An Online Hub for Learning and Community Building

By Sara Weissman for InsideHigherEd.com

(PeopIemages/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

The United Negro College Fund is launching a new online learning platform where HBCU students and scholars at different institutions across the country can learn and connect.

The United Negro College Fund, an organization representing private historically Black colleges and universities, and Deloitte Digital have partnered to create a new online learning platform for HBCU students, faculty and staff.

The plan, which was announced Wednesday, represents “an ambitious strategic initiative to reimagine online education in partnership with historically Black colleges and universities,” UNCF said in a press release. It will enable users of the platform “to learn, develop, and build community together from anywhere.”

The remote learning hub is called HBCUv and will allow students to take courses for college credit and connect with peers and scholars from HBCUs across the country starting next year. The platform will provide both synchronous and asynchronous learning options for students and predictive analytics on student performance and other tools for instructors to track students’ academic progress.