Equality & Diversity

Code of Conduct

The IT University of Copenhagen strives to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students. In the interest of fostering an environment characterized by equality and respect, students should not behave in a way that offends, intimidates and is hostile, degrading or humiliating to others.

This Code of Conduce applies to all activities taking place on ITU facilities and digital learning spaces (LearnIT), as well as to ITU related social functions that might take place elsewhere such as conferences, happy hours, holiday parties and holiday trips.

Approval and Evaluation

The Code of Conduct was approved by the Study Board on the 21st of August 2018 and takes effect immediately. The Study Board will together with the Head of Studies review and evaluate the Code of conduct in September 2019.

This Code of Conduct is partially adapted from the Contributor Covenant, version 1.4, available at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/1/4/code-of-conduct.html

An open and accountable study environment

Examples of behavior that contributes to creating a positive environment include:

Using welcoming and inclusive language
Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
Focusing on what is best for the community

Examples of unacceptable behavior include:

Sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying, violence or violent behavior of any kind
Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting

Discrimination and harassment - where to report

In case of sexual harassment, read ITU's sexual harassment policy for information on how and where to report.

Any case of discrimination and harassment, based on gender, age, physical ability, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or national origin and that is not covered by ITU's sexual harassment policy may be reported.

Students should turn to the student counselors (studentadvisors@itu.dk or +42 7218 5240) to report instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise discriminatory behavior from other students or from staff members. Students are encouraged to contact the counselors as early as they feel comfortable. Complaints filed by students will be reported to the Head of Studies. Students can also contact the Head of Studies, Aske Kammer (aska@itu.dk or +45 72185038), directly with a complaint if they so prefer.

The complaints can be filed anonymously if necessary. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. The Head of Studies has the responsibility to handle the issues.

The Student Counselors and Head of Studies are obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident.

Positive action

Please note that certain cases of positive discrimination (or affirmative action) are allowed and regulated by the Danish law through a statutory instrument, the Executive Order on initiatives to promote gender equality (Access to Equal Opportunities Initiatives Without Exemption). When a group of people is particularly underrepresented in an activity or field, initiatives to counter inequality are encouraged. According to § 2 of the executive order, "it is legal to establish courses etc. for one sex, if it promotes equality between men and women". This applies for example to specific activities such as the IT Camp for Girls organized by ITU.

Hide

Bias aware teaching and learning SIG

Join the Bias Aware Teaching and Learning Special Interest Group

If you are a teacher, student or administrator interested in how implicit biases affect teaching and learning, consider joining the Bias Aware Teaching and Learning (BATL) Special Interest Group established within DUN, the Danish Network for Educational Development in Higher Education.

Biases can influence our judgements and decisions on recruitment, teaching, learning, assessment and evaluation. The impact of unconscious biases is twofold: they can lead to unjust judgements and decisions and they limit novelty, both of which contradict principles of higher education. BATL SIG will share, develop and experiment with strategies for raising awareness of our unconscious biases and reframing practices and attitudes.

BATL SIG will facilitate access to empirical data and research studies on bias and university recruitment, teaching, learning, assessment and course evaluations, providing a constructive and supportive network for colleagues who want to engage with related research and or scholarly practice.

If you are interested in joining the SIG, please write an email to Valeria Borsotti, Special Advisor - ITU Learning Support (vbor@itu.dk).

Read more about upcoming activities of the BATL SIG here.

More resources on implicit bias

The online resource unlimited.sdu.dk is designed to provide relevant resources for teachers in higher education and includes Think Pieces, Practical Tools, Research and FAQs.

Test your implicit bias: Project Implicit.

Hide

GENDER STATISTICS: STUDENTS AND STAFF

Gender distribution among students

Gender distribution among scientific staff

gender diversity in IT

Professional network

The IT University of Copenhagen has promoted the creation of a network of professionals and decision makers from the Danish IT business sector, universities and other relevant institutions in order to actively and effectively address the current gender imbalance in IT. Members of the network see themselves as change makers. They exchange knowledge, map current challenges and share best practices on how to achieve a significant increase in women's participation in IT education, employment and leadership. The value of this network comes from the knowledge produced by its members from diverse fields of the Danish society, resulting in new and innovative practices to effectively close the gender gap.

The network was established in 2017 by ITU's Head of Studies, Lene Pries-Heje. Participation is by inviation only. To learn more, contact wit@itu.dk.