Have you experienced chemistry teaching in University in the last 5 years?

Yes

Did you study at a UK university?

Yes

What was the name of your undergraduate course?

Chemistry

What would you like chemistry educators to know about your experiences of inequalities in Higher Education?

As a woman, I have often felt as though my opinion is not as valued as that of my male peers. I notice this particularly in small-group teaching with male academics, where I may offer an answer and be told it’s ‘not quite there’ only for a male peer to essentially reword what I’ve said and be told his answer was perfect. Additionally, I feel as though many male academics have a tendency to speak over me and female peers in discussions, but I do not see this as often when male peers make contributions. I think that it would make myself and a lot of my female peers feel more comfortable and valued if male peers/academics were encouraged to reflect on any unconscious gender bias they may be perpetuating.

I consider myself to have a disability in the form of long-term mental health conditions and neurodivergence, which impacts many aspects of my education. For example, I struggle to read large bodies of clustered text with no clear paragraphs, and many of the lecture handouts, lab scripts, and even emails from the department are very bulky and a struggle to fully absorb without losing focus. I also struggle to remember verbal instructions without a written reference to follow along, making situations such as impromptu changes of plans in the lab difficult to keep up with as here I can no longer follow my written and struggle to remember what I have been told by a demonstrator/faculty member. Furthermore, some of the supporting written documents for instruments in the labs have been removed (possibly on account of COVID restrictions, which is somewhat understandable), raising the same issue of struggling to remember verbal instructions for how to safely and correctly use the instruments during practicals.

Are there any actions or changes that you would like chemistry instructors to make?

I would like for instructors to be more aware of their unconscious biases and make an active effort to notice when they are perpetuating them and un-learn this behaviour, because it feels patronising to know that I’m not being taken as seriously as my male peers. Additionally, it would help greatly if the department could encourage instructors to provide documents that are more accessible than they are at present (e.g. including a short summary at the beginning/end of emails, providing handouts that are not cluttered and have clear and well-spaced text, re-introducing written instructions for lab instruments). I would also find it beneficial if instructors in labs, for example, could take the time to repeat and summarise any new verbal instructions and allow time to write these down for those of us who struggle to remember large amounts of auditory information.

What country did you grow up in?

England

Are you disabled/have an impairment?

Yes

Are you LGBT+?

Yes

What is your gender?

Female

What is your ethnicity?

White and Indian (Mixed)