Rice University’s OpenStax Receives $90M to Lead NSF Research Hub

OpenStax, an educational nonprofit initiative of Rice University, has received $90 million to create and lead a research and development hub for inclusive learning and education research. According to the official announcement, the organization received grant funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation for a five-year project to create the R&D hub called SafeInsights, which “will enable extensive, long-term research on the predictors of effective learning while protecting student privacy.

SafeInsights, funded through NSF’s Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-2 (Mid-scale RI-2) program, is not just a research hub, but a collaborative endeavor. It will serve as a central hub for a diverse and multidisciplinary team of 80 partners and collaborating institutions. This team will include major digital learning platforms that currently serve tens of millions of U.S. learners, as well as researchers, educators, developers, and students from a variety of backgrounds. This commitment to diversity and collaboration is a testament to the hub’s dedication to inclusive learning and education research.

NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan expressed his enthusiasm for the investment in SafeInsights, stating:

We are thrilled to announce an investment of $90 million in SafeInsights, marking a significant step forward in our commitment to advancing scientific research in STEM education. There is an urgent need for research-informed strategies capable of transforming educational systems, empowering our nation’s workforce and propelling discoveries in the science of learning. Investing in cutting-edge infrastructure and fostering collaboration among researchers and educators, we pave the way for transformative discoveries and equitable opportunities for learners nationwide.

Through SafeInsights, the education research community will generate research-informed insights about teaching and learning for educators, institutions and learning platforms to create tailored programs, pedagogies and policies that will equip learners to thrive.

Richard Baraniuk, SafeInsights leader, OpenStax Director and Rice professor, added:

Education R&D opens up opportunities to better understand how students learn in different contexts. Learning is complex. Research can tackle this complexity and help get the right tools into the hands of educators and students, but to do so, we need reliable information on how students learn. Just as progress in healthcare research sparked stunning advances in personalized medicine, we need similar precision in education to support all students, particularly those from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds.

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