Recognising and Reducing Cognitive Biases in Educational Decision-Making
Abstract: Teaching and assessment decisions in higher education are often made under time pressure, high cognitive load, and institutional constraints. In such conditions, educators frequently rely on mental shortcuts, or heuristics, that help simplify complex decisions but may also introduce unintended bias. These biases can influence how lecturers interpret student behaviour, evaluate academic work, select teaching strategies, or adopt educational technologies. This interactive workshop focuses on raising awareness of common cognitive heuristics that shape everyday educational decision-making. Particular attention will be given to how these biases may affect teaching and assessment in English-medium instruction (EMI) and other linguistically diverse learning environments, where issues of language proficiency, participation, and academic performance can easily be misinterpreted. Through practical examples and short teaching scenarios, participants will explore how cognitive biases may influence judgments about students, classroom interaction, and pedagogical choices. Working in small groups, participants will analyse realistic teaching situations and develop practical strategies to reduce the impact of bias. The workshop supports reflective teaching and evidence-informed professional development by providing participants with practical tools that can strengthen fairness, transparency, and pedagogical awareness in contemporary university classrooms.
Requirements for potential participants: The workshop is open to university lecturers from all disciplines, with particular relevance for those teaching in English-medium instruction (EMI) contexts, as well as teacher educators and final-year PhD students preparing for future teaching roles. Educational developers, programme coordinators, and other professionals involved in teaching and learning are also welcome. No prior knowledge of cognitive psychology is required. As the workshop will be conducted in English, participants should ideally have a minimum B2 level of English proficiency.
Expected outcomes: By the end of the workshop, participants will:
- Recognise common cognitive heuristics that influence teaching and assessment decisions.
- Reflect on how these biases may affect student evaluation, participation, and classroom interaction, particularly in multilingual or EMI contexts.
- Develop practical strategies to reduce bias in teaching and assessment practices.
- Leave with a simple set of tools that support more reflective and evidence-informed pedagogical decision-making.
Maximum number of participants: 20 participants
Additional Information: The session is designed as a highly interactive 90-minute workshop, combining brief conceptual input with small-group analysis of realistic teaching scenarios and collaborative strategy development. Participants will receive a short practical checklist that can be used to identify and mitigate cognitive biases in everyday teaching and assessment decisions
Workshop facilitator: Iulia Dragomir, University of Alcalá
