well as the training and supports that you will provide to undergraduate students. Detailed strategies are shared on the “Funding Opportunities” page of the Undergraduate Research Hub.