The Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) has spun out of Stanford University to become the Digital Inquiry Group (DIG), an independent nonprofit organization.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who leads the Digital Inquiry Group (DIG)?
DIG staff are the very same people who have led SHEG since its founding in 2003, including Sam Wineburg, the Margaret Jacks Professor of Education and History, emeritus, and founder of SHEG, and DIG’s co-founder and executive director Joel Breakstone, who has led SHEG for the last 10 years.
Why is this transition happening?
We have launched DIG in order to expand our capacity to make evidence-based, classroom-ready materials freely available to educators across the country and around the world.
When is the transition happening?
It already happened! The transition wrapped up in early 2024.
What will happen to SHEG’s classroom materials?
Not to worry! All of SHEG’s lessons, assessments, and classroom posters are now available on the DIG site.
Will the curriculum materials still be free?
Absolutely! All of SHEG’s materials will continue to be freely available on the DIG site.
Will DIG continue SHEG’s work in history education?
Yes. We will continue to conduct research in history education, create new Reading Like a Historian lessons and Beyond the Bubble history assessments, and provide professional development to social studies teachers. We will also expand our work in digital literacy with our Civic Online Reasoning research, classroom materials, and professional development. Our new name reflects our commitment to both history education and digital literacy.
Will DIG be separate from Stanford? What is DIG’s relationship to Stanford?
DIG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is independent from Stanford. Stanford was a fantastic home for our team’s work for two decades, and we’re departing the university on good terms. We have a licensing agreement with the university that allows us to continue to make our curriculum materials freely available.
Will you still provide professional development?
Yes! You can learn more about our professional development here.
Will I need a new account to access materials on the DIG site?
Nope. Your SHEG account will become your DIG account, and your SHEG login will work on the new DIG website once it’s live.
Is this the end of the Stanford History Education Group?
Only in a narrow sense. The current SHEG team will transition to DIG, and all of SHEG’s resources will be available from DIG. However, there will no longer be a Stanford History Education Group at the university.
Will you continue to do research?
Absolutely. Rigorous research will be at the heart of DIG’s mission. We will continue to investigate best practices in history education and digital literacy, and we’ll maintain our commitment to testing the effectiveness of our materials in classrooms.
How can we contact DIG?
You can reach the DIG team at info@inquirygroup.org.