Windward Fund – The Mosaic Initiative

The Mosaic Initiative, a project under the Windward Fund, is focused on enhancing the environmental sector’s infrastructure. This project aims to build stronger connections within the community by investing in critical areas such as communication strategies, leadership development, essential tools and training, industry insights, and fostering partnerships among organizations and local communities.

Open Educational Resources

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is engaging with dedicated individuals who passionately support educators and students. Often, I connect with grantees who have been involved in Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives for years, and I gain valuable insights from their experiences and the evolution of their work. This year, as part of an update to our OER strategy, I’ve also made a deliberate effort to listen to those who are new to open education or are curious yet cautious about OER’s potential to address key educational challenges. These interactions have helped identify ways we can better support and strengthen efforts in advancing open education.

Across my discussions, one recurring message is clear: the goals of effective teaching and learning should drive the adoption of OER.

While increasing student access to resources has consistently motivated our work, we haven’t always succeeded in equipping educators or students to use OER in ways that maximize learning. Our ultimate goal is to work with communities and educators to ensure that every student—regardless of location, background, or financial status—has the resources and support needed to succeed in today’s society and economy. OER is one approach to make sure access to learning materials isn’t a barrier, and open educational practices can integrate the social and academic supports that foster adaptive and inclusive instruction. Only then will students see themselves as capable problem-solvers.

In conversations with colleagues, it’s also apparent that we still have progress to make to reach this goal. Although we’ve supported the development of OER content and platforms, access alone isn’t enough. Effective and equitable use of OER requires investment in people as much as content. Changing culture and practices among educators isn’t sufficient; we also need evidence-based strategies to understand how, and under what circumstances, open education resources and practices truly improve outcomes for students. Furthermore, we need transparency in our approach, such as ensuring that any technical infrastructure supporting OER provides “learning analytics” that foster collaborative, data-driven teaching while protecting student data.

Data-Driven Teaching

While we are drawing early conclusions about the challenges in the field, our task is to determine how we, as a foundation, are uniquely positioned to address these issues.

In a recent discussion with our education team, several key questions generated significant interest:

• How can we focus our grantmaking to empower educators to use open education resources and practices more effectively to enhance student learning?
• How can we raise awareness among educators unfamiliar with open education, or who doubt its effectiveness, so they understand its potential to meet their needs and the needs of their students?
• How can we support K-12 districts and higher education systems in using OER to systematically improve teaching and learning?

These questions will likely continue to evolve, but they are already helping guide our initial thinking on goals and outcomes for the new strategy. They highlight the need to keep educators and their needs at the heart of our work. For instance, in K-12 education, we may aim to see more districts adopt and implement OER with aligned professional development for teachers. In postsecondary education, both in the U.S. and globally, progress could involve expanded institutional support for inclusive and innovative classroom practices with OER, including through teaching and learning centers and libraries.

One of the most fulfilling parts of my role is working with people dedicated to supporting teachers and students. Often, these are grantees who have been involved with Open Educational Resources (OER) projects for a long time, and I enjoy learning from their insights on how their work has progressed over the years.

As part of an update to the OER strategy, I’ve also tried to be more intentional about listening to individuals new to open education or those who are curious but skeptical about OER’s potential to address significant educational challenges. These conversations help us identify ways to strengthen our support for groups advancing open education.

Throughout this year, one clear message has emerged: effective teaching and learning goals should be the drivers of OER adoption.

While improving student access to resources has always inspired our work, we haven’t consistently succeeded in preparing educators or students to use OER in ways that maximize learning. Ultimately, we aim to work with communities and educators to ensure that every student—regardless of where they live, their background, or financial situation—has the resources and support needed to succeed in the 21st-century economy. OER is one way to make sure that access to learning materials isn’t a barrier, and open educational practices can embody the social and academic support necessary for responsive instruction. Only then will students see themselves as capable problem-solvers.

Discussions with colleagues also reveal that we still have progress to make to achieve this goal. Although we’ve supported the development of OER content and platforms, access alone isn’t enough. Effective and equitable OER use requires investment in people, not just content. Transforming educational practices isn’t enough; we also need evidence-based strategies to understand how, and under what conditions, open education resources and practices genuinely improve student outcomes. Additionally, transparency is crucial in our approach, such as ensuring that any OER-related technology supporting “learning analytics” enables collaborative, data-informed teaching while protecting student data.

As we develop early conclusions about challenges in the field, our task is to determine how we, as a foundation, are uniquely positioned to address these issues.

In a recent discussion with our education team, several key questions arose:

• How can we focus our grantmaking to more effectively empower educators to use open education resources and practices to enhance student learning?
• How can we raise awareness among educators unfamiliar with open education, or those unsure of its effectiveness, so they understand its potential to meet their needs and those of their students?
• How can we support K-12 districts and higher education systems in using OER to systematically improve teaching and learning?

These questions will likely continue to evolve, but they are already helping guide our initial thinking on the goals and outcomes for the new strategy. They underscore the need to keep educators and their needs at the core of our work. For example, in K-12 education, we may aim to see more districts adopt and implement OER with professional development support for teachers. In postsecondary education, both in the U.S. and internationally, progress might include increased institutional support for inclusive and innovative classroom practices with OER, through centers for teaching and learning and libraries.