Understanding Civil Rights (UCR) is a required online course about the University’s civil rights policies and practices for staff, faculty, other academic personnel, and graduate student employees. The course explores civil rights at the University of Washington with a focus on protections based on race, color, or national origin (including shared ancestry and ethnicity).
This course reflects the University’s ongoing commitment to creating a respectful, safe, and welcoming environment for all members of our community. The content applies to all UW workplace and campus locations and includes tailored content based on your employee role.
After completing the UCR course, employees will be able to:
- Identify ways to support inclusive and nondiscriminatory learning, living, and working environments at the UW.
- Recognize discrimination and harassment as prohibited conduct under University of Washington policies, and understand when such conduct may contribute to a hostile environment.
- Describe available support and resources, including how the Civil Rights Compliance Office responds to reports.
- Understand your employee reporting obligations and how to make a Civil Rights & Title IX report.
Employee course completion expectations
Employees, including all staff, faculty, other academic personnel, and graduate student employees, are required to complete the course:
- Current employees assigned the course on January 13, 2026 must complete it by March 10, 2026.
- New employees must complete the course within 30 days of their hire date.
Course FAQs
Employees will be able to access the course by logging into Workday and navigating to their Workday Learning worklet. More information will be made available before the course is assigned to employees.
Most individuals can complete the course in approximately 20-30 minutes. The course platform will save your progress and allow you to complete the course in multiple sessions.
If you have recently experienced or supported someone who has experienced discrimination or harassment and are concerned this course could be emotionally challenging to complete at this time, you can request an alternative version of the course with adjusted content by contacting civilrightsed@uw.edu. You do not need to share personal details when you send an email to inquire about the alternative course option.
Most of the course is the same for all employees, ensuring a shared understanding of UW’s civil rights policies and resources. At specific points in the course, employees will have the option to select role-specific scenarios that reflect their work context (for example, staff, faculty, clinical healthcare, or graduate student employees).
Please submit any feedback or questions about the course to civilrightsed@uw.edu.
Course Completion FAQs
The UW is committed to cultivating an environment where everyone is welcome, supported, and empowered to thrive. Understanding Civil Rights (UCR) helps individuals at the UW better understand their rights, resources, and options, as well as how they can effectively support others who may have experienced discrimination or harassment.
UCR was also developed in part to fulfill compliance obligations under a resolution agreement between the UW and the U.S. Department of Education. Under that agreement, the UW must provide regular anti-discrimination training for students and employees.
Current employees assigned the Understanding Civil Rights course on January 13, 2026 must complete it by March 10, 2026.
New employees must complete the course within 30 days of their hire date.
Course completion will be recorded in Workday. Instructions for accessing your completion records will be made available before the course is assigned.
Employee completion reports will be available within Workday.
- Leaders and Managers can view training records for employees within their supervisory organizations in Workday, enabling them to follow up directly with individuals who have not completed the training.
- Deans, Vice Presidents, and Vice Provosts have visibility into completion records in Workday for their full organizations and are accountable for ensuring that all employees meet the training requirement.
- HR Partners are responsible for monitoring compliance for all employees within their organizations. They have Workday system access to view and track completion for those employee populations. Information for HR partners ensuring compliance with the Understanding Civil Rights (UCR) employee course requirement is available at Course Compliance for Leadership.
Supervisors may implement corrective action in accordance with the employee’s classification or job title. Non-compliance may be noted in performance or promotional reviews. An employee may become ineligible for opportunities that involve leadership, supervision of others, or other academic or work-related activities.
While the University currently requires employees to take the foundational civil rights course only once, employees will be required to take a refresher course in future years. The refresher aims to keep all UW community members aware of the University’s civil rights policies, support, and resources.
Yes, this course is specific to the University of Washington and contains information every UW employee needs. This course may build on the information you have learned in other classes or training.
Yes, some student employees are required to complete the employee civil rights course. Graduate student employees must take the employee version of the course, while other types of student employees are not required to complete it at this time. The employee and student courses have unique information relevant to those respective roles.
All students must complete the student version of the course.
The employee and student courses have unique information that is relevant to those respective roles. If you have already completed the student course but are also staff, faculty, or other academic personnel, or a graduate student employee, you will also need to complete the employee version.
Some individuals who are in Workday will not be assigned the Civil Rights employee course.
Unpaid affiliate faculty, contingent workers, contract workers, exempt employees, and ‘S-STIPEND’ group members are not currently required to complete the Civil Rights course if they are in one of the following categories:
- Employment Program/Type ‘V=Affiliate’
- Employment Program/Type ‘T=Exempt Employee’
- Employment Program/type ‘F-Academic Personnel’ with Job ID 21184 (Unpaid Academic)
- Employment Program/Type ‘S-STIPEND’ with any of the following Job IDs
- Job ID 10441 (Visiting Fellow – Stipend)
- Job ID 21191 (Graduate Fellow Stipend w/ Benefits)
- Job ID 21192 (Graduate Fellow/Trainee Stipend w/o Benefits)
- Job ID 10859 (Graduate Trainee Stipend (NE UAW ASE)
- Job ID 21112 (Graduate Trainee Stipend w/ Benefits)
- Job ID 21113 (Other Stipend w/o Benefits)