From principles to practice: what students want from diversity education

Every educator who teaches diversity might find this familiar. You mention “diversity, equity and inclusion” and the class responds in many different ways - some students are curious, others reflective, some unsure of what to expect next.

It is not that students are uninterested. Far from it. They care deeply about fairness and inclusion, but they are also tired of hearing only why these things matter and rarely how to do them.

As someone who teaches and researches management education, I have seen how easily these conversations can stall. In discussions with business and management students in the UK and the US, my colleagues and I heard a clear message: they value the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), but they find much of the teaching moralistic and repetitive. As one student put it, “When it comes to teaching how to work in a diverse and inclusive environment, they [educators] do more parenting than they do teaching. So when it comes to actual skills, I don’t think I’ve learnt any”.

Moving beyond awareness

We found that students are not asking for more theory or bigger reading lists. They are asking for tools that will help them act inclusively once they enter the workplace.

Where much of the recent focus in higher education has been on decolonising curricula and representation, which is vital work in its own right, the students we spoke to were looking for something slightly different. They wanted to learn how to lead, collaborate and communicate in diverse teams. They wanted less talk about principles and more opportunity to practise inclusion in action.

Listening to what students actually want

Across the student reflections we collected, four clear messages emerged.

First, students want DEI to be integrated across their programmes, not treated as a one-off lecture or optional module. They notice when inclusion feels like an add-on rather than a shared responsibility.

Second, they learn best from real-world examples, both of inclusive leadership and of what happens when organisations get it wrong.

Third, they need safe spaces to discuss difficult issues without feeling they are walking on eggshells. Many described feeling that DEI sessions were so carefully managed that honest discussion was impossible.

And finally, they want to leave university with practical skills: how to navigate cultural differences, recognise bias in decisions, and respond when exclusion happens in front of them.

Teaching empathy as a skill

To respond to these concerns, we developed an “empathy framework” for management education. It combines four types of learning:

• Moral empathy: understanding the ethical foundations of inclusion.
• Affective empathy: caring for socially just environments.
• Cognitive empathy: being able to see issues from multiple perspectives.
• Behavioural empathy: learning how to act and intervene in real situations.

The framework and associated practical guide that our manuscript offers help staff move DEI teaching from abstract principle to lived practice. It also links inclusion directly to employability, the ability to work effectively in diverse teams and to lead with understanding and respect.

What this means for higher education

For those of us who design or deliver teaching in higher education, the message from students is clear: diversity education needs to be part of everything we do, not something separate or symbolic.

That means weaving inclusion through course design, classroom interaction and assessment. It means moving away from compliance-style training and instead creating opportunities for students to practise empathy and inclusive leadership.

It also means rethinking what “success” in DEI teaching looks like. Awareness is not enough; students are asking for DEI competence. They want to leave with the skills and confidence to make inclusive decisions, to work across differences and to challenge inequality when they see it.

At a time when DEI work in education is facing public scrutiny, this student perspective offers a useful reminder: the demand for inclusion has not gone away, it is simply becoming more practical.

Students are not rejecting DEI. They are asking us to teach it differently.

Paper details

Licsandru, T. C., Mari, C., Kipnis, E., Galalae, C., Johnson, E., Cross, S. N. N., Cui, C. C., Kearney, S., Martín Ruiz, V., Vorster Larsen, L. and Yoruk, I. (2024). Integrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Management Education: An Empathy Framework. British Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.70008