As part of UMBC’s ongoing commitment to fostering equitable and inclusive working environments, we are pleased to share training opportunities designed to help employees and supervisors develop the knowledge and skills needed to engage effectively with diversity, manage workplace challenges, and create environments where all members of the community can thrive. These offerings include virtual courses available through Vector Solutions; any UMBC employee can use their university credentials to login and search for courses.
Faculty, staff, supervisors, and partners are encouraged to participate. For questions or enrollment support, please submit a request form here or email culture@umbc.edu.
Virtual Trainings Options
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging for Leaders
Designed to meet employees and organizations where they are in their learning journey, this course helps leaders develop the skills needed to collaborate effectively in an increasingly diverse workforce. Participants explore key topics such as identity, equity, unconscious bias, microaggressions, and allyship to strengthen inclusive leadership practices.
Participants will:
-
Build awareness of key concepts related to diversity, equity, and belonging.
-
Strengthen leadership practices that support inclusive collaboration.
-
Identify ways to promote a speak-up culture and allyship within teams.
Communication for Inclusion
This course emphasizes the importance of focusing on impact rather than intent when using identity terminology and engaging with self-identification. It explores how small acts that undermine can affect workplace relationships and offers strategies for addressing them constructively.
Participants will:
-
Understand how everyday interactions can impact workplace inclusion.
-
Learn strategies for responding to actions that may undermine others.
-
Explore how microaffirmations can help create more supportive environments.
Engagement with Diversity (Employees and Managers)
This course focuses on how employees define and engage with diversity, using the iceberg model to illustrate how some aspects of diversity are not readily observable. It examines how diversity resistance, reactions to difference, assumptions, and the ladder of inference can negatively impact the workplace, while providing practical strategies to help participants engage more thoughtfully with diversity.
Participants will:
-
Understand visible and invisible dimensions of diversity using the iceberg model.
-
Examine how assumptions and reactions to differences can affect workplace interactions.
-
Develop strategies for engaging constructively with diverse perspectives.
Discrimination: Avoiding Discriminatory Practices
This course provides supervisors with an overview of best practices for establishing and maintaining a respectful and positive workplace environment. Participants examine how to recognize discriminatory behaviors and foster a culture that values respect, acceptance, and fairness.
Participants will:
- Identify behaviors and practices that may contribute to workplace discrimination.
- Learn strategies for supporting respectful interactions across differences.
- Explore approaches for fostering a culture of acceptance and respect.
Managing Difficult Behaviors
This course provides supervisory staff members with practical approaches for managing difficult behaviors in the workplace. Participants explore strategies for maintaining professionalism, addressing concerns constructively, and focusing on solutions that support healthy team dynamics.
Participants will:
-
Reflect on personal responses and approaches when addressing difficult behavior.
-
Learn strategies for maintaining self-control and focusing on problem-solving.
-
Develop techniques for coaching employees and addressing behavior through performance management.
Finding & Enrolling in Courses: Browse available courses by selecting the “Courses” tab in the left-hand toolbar. In the library, “select” a specific category or “all” to view titles and summaries. Need help enrolling? Visit Vector’s self-enrollment support page for step-by-step guidance.