Lumen Learning has announced a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in support of its efforts to create and implement equitable courseware.

The grant will be used to create new courseware for Introduction to Statistics that can serve as an exemplar of courseware centered in equity. With a history of creating change in education and providing innovative, high-quality, and affordable digital learning courseware, Lumen Learning aims to help eliminate race and income as predictors of success for students.

Introduction to Statistics has been identified as one of 20 “gateway courses,” which are foundational, lower-level courses that large numbers of students are at risk of failing and that lead to significant dropout rates between the first and second year of college. The courseware will replace traditional textbook packages and provide students with a rich, interactive, and personalized learning experience, as well as a complete range of support for faculty members. 

Lumen has established partnerships with minority-serving institutions across the United States, enabling Lumen to work directly with its target student demographic in co-creating relevant courseware materials through student-led user testing centers. Rockland Community College in New York and Santa Ana College in California have opened user testing centers on their campuses, and Lumen Learning is partnering with Howard University to gain guidance and feedback on course and platform development.

“Key insights from this work will inform subsequent courseware development and help us advance our mission to support unprecedented learning for all students across a broad range of gateway courses,” said Lumen Learning co-founder and chief academic officer David Wiley. “Investment from this grant will deepen our expertise in equity-centered design. We believe that the best courses foster community and connection and promote a sense of belonging where all students feel represented and appreciated.”

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