Category: News

The digital realm is rapidly evolving, and one concept that has been making waves is the metaverse. This immersive virtual environment holds immense potential, particularly in the realm of education. In this article, we will delve into the metaverse and its impact on education, highlighting the opportunities it presents for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Get ready to embark on a journey that explores the future of learning!

What is the Metaverse?
The metaverse is a virtual universe that combines elements of the physical and digital worlds. It is a dynamic and immersive environment where users can interact with each other and digital objects in real time. In the metaverse, individuals can explore, create, and engage in various activities, blurring the boundaries between reality and virtuality. It encompasses virtual reality, augmented reality, and other technologies that enable users to have rich and interactive experiences. The metaverse has the potential to revolutionize industries such as gaming, entertainment, social networking, and education, offering endless possibilities for collaboration, learning, and innovation.

The Metaverse and Education
In the realm of education, the metaverse holds transformative potential. It enables students to transcend physical limitations, providing access to a vast array of resources and experiences. Imagine studying marine biology by diving into virtual oceans or practicing architectural design in a virtual cityscape. The metaverse opens up endless possibilities for immersive, interactive, and engaging learning experiences.

The Power of the Metaverse in Education

• Statistic: According to recent studies, over 70% of educational institutions have implemented or are planning to implement metaverse technologies in their curricula.
• Engagement: Students engaged in metaverse-based learning show increased levels of motivation and active participation, leading to improved academic performance.
• Access to Experts: The metaverse allows students to connect with experts and industry professionals from around the world, fostering mentorship and expanding their networks.
• Real-world Simulations: By engaging in virtual simulations, students can gain practical skills and hands-on experience, preparing them for real-world challenges.
• Inclusive Learning: The metaverse provides equal opportunities for learners of all backgrounds, breaking down barriers to access and promoting inclusivity in education.

FQ Metaversity: Bridging the Gap
At FocusQuest, we understand the importance of embracing cutting-edge technologies for educational advancement. That’s why we proudly introduce the FQ Metaversity, a dedicated section on our platform offering a curated selection of online programs and certificates. With FQ Metaversity, students from HBCUs can access high-quality education, network with industry professionals, and enhance their skills in a virtual learning environment.

As the metaverse continues to evolve, it presents exciting opportunities for the future of education. With the FQ Metaversity, we are committed to empowering students from HBCUs to thrive in this digital landscape. Join us on this educational revolution and unlock a world of knowledge and possibilities. Visit our FQ Metaversity page to explore our programs and embark on your journey towards success in the metaverse!

Hashtags: #MetaverseEducation #FutureOfLearning #FQMetaversity #OnlineEducation #HBCUStudents #HBCU

The number of job openings increased to 10.7 million in September of last year, up more than four percent from the month before, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since January 2021, job openings have been steeply climbing. Companies not recruiting at HBCUs may be missing out on promising future employees.

Companies like Gilead Sciences, Novartis, Google, Microsoft and more have created recruiting pipelines with HBCUs over the past few years.

Biopharmaceutical giant Gilead is working to build specific, personal relationships with HBCUs to facilitate recruitment. The company uses employees as liaisons to build relationships with officials at the nine HBCUs it recruits from. These liaisons are sometimes alumni of the school who now work for Gilead. The HBCU officials can then recommend their star students for internships and fellowships.

For Microsoft, the big tech giant has enticed Morehouse students to panels of alumni talking about entry-level positions at the company and careers in tech with the quintessential college bait — free Chick-Fil-A and the chance to win an Xbox.

“[University recruiting] is about finding the best talent right out of the gate and kickstarting lifelong careers,” Portia Kibble Smith, head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Karat. “It also creates an opportunity to source candidates from more diverse talent pools.  There are many diamonds in the rough.” 

Karat conducts first-round interviews for tech companies and has worked with HBCU students. In October, Karat signed on as a corporate partner for the new Morehouse Center for Broadening Participation in Computing. The company is providing 1,000 mock technical interviews for the center.

Here are some advices from Kibble Smith on how companies can effectively recruit from HBCUs:

What advice would you give to companies who want to hire more from HBCUs but don’t know how?

Identifying a list of HBCUs to target, even if they are not the most well-known or popular, is an important first step. Look at your employee base who are from HBCUs to help build that list.  Start small if needed to avoid a saturated recruiting market and build relationships with the institutions and student leaders.

Getting to really understand and know the students and professors/leadership at these colleges, because each is different, will help to also build a successful recruiting strategy.

Why should companies try to recruit from universities?

Companies that get an early start on university recruitment will have their choice of some of the best candidates.

That said, even in the current job market, we’re still seeing strong university recruiting and early career hiring demand, and the tail for peak university recruiting season now often extends well beyond the start of the new year for full-time and intern hiring. 

Why should companies look to recruit a diverse pool of candidates?

There is a huge need for more diverse hiring, especially in the tech industry when only five percent of software engineers are Black. Building diverse software development teams is both a priority and a challenge for many companies.

Compared to industry averages, the population of candidates during university recruiting season is far more diverse. Over the past three years, companies saw an average of 113 percent more applicants who were female or non-binary and 67 percent more applicants who were members of an underrepresented minority group during university recruiting season.

If a company wants to be successful, they will need a diverse group of employees who will have diverse backgrounds and ideas to share as they build products and services for today’s market. It’s a great business decision!

What can companies do to recruit and hire more Black and brown students?

The opportunity for candidates to redo interviews is huge for candidates who have had limited exposure to technical interviews.

Research shows that more than half of HBCU computer science students had never had a practice interview before entering the job market, which puts them at a disadvantage. Offering interview redo opportunities is a good way to level the playing field by giving candidates the interviewing experience they need to put their best foot forward. Our data shows that redos not only create a more inclusive hiring process, but they also improve hiring efficiency for companies.

Also having diverse recruiters can help.  Having someone who can relate to the students is always key and it shows the candidates that your company has a commitment to diversity.  If you’re not showing that commitment, then it will be difficult to attract the talent. 

The Pentagon has chosen Howard University to lead a university-affiliated research center, its first partnership with a historically Black college or university, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced this week.

“To sharpen America’s technological edge and to strengthen America’s outstanding military, the department is committed to investing even more in HBCUs and minority-serving institutions,” Austin, the first Black secretary of defense, said Monday.

Howard will receive $12 million per year for five years in funding, according to a news release. This is the first university partnership primarily sponsored by the Air Force, and this is the first time the department accepted submissions from universities to become an affiliated research center, according to Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick.

The new consortium will focus on tactical autonomy, an Air Force program that aims to develop technologies that require minimal human supervision, according to the branch’s website. The center looks to take advantage of Howard’s science, technology, engineering and math programs.

Austin described the technology as “central to US security in our changing world” and said the military needs the creativity and ideas of students in these programs to continue advancing the advantages American soldiers have on the battlefield.

“Responsibly used autonomous systems make our military faster, smarter, and stronger,” he added. “Howard’s new research center will protect our most precious asset—and that most precious asset is our men and women in uniform.”

The university will also focus on diversifying the pool of scientists and engineers that work with the Defense Department, according to the news release, and it will lead eight other HBCUs, including Hampton and Tuskegee universities, in the research effort.

Frederick told that this is “an enormous opportunity” for faculty and students to “work on cutting edge research in a technology space that is ever evolving.”

“It’s going to put us in a unique space to develop techniques and capabilities and skillsets that we otherwise wouldn’t,” Frederick said, adding that this partnership will allow the university to expand to other areas of research in the future.

The program “really emphasizes that for the country to be successful and for the country to compete, to continue to be competitive in terms of research, etc., that you have to diversify what that work force looks like in the arena of research,” Frederick said.

The Pentagon currently has partnerships with 14 other universities across the country, including Georgia Institute of Technology, University of South California and the University of Maryland.

From Focus Quest we believe that this announcement of Howard University as the first HBCU to lead a research center affiliated with the university is a significant development that has numerous advantages. This decision will create more opportunities for African American students and researchers to excel in fields that have traditionally been dominated by white scholars. Additionally, it will provide the Pentagon with a more diverse pool of talent and ideas, leading to better solutions and innovations. The research center will also serve as a model for other institutions to follow, promoting the importance of diversity and inclusion in academic and research settings. Overall, this news represents a major step forward in promoting equity and excellence in research and education.