What is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias, or implicit bias, is a stereotype that you apply to people of a specific group without even realizing it. For example, you may have an implicit belief that people of a larger body size are lazier or less competent than thinner people. Or you might believe that women are always kinder than men, or men are always more confident than women. You can hold unconscious biases toward any social group, including people of a certain ethnicity, gender, weight, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, or age group. Unconscious biases are especially prevalent when you're in situations that require fast decision-making or multi-tasking. In these situations, the brain attempts to take mental shortcuts to draw quick conclusions. However, these snap assessments are based on factors such as past experiences, media portrayals, or other stereotypes that you have been exposed to throughout your life.

Why is it important to learn about unconscious bias?

By learning about unconscious bias, you can begin to challenge your own implicit beliefs and gain a fuller understanding of the people around you. When left unchallenged, unconscious bias can lead to unintentional discrimination, which harms not only individuals, but organizations as well. Biases can have a negative effect on recruitment and promotion opportunities in the workplace, causing managers to overlook talent or elevate others based on unsupported beliefs. With that in mind, learning about unconscious bias is especially useful for people in management who want to build a more inclusive team. However, anyone can benefit from recognizing and challenging stereotypes in their daily life.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn about unconscious bias?

Online courses on Coursera on topics related to unconscious bias show you how to create a diverse and inclusive culture in the workplace, including how to identify unconscious biases and take steps to manage them. Since these courses are all remote, you can work on the lessons at your own pace and find ways to fit them into your personal schedule. You can also access the courses anywhere that has an internet connection.

What are the benefits of taking an online Unconscious Bias course?

Online Unconscious Bias courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Unconscious Bias skills. Choose from a wide range of Unconscious Bias courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Unconscious Bias courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Unconscious Bias, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Unconscious Bias Courses - Learn Unconscious Bias Online

Explore the Unconscious Bias Course Catalog

Johns Hopkins University
Data Science Decisions in Time: Using Causal Information
Skills you'll gain: Clinical Trials, Data Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Analytics, Business Analytics, Decision Making, Random Forest Algorithm, Medical Science and Research, Treatment Planning, Personalized Service, Machine Learning
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Alfaisal University | KLD
الاقتصاد الجزئي: قوة الأسواق | Microeconomics
Skills you'll gain: Supply And Demand, Market Dynamics, Business Economics, Economics, Market Analysis, Public Policies, Consumer Behaviour, Cost Benefit Analysis, Policty Analysis, Research, and Development, Decision Making
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Professional IQ Capstone
Skills you'll gain: Professional Development, Personal Development, Decision Making, Leadership Development, Communication, Leadership, Planning, Interpersonal Communications, Strategic Decision-Making, Goal Setting, Self-Awareness, Ethical Standards And Conduct
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
EIT Digital
디지털 전환에 따른 변화: 완전 강좌
Skills you'll gain: Digital Transformation, Business Transformation, Goal Setting, Predictive Modeling, Organizational Change, Change Management, Technology Strategies, Business Strategies, Strategic Thinking, Business Leadership, Innovation, Emerging Technologies, Decision Making
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
LearnKartS
Risk Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Risk Analysis, Project Risk Management, Risk Management, Business Risk Management, Risk Mitigation, Decision Making, Operational Analysis, Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Earned Value Management, Project Controls, Contingency Planning, Process Analysis, Project Estimation, Agile Methodology, Project Performance, Waterfall Methodology, Project Schedules, Simulation and Simulation Software
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Illinois Tech
Industrial Psychology
Skills you'll gain: Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Job Analysis, Talent Management, Leadership and Management, Team Leadership, Team Building, Leadership, Performance Analysis, Organizational Leadership, Human Resources, Occupational Safety And Health, Human Resources Management and Planning, Diversity and Inclusion, People Development, Employee Performance Management, Workforce Development, Research, Employee Engagement, Scientific Methods, Employee Training
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
Maven Analytics
Complete Visual Guide to Machine Learning
Skills you'll gain: Unsupervised Learning, Regression Analysis, Exploratory Data Analysis, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Data Science, Data Mining, Machine Learning, Predictive Modeling, Classification And Regression Tree (CART), Supervised Learning, Data Quality, Anomaly Detection, Feature Engineering, Dimensionality Reduction, Random Forest Algorithm
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Alfaisal University | KLD
القرارات الاستثمارية باستخدام معيار صافي القيمة الحالية
Skills you'll gain: Capital Budgeting, Return On Investment, Financial Analysis, Cost Benefit Analysis, Investments, Decision Making, Business Mathematics, Risk Analysis, Cash Flows
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Università di Napoli Federico II
Asset Pricing Fundamentals
Skills you'll gain: Financial Market, Portfolio Management, Investments, Equities, Capital Markets, Finance, Market Dynamics, Risk Analysis, Economics, Risk Management, Probability, Decision Making
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Arizona State University
Dark Data Migration and Architecture
Skills you'll gain: Data Transformation, Engineering Management, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Computational Thinking, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Storytelling, Capacity Management, Data Analysis, Decision Making, Data Strategy, Data Management, Unstructured Data, Business Intelligence, Complex Problem Solving, Design Thinking, Data Storage, Data Access, Solution Design, Automation, Management Reporting
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
University of Maryland, College Park
AI in Digital Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Customer Engagement, Marketing Analytics, MarTech, Generative AI, Social Media Marketing, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Artificial Intelligence, Marketing Automation, Social Media, Customer Analysis, Customer Insights, Content Creation, Business Ethics, Personalized Service, Real Time Data, Predictive Analytics, Big Data
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Colorado Boulder
Resilience & Leadership: Tools, Methods, & Applications
Skills you'll gain: Crisis Management, Systems Thinking, Leadership, Strategic Communication, Organizational Leadership, Business Continuity, Communication, Risk Analysis, Complex Problem Solving, Decision Making, Organizational Change, Organizational Strategy, Vulnerability Assessments
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months