Equality impact assessments (EIA) are a tool to help colleges and universities ensure that their policies, practices and decisions are fair, meet the needs of their staff and students and that they are not inadvertently discriminating against any protected group.
In Scotland, the specific duties of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) require institutions to assess and review new and revised policies and practices against the three needs of the PSED, use evidence, act on the results and publish an EIA accessibly. Edinburgh Napier University has developed EIA guidance and a template for staff involved in producing policy, developing services and reviewing practice.