Angela DeBarger

Question #6: What questions about Open Education are you grappling with?

When I saw this question, I went back to some notes from an education team meeting that we had at Hewlett where we talked about the Open Education strategy where we looked at our learning questions. We had a brainstorming session and, while it’s still very messy in terms of all of the questions, there were a few that I thought I could bring today that I feel like we’re grappling with and want to know more about.

• As the field is continuing to evolve, how can we understand who the field is today and how this informs the work that’s being done?
• Is there a shared understanding of racial equity and how that shows up in Open Education?
• How does structural racism in education show up in different communities and contexts around the world?
• How can the Hewlett Foundation, our grantees, and the field actively work against colonialism and navigate racial equity and social justice issues? What does collective activity around this look like?
• What unique opportunities does Open Education provide for anti-racist education?

I feel like these issues have given focus to the strategy in a way that wasn’t there before. There’s so much that can be done in Open Education, and this is so important. If we are able to hone in on this, I think it does create more opportunities for the field to expand and to represent inclusion in new ways.