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= About Mozilla Education =
= About Mozilla Education =
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| '''Our vision''' is a future where education is inclusive, creative, and lifelong, empowering learners everywhere to shape a more ethical, human-centered world of AI.<br><br>'''Our mission''' is to build the knowledge, skills, and community the next generation of technologists needs to design more ethical, human-centered AI. Through the Responsible Computing Challenge, Education Assemblies, and Compute program, we train learners and faculty at the intersection of computing and the humanities, making responsible, human-centered AI foundational to how technology gets built rather than an afterthought.<br><br>'''We bring''' a globally connected, field-building program for responsible AI and computing that fills a gap no other organization does, running across the US, South Africa, Kenya, and India with local faculty leadership. Our trusted brand and clear values give our partners professional recognition and institutional credit, while our convening power gathers universities, governments, funders, and practitioners in one room, a combination no single institution or sector can replicate. ||
[[File:Kenya Hackathon.jpg|thumb|alt=Student going to stage who is one of the finalist for the hackathon. |Buildathon in Kenya]]
[[File:Kenya Hackathon.jpg|thumb|alt=Student going to stage who is one of the finalist for the hackathon. |Buildathon in Kenya]]
|}
'''Our vision''' is a future where education is inclusive, creative, and lifelong, empowering learners everywhere to shape a more ethical, human-centered world of AI.<br><br>'''Our mission''' is to build the knowledge, skills, and community the next generation of technologists needs to design more ethical, human-centered AI. Through the Responsible Computing Challenge, Education Assemblies, and Compute program, we train learners and faculty at the intersection of computing and the humanities, making responsible, human-centered AI foundational to how technology gets built rather than an afterthought.<br><br>'''We bring''' a globally connected, field-building program for responsible AI and computing that fills a gap no other organization does, running across the US, South Africa, Kenya, and India with local faculty leadership. Our trusted brand and clear values give our partners professional recognition and institutional credit, while our convening power gathers universities, governments, funders, and practitioners in one room, a combination no single institution or sector can replicate.


[[Foundation/Mozilla Education/Events|See Our Latest Events]]
==== [[Foundation/Mozilla Education/Events|See Our Latest Events]] ====
 
= Events and Convenings =  
We are grappling with the profound impact of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies on education systems. In response, we have launched a global listening tour, “Education Assemblies,” in partnership with community organizations working closely with students, faculty, administrators, community members, and industry leaders. Insights from these events and convenings will inform the prototypes we choose to invest in and ultimately shape our future grantmaking strategy.
 
[[Foundation/Mozilla Education/Events|See Our Latest Events]]


= Team =
= Team =
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We currently sit within the Grants Team, led by Lindsey Dodson (Director of Global Grants), in the Operations vertical and aligned with the “Imagine” component of the flywheel.  
We currently sit within the Grants Team, led by Lindsey Dodson (Director of Global Grants), in the Operations vertical and aligned with the “Imagine” component of the flywheel.  


The education team is led by Steven Azeka (Senior Program Officer), with program support from Jaselle Edward-Gill (Program Manager).  
{|
 
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The team also draws on the expertise of Chao Mbogho (Senior Fellow, leading our Kenya portfolio and overall MEL), Jibu Elias (Fellow, supporting our Kenya work), and Kofi Yeboah (Program Officer, leading our Compute portfolio).
|[[File:Steven Azeka.jpg|150px|thumb|alt=Senior Program Officer (Program Lead)|<center>Dr. Steven Azeka<br>Senior Program Officer (Program Lead)</center>]]
||[[File:Jaselle Edward-Gill.png|150px|thumb|alt=Jaselle Edward-Gill Program Manager|<center>Jaselle Edward-Gill<br>Program Manager</center>]]
||[[File:Dr. Chao Mbogho.png|150px|thumb|alt=Dr. Chao Mbogho Senior Fellow, Kenya|<center>Dr. Chao Mbogho<br>Senior Fellow, Kenya</center>]]
||[[File:Jibu Elias.png|150px|thumb|alt=Jibu Elias Fellow, India|<center>Jibu Elias<br>Fellow, India</center>]]
||[[File:Kofi Yeboah.jpg|150px|thumb|alt=Kofi Yeboah Program Officer, Compute|<center>Kofi Yeboah<br>Program Officer, Compute</center>]]
||[[File:Gretchen Adams.jpg|150px|thumb|alt=Gretchen Adams Program Coordinator|<center>Gretchen Adams<br>Program Coordinator, Compute</center> ]]
|}


= Current Programs=
= Current Programs=
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'''Funders include:''' [https://idrc-crdi.ca/en The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)] and [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)]
'''Funders include:''' [https://idrc-crdi.ca/en The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)] and [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)]
[[Foundation/Mozilla Education/Events|See Our Latest Events]]


== Responsible Computing Challenge (2018-current) ==  
== Responsible Computing Challenge (2018-current) ==  
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|-
|-
! South Africa
! South Africa
| Started ||  ||  ||
| 1,247 ||  ||  || 1,247
|-
|-
! Total
! Total
| 31,075 || 31,889 ||  || '''62,964'''
| 32,322 || 31,889 ||  || '''64,211'''
|}
|}


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|-
|-
! South Africa
! South Africa
| Started ||  ||  ||
| 40 ||  ||  || 40
|-
|-
! Total
! Total
| 714 || 128 ||  || '''842'''
| 754 || 128 ||  || '''882'''
|}
|}


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===Awardees===
===Awardees===
2026 US Cohort<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
*Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | Tom Williams
*University of Denver | Denver, CO | Alannah Oleson
*The George Washington University | Washington, D.C., | Y. Tony Yang
*University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Baltimore County, MD, | Yasmine Kotturi
*New York University | New York, NY | Safinah Ali
*The University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, NY | Beatriz Palacios Abad
*University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | Cori Faklaris
*Spelman College | Atlanta, GA | Mark Lee
*University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | Yuhao Kang
</div>
2025 South Africa Cohort<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
*University of Cape Town | Cape Town | Malebogo Ngoepe
*University of Witwatersrand | Johannesburg | Richard Klein
*University of the Western Cape | Cape Town | Carolien van den Berg
*Central University of Technology, Free State | Bloemfontein | Luzaan Schlebusch
*University of Pretoria | Pretoria | Marlene Holmner
*University of Fort Hare | Eastern Cape | Roxanne Piderit
*Durban University of Technology | KwaZulu-Natal | Emmanuel Adetiba
*Sol Plaatje University | Northern Cape | Nthabiseng Nkadimen
</div>
2023 India Cohort<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
2023 India Cohort<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
*Ashoka University | Sonipat, Haryana | Debayan Gupta
*Ashoka University | Sonipat, Haryana | Debayan Gupta
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== Open Badges Project (2011–2017) ==
== Open Badges Project (2011–2017) ==


In 2011, the Mozilla Foundation, in collaboration with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur%20Foundation the MacArthur Foundation], launched the '''Open Badges Project''' to address a growing disconnect between how people learn and how learning is recognized. The project was developed in response to the recognition that learning increasingly occurred across formal education, online communities, workplaces, volunteer organizations, and self-directed experiences, yet traditional credentials such as grades and degrees often failed to capture these diverse forms of learning. (Source: [https://wiki.mozilla.org/images/5/59/OpenBadges-Working-Paper_012312.pdf Open Badge White Paper])  
[[File:Open Badges.jpg|thumb|alt=Girl Scout Earning a Digital Badges|Girl Scout Earning a Digital Badges]]
 
In 2011, the Mozilla Foundation, in collaboration with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur%20Foundation the MacArthur Foundation], launched the '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla%20Open%20Badges Open Badges Project]''' to address a growing disconnect between how people learn and how learning is recognized. As learning increasingly occurred across online communities, workplaces, volunteer organizations, and self-directed experiences, traditional credentials like grades and degrees often failed to capture it. (Source: [https://wiki.mozilla.org/images/5/59/OpenBadges-Working-Paper_012312.pdf Open Badge White Paper]) Rather than replacing those credentials, Mozilla envisioned Open Badges as an open, decentralized standard letting any trusted organization issue verifiable digital credentials. Each badge carried metadata on the issuer, the criteria for earning it, supporting evidence, and authentication details, allowing learners to build portable, evidence-based records of their skills across multiple environments and display them through an open infrastructure rather than a single platform. (Source: [https://blog.mozilla.org/blogarchive/blog/2014/02/12/how-were-making-education-more-like-the-web/ How We’re Making Education More Like the Web - Mark Surman])<br><br>Mozilla released the first version of the Open Badges Infrastructure in 2012, enabling organizations worldwide to issue interoperable credentials using an open standard. It was subsequently adopted by educational institutions, nonprofits, museums, cities, workforce development programs, and online learning communities. In 2014, Mozilla helped establish the [https://www.imsglobal.org/digital-credentials-and-badging-alliance Badge Alliance] to support community governance and adoption, and in 2017 stewardship of the specification transitioned to IMS Global Learning Consortium (now [https://www.1edtech.org/ 1EdTech Consortium]), ensuring continued development beyond Mozilla. (Source: [https://openbadges.org/about/history History of Open Badges])
Rather than replacing traditional credentials, Mozilla envisioned Open Badges as an open, decentralized standard that would allow any trusted organization to issue verifiable digital credentials. Each badge contained metadata describing the issuing organization, the criteria for earning the badge, evidence demonstrating the achievement, and information needed to authenticate the credential. This allowed learners to build portable, evidence-based records of their skills across multiple learning environments.
 
The Open Badges initiative was grounded in Mozilla's broader vision of an open web and lifelong learning. Mozilla described badges as a mechanism for connecting learning across formal and informal settings, recognizing emerging skills such as digital literacy, motivating continued learning, and helping learners communicate their competencies to employers, educational institutions, and professional communities. The project also emphasized learner ownership by allowing individuals to collect, manage, and display badges earned from multiple issuers through an open infrastructure rather than a single platform. (Source: [https://blog.mozilla.org/blogarchive/blog/2014/02/12/how-were-making-education-more-like-the-web/ How We’re Making Education More Like the Web - Mark Surman])
 
Mozilla released the first version of the Open Badges Infrastructure in 2012, enabling organizations around the world to issue interoperable digital credentials using an open standard. The project was subsequently adopted by educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, museums, cities, workforce development programs, and online learning communities. In 2014, Mozilla helped establish the [https://www.imsglobal.org/digital-credentials-and-badging-alliance Badge Alliance] to support community governance and adoption of the Open Badges ecosystem. Stewardship of the Open Badges specification transitioned to IMS Global Learning Consortium (now [https://www.1edtech.org/ 1EdTech Consortium]) in 2017, ensuring the continued development of the open standard beyond Mozilla. (Source: [https://openbadges.org/about/history History of Open Badges])


'''Mozilla Foundation Lessons:''' Open credentialing systems can achieve broad adoption through strong cross-sector partnerships. Long-term success, however, depends on sustained institutional commitment, reliable technical infrastructure, and dedicated operational support.
'''Mozilla Foundation Lessons:''' Open credentialing systems can achieve broad adoption through strong cross-sector partnerships. Long-term success, however, depends on sustained institutional commitment, reliable technical infrastructure, and dedicated operational support.


== Webmaker (2012–2015) ==
== Webmaker (2012–2015) ==
[[File:Webmaker.jpg|thumb|Webmaker mobile app. Image: TNW]]


Launched in 2012, '''Webmaker''' was Mozilla Foundation's flagship initiative to help people move beyond consuming the web to creating it. Built around Mozilla's belief that understanding how the web works is essential for digital citizenship, Webmaker sought to make web literacy accessible through open tools, hands-on learning experiences, and community participation. The initiative was grounded in the idea that the web should remain an open, participatory platform where everyone has the opportunity to create, remix, and share content, rather than simply consume it. (Source: https://webmaker.org, Mozilla Webmaker blog)
Launched in 2012, '''[https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/artifacts/webmaker/ Webmaker]''' was Mozilla Foundation's flagship initiative to help people move beyond consuming the web to creating it. Grounded in Mozilla's belief that understanding how the web works is essential to digital citizenship, it sought to make web literacy accessible through open tools, hands-on learning, and community participation, treating the web as an open, participatory platform where everyone can create, remix, and share rather than simply consume. To support this vision, Mozilla built a suite of free, open-source tools—including '''Thimble''', '''X-Ray Goggles''', '''Popcorn Maker''', and '''Appmaker'''—that let learners create websites, remix existing pages, build interactive media, and develop mobile applications directly in the browser, exploring HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and digital storytelling through project-based, learning-by-making activities. (Sources: https://webmaker.org; https://learning.mozilla.org/web-literacy)
 
To support this vision, Mozilla developed a suite of free, open-source tools—including '''Thimble''', '''X-Ray Goggles''', '''Popcorn Maker''', and '''Appmaker'''—that enabled learners to create websites, remix existing web pages, build interactive media, and develop mobile applications directly in the browser. These tools emphasized learning by making, allowing users to explore HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and digital storytelling through project-based activities. (Source: https://learning.mozilla.org/web-literacy)
 
Webmaker extended beyond software to become a global learning movement. Mozilla supported thousands of educators, librarians, youth organizations, and volunteers through the Mozilla Clubs network, Maker Parties, Hive Learning Networks, and the Webmaker Mentor program. Together, these communities organized workshops, local events, and open educational activities that promoted web literacy and fostered a culture of collaborative learning across more than 100 countries. (Source: Mozilla Foundation annual reports; Webmaker documentation)
 
The initiative also led to the development of the '''Mozilla Web Literacy Map''', an open framework that defined the knowledge and skills needed to read, write, and participate on the web. First released in 2013 and updated through community input, the Web Literacy Map influenced digital literacy curricula, educator professional development, and learning initiatives both within and beyond Mozilla. (Source: https://learning.mozilla.org/web-literacy)


Although Mozilla sunset many of the Webmaker tools beginning in 2015, the initiative's principles continued to influence Mozilla Education's later work in open learning, digital literacy, and responsible AI education. The Web Literacy Map, community-driven learning model, and emphasis on open educational resources became foundational elements of subsequent Mozilla Education programs.
Webmaker also extended beyond software into a global learning movement, supporting thousands of educators, librarians, youth organizations, and volunteers through the Mozilla Clubs network, Maker Parties, Hive Learning Networks, and the Webmaker Mentor program, whose workshops and local events promoted web literacy across more than 100 countries. The initiative produced the '''Mozilla Web Literacy Map''', an open framework—first released in 2013 and refined through community input—that defined the skills needed to read, write, and participate on the web and went on to shape digital-literacy curricula and educator development within and beyond Mozilla. Although Mozilla began sunsetting many Webmaker tools in 2015, its principles—the Web Literacy Map, a community-driven learning model, and a commitment to open educational resources—became foundational to Mozilla Education's later work in open learning, digital literacy, and responsible AI education. (Sources: Mozilla Foundation annual reports; Webmaker documentation; https://learning.mozilla.org/web-literacy)


'''Mozilla Foundation Lessons:''' Building innovative educational technology requires a long-term strategy for sustainability. While open tools can catalyze new approaches to teaching and learning, maintaining and evolving them requires sustained investment in technical infrastructure, product development, and community support. Many of Webmaker’s ideas—including browser-based coding environments and visual website creation tools—anticipated capabilities that later became widely adopted across the education and technology sectors.
'''Mozilla Foundation Lessons:''' Building innovative educational technology requires a long-term strategy for sustainability. While open tools can catalyze new approaches to teaching and learning, maintaining and evolving them requires sustained investment in technical infrastructure, product development, and community support. Many of Webmaker’s ideas—including browser-based coding environments and visual website creation tools—anticipated capabilities that later became widely adopted across the education and technology sectors.
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