One of the best parts of my responsibilities is connecting with individuals deeply committed to supporting teachers and students. Sometimes, it’s grantees who have been engaged in Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives for years, and I love learning from their insights on how their work has evolved. As part of a refresh of our OER strategy this year, I’ve also aimed to intentionally listen to those new to open education or those curious but cautious about OER’s potential to address pressing educational challenges. This approach helps me identify ways to better support groups advancing open education.

Throughout my conversations this year, one consistent message is that effective teaching and learning goals should drive OER adoption.

While improving student access to resources has always motivated our work, we haven’t consistently equipped educators or students to utilize OER in ways that maximize learning. Ultimately, we aim to work with communities and educators to ensure that every learner—regardless of location, background, or income—has the tools, resources, and support needed to thrive in 21st-century society and the economy. OER is one way to ensure access to learning materials isn’t a barrier, and open educational practices can embody the social and academic supports that foster adaptive, inclusive instruction. Only then can students see themselves as capable and resourceful problem-solvers.

In discussions with colleagues, it’s also clear we are still working towards this vision. Though we have supported OER content and platforms, access alone isn’t enough. Equitable and impactful OER use requires investment in people, not just content. It’s not enough to simply shift culture and practices among educators—we need to develop evidence-based strategies that show how and in what circumstances open educational resources and practices actually lead to improved student outcomes. Additionally, transparency is crucial in how we approach this work, such as by ensuring that any OER-related technology supporting “learning analytics” fosters collaborative, data-informed teaching and safeguards student data.

As we reach early conclusions about challenges in the field, our task is to determine how the Hewlett Foundation is uniquely positioned to address these issues.

In a recent conversation with our education team, my colleagues expressed the most enthusiasm around these questions:

The social and academic backings

• How can we focus our grantmaking to more effectively empower educators to use open educational resources and practices to enhance student learning?
• How can we raise awareness of open education among educators who might not know about it or doubt its effectiveness, so they understand its potential to meet their needs and those of their students?
• How can we support school districts and higher education systems in using OER to systematically improve teaching and learning?

I expect these questions to evolve in the coming months, but they have been helpful in guiding our initial thinking on the goals and outcomes for the new strategy. They underscore the need to keep educators and their needs at the heart of our work. For example, 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 internationally, progress might include increased institutional support for inclusive and innovative classroom practices with OER, such as through teaching and learning centers.

Genealogy of Power: Histories of Artificial Intelligence

The Bismarck Seminar on “Histories of Artificial Intelligence: A Genealogy of Power” supports the Sawyer Seminar on the Comparative Study of Cultures. This seminar explores the historical dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI), examining how power structures, cultural influences, and societal priorities have shaped and continue to shape the development and deployment of AI technologies. The project delves into the implications of AI within various cultural contexts, seeking to uncover how power dynamics influence technological advances and their societal impacts. By investigating AI’s historical trajectory, the seminar provides a critical lens on current and future developments, highlighting the role of AI in reinforcing or challenging existing power structures.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of my role is connecting with dedicated individuals supporting teachers and students. I frequently engage with grantees who have been involved in OER initiatives for years, and I value learning from their experiences as their work continues to evolve. This year, as part of a renewed focus on Hewlett’s OER strategy, I have also made a concerted effort to listen to those new to open education, including individuals who may be curious or even skeptical about OER’s potential to address educational challenges. These conversations have helped me discover ways to enhance and strengthen our support for groups advancing open education.

understudies to utilize OER in manners that boost learning. At last, we are meaning to work with networks and instructors to guarantee that each student, regardless of where they live, what they resemble, or how a lot of cash they have, has the office, assets and backing to prevail in the 21st century society and economy. OER is one approach to ensure that entrance to instructional materials are not a boundary to learning, and open instructive practices can exemplify the social and academic backings that reflect responsive guidance. At exactly that point will students consider themselves to be skilled and fit issue solvers.

Across my discussions this year, one consistent theme has emerged: effective teaching and learning objectives should drive OER adoption.

While improving student access to materials has always motivated our efforts, we haven’t always excelled at equipping educators and students to utilize OER in ways that maximize learning. Our goal is to collaborate with communities and educators to ensure that every student—regardless of background, location, or socioeconomic status—has the resources and support they need to thrive in the 21st-century society and economy. OER helps remove barriers to learning, and open educational practices can incorporate the social and academic supports that underpin responsive teaching. Only by ensuring these supports will students come to see themselves as capable problem-solvers.

Strengthening Social and Academic Support Systems

Conversations with colleagues in the field indicate that we have a long journey to fully realize this goal. While we have supported the development of OER content and platforms, access alone is not sufficient. Effective and equitable OER usage requires investing in people, not just resources. Changing teaching culture and practices among educators requires evidence-based strategies that show how, and under what conditions, open educational resources and practices lead to improved outcomes for students. Additionally, we need transparency in our approach to this work, ensuring that any technological foundation for OER, such as “learning analytics,” fosters collaborative, data-driven teaching while protecting student privacy.

Data-Driven Teaching

We are reaching some preliminary conclusions about the challenges in this field, and our task now is to identify how the Hewlett Foundation can uniquely address these challenges.

In a recent internal discussion, my colleagues expressed the most energy around these key questions:

• How can we focus our grantmaking so that our work more intentionally empowers teachers to use open educational resources and practices to enhance student learning?
• How can we increase awareness of open education among teachers who may be unaware of it or may not yet see its value, 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 to use OER to systematically improve teaching and learning?

I anticipate that these questions will evolve in the coming months, but they provide a valuable framework for our early thinking on objectives and outcomes for the new strategy. They underscore the importance of keeping educators and their needs at the center of our efforts. In K-12 education, for instance, we aim to see more districts adopt and implement OER with tailored professional development for teachers. In postsecondary education in the U.S. and globally, progress would involve greater institutional support for inclusive and innovative classroom practices with OER, such as through teaching and learning centers and libraries.

The University of British Columbia to support a pilot training and internship program for Native and Indigenous students interested in the museum profession

Open Educational Resources

Perhaps the best an aspect of my responsibilities is finding a good pace various individuals who are profoundly dedicated to supporting teachers and understudies. Now and again it’s grantees who have been dealing with Open Educational Resources (OER) activities for quite a while, and I love gaining from their experiences about how their work has advanced throughout the years. As a major aspect of the invigorate of Hewlett’s OER methodology this year, I additionally have attempted to be increasingly purposeful about tuning in to individuals who are new to open instruction, or who are interested yet doubtful about the capability of OER to address the most squeezing difficulties in training. This encourages me to find out about ways we can improve and fortify how we bolster gatherings to propel open training.

All through the entirety of my discussions this year, one predictable message is that the objectives of powerful instructing and learning should drive OER selection.

While improving understudy access to materials has consistently been a spark for our work, we haven’t constantly worked superbly of preparing instructors or understudies to utilize OER in manners that boost learning. At last, we are meaning to work with networks and instructors to guarantee that each student, regardless of where they live, what they resemble, or how a lot of cash they have, has the office, assets and backing to prevail in the 21st century society and economy. OER is one approach to ensure that entrance to instructional materials are not a boundary to learning, and open instructive practices can exemplify the social and academic backings that reflect responsive guidance. At exactly that point will students consider themselves to be skilled and fit issue solvers.

The social and academic backings

My conversations with associates in the field likewise have uncovered that we are as yet far away from understanding this objective. Despite the fact that we have bolstered the improvement of OER substance and stages, get to alone isn’t sufficient. Impartial and powerful utilization of OER requires an interest in individuals just as substance. Honestly, it isn’t sufficient to move culture and practice among teachers—we have to create proof based methodologies that illuminate how and under what conditions open instruction assets and practices really bring about various and better results for understudies. Furthermore, we need straightforwardness by they way we approach this work, for example by ensuring that any specialized foundation for OER that gives “learning examination” bolsters cooperative, information driven instructing and secures understudy information.

Information driven instructing

• While we are arriving at some early decisions about difficulties in the field, our assignment is to make sense of how the Hewlett Foundation is extraordinarily situated to address these difficulties.
• In an ongoing discussion with our own instruction group, my associates communicated the most vitality around these inquiries:
• How might we center our grantmaking with the goal that our work all the more deliberately empowers teachers to utilize open instruction assets and practices to upgrade understudy learning?

How might we bring issues to light about open instruction among teachers who don’t think about it or don’t think it is powerful with the goal that they comprehend its capability to address their issues and the requirements of their understudies?

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How might we bolster areas and advanced education frameworks to utilize OER to methodicallly improve instructing and learning?

I expect these inquiries will advance in the months to come, yet they have been valuable for managing early considering objectives and results for the new system and they signal a requirement for the new technique to keep teachers and their needs at the focal point of our work. For instance, in K-12 instruction, we may plan to see more regions embrace and execute OER with adjusted proficient improvement underpins for instructors. In postsecondary training in the US and universally, progress would incorporate expanded institutional help for comprehensive and inventive study hall practice with OER (e.g., through educating and learning focuses and libraries).