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We are recommending that the Hewlett Foundation continue to nurture global open educational resources, but to do so on a larger and more diverse scale and in the context of an even bolder goal—to shape a new culture of learning that is now possible in the digital world. We believe that the Hewlett Foundation can play a leadership role in weaving the threads of an expanded OER movement; the e-science movement; the e-humanities movement; new forms of participation around Web 2.0; social software; virtualization; and multimode, multimedia documents into a transformative open participatory learning infrastructure—the platform for a culture of learning.

We are not recommending a direct assault on institutionalized higher education but rather establishing new alternatives to learning for more people in the world. Bold change at the edges of the formal education system, at all levels, will eventually propagate into and change the core.

Hewlett will have the greatest impact on education by catalyzing an infrastructure that will be supported and used by many for open participatory learning. Infrastructure and creating infrastructure are often taken for granted, but understanding infrastructure—the dynamics, the tensions and the design—is a rich and interesting topic, and infrastructure is often the most complex and expensive undertaking of a society.

A recent report from a workshop, Understanding Infrastructure: Dynamics, Tensions, and Design, along with the community producing it, are relevant to the OPLI Initiative. We will touch on the highlights most relevant to understanding the what and how of the OPLI initiative. We encourage, however, careful study of the full report and possible consultation with some of the authors. Relevant work from economists on concepts such as the case for commons and pooling arrangements can be used to inform the OPLI initiative as can typologies of infrastructure organized on commercial, government, and social