By April Lanux

Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, just like other emerging technology, have been breaking boundaries with cross-industry applications that go beyond the initial financial focus. The main strength of blockchain technology is its features decentralized storage, immutability, traceability, and transparency.

It’s these features that have facilitated secure transactions, open collaboration, unhindered exchange of data, creation of agreements through smart contracts, and giving incentives to users to achieve better results by earning cryptocurrencies or tokens that have made the applications relevant in fields such as health, education and art industries among others.

Education is one of the mainstream industries that have benefited from the growth of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. The industry is expanding and growing with innovations that promise to break the boundaries and solve problems of inefficiencies of traditional education models, limited access to credentials and education records, and documentation validity issues. Most of these problems can be tackled through blockchain-powered software.

Certification Point

CertificationPoint is an online college (or trade school) project-based learning employment marketplace.

It’s a platform that allows clients (service buyers) to award students project-based learning opportunities.

The platformprovides credentials certifications to its users, including centralized credential management for businesses, service buyers, and college/trade school students for career management and networking. The platform facilitates the process of validating your experience and exam-based credentials to worldwide businesses to help you reach your full potential. Based on the online collaborative tools, CertificatePoint also allows for onsite and/or remote team project management.

Businesses (service buyers) and students create online profiles and portfolios, submit proposals for jobs, and following successful collaboration, receive payment from the service buyer via the CertificatePoint platform.

CertificationPoint Cryptocurrency Application (CPNTCoin)

CertificationPoint has introduced its native coin, CPNTCoin, to facilitate its services to its users. CPNTCoin helps advance the CertificationPoint educational technology ecosystem. The coin has multiple use cases, which include paying transaction fees on the CertificationPoint platform, making in-store payments, and many more.

As a “proof-of-stake” crypto, the token is easy to transfer, inexpensive and fast. One can buy and hold the CPNTCoin or trade it against other cryptocurrencies for profits. You can store your CPNTCoinin its own remote wallet- a decentralized secure wallet set within CertLink.

One major advantage of CPNTCoin is that it’s backed by a real economy that is growing at an astronomical speed. EdTech industry is booming as learners are looking to get affordable and easy to access education and training services. CertificationPoint is a platform that has taken into the use of Ethereum blockchain and cryptocurrency to offer its services to students. It can only be projected that CPNTCoin will increase in value to give investors an amazing return on investment.

Conclusion

Blockchain’s role in education is expansive. First, blockchain is used to store and provide universal easy access to credentials on a decentralized ledger. Second, they optimize educational processes with smart contracts. Lastly, it provides incentives for students to learn with rewards in cryptocurrency. This is why CertificationPoint has introduced its native cryptocurrency, CPNTCoin, which will help it scale into the expansive education market by providing services affordably, efficiently, and securely. One can own CPNTCoin by buying or earn coins by performing a series of activities offered by the company.

By April Lanux

Today’s student bodies at HBCUs boast considerable diversity.

Why is it that people assume that Historically White Institutions are diverse, yet in the same breath assume that Historically Black Institutions are not? And, when I say people—I mean all kinds of people—of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. If you take a look at the nation's Historically White Institutions (HWIs), you'll find that most are not that diverse unless they are located in urban areas.

These institutions, although legally no longer segregated, are far from integrated—especially the more elite, selective institutions. If you look at the faculty of HWIs, it is not heavily integrated. Most tenured faculty members are still White and male.

However, if you look closely at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), you'll find student bodies that boast considerable diversity—especially if you examine the public HBCUs. According to statistics gathered by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, for example, 8 percent of public HBCU student enrollment is White, 2 percent is Latino and 1 percent is Asian. Of note, over the past 30 years, Latinos have increased their presence at HBCUs by 124 percent.

Moreover, the faculty at HBCUs, both public and private institutions, has always been diverse. HBCUs have opened their doors to the best faculty regardless of racial or ethnic background and continue to do so. Among HBCUs, Blacks (including Africans and Caribbeans as well as African Americans) make up roughly 60 percent of the faculty, with Whites accounting for 30 percent and Latinos and Asians the remaining 10 percent. It would be very hard to find this kind of diversity at most HWIs.

Yet, time and time again, HBCUs are looked upon as "segregated" environments that don't represent the "real world." If you have been studying the projected Census data, you know that HBCUs now represent the very real world of the future. By 2020, the percentage of people of color in our country will be 40 percent and by 2040 the percentage will increase to 50 percent. HBCUs are preparing students for a very realistic world.

In order to counter misconceptions, HBCU leaders must promote the diversity on their campuses. This is ever more important given falling enrollments at some HBCUs. Many students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds could benefit from the nurturing, yet challenging environments at HBCUs as well as the lower tuition. Some worry that becoming more diverse will dilute the "HBCUness" of HBCUs—true, but I doubt that diluting will take place to any great extent. Culture runs deep and traditions can be maintained with effort. Just look at the nation's Historically White Institutions—many have "integrated" but continue to, unfortunately, hold fast to only the culture on which they were founded. I have a feeling that HBCUs can maintain diversity—and thrive from it.