II. Teaching Implicit Bias: Structuring the Class

We like to use online fora to foster discussion on the topic. Thus, we teach blended courses, where some percentage of the work is online. Moving the discussion online allows students time to reflect on the material and points raised by their colleagues, and to respond thoughtfully rather than reflexively. Having this time is of particular importance when dealing with issues that can be difficult to discuss, like the -isms. Rather than having a separate section of the course dedicated to this discussion, implicit bias is made a part of every conversation we have through the course of the semester. Having the discussion of implicit bias as a component of every class reinforces the idea that implicit bias influences every part of health care law and needs to be explicitly considered in every component. The online format helps facilitate this discussion without taking away from the substantive topics discussed in class every week.

Your organization of the substantive material can also play a role in how students address the discussion of implicit bias. There are some areas of health care law where the impact of implicit bias is apparent. There are, of course, areas where implicit biases will not be obvious to students. If one of the goals of your course plan is to maximize students' growth around their ability to understand, explore, and address implicit biases, we have found it more effective to cover topics obviously influenced by bias first. This allows students to become more comfortable with the discussion and more knowledgeable about the issues.