Blockchain in Education – Verifying Credentials and Academic Records

Credential and academic record verification services that are reliable and safe are in high demand in education. In this article, we will discuss how Blockchain in education can be used to verify credentials and academic records.

The Current Challenges In Verifying Credentials and Academic Records

The way we verify essential qualifications is old-school.. Let’s discuss the current challenges in verifying credentials and academic records:

• Credential Fraud
• Verification Delays
• Data Privacy Concerns

Credential Fraud

The proliferation of fake degrees and credentials poses a significant challenge for educational institutions and employers. Traditional paper-based documents can be easily forged, leading to potential misrepresentation.

Verification Delays

Verifying academic records and credentials is time-consuming and often requires extensive manual labor. This delay can hinder students’ career prospects and educational institutions’ administrative efficiency.

Data Privacy Concerns

Educational records contain sensitive information about individuals. Maintaining the privacy and security of this data is a top priority.

Benefits Of Blockchain Technology in Education

Blockchain is a digital ledger that keeps track of transactions safely and clearly. It works on a decentralized network, meaning a central authority does not validate and check transactions.

If you’re new to the crypto space, this article will give you an understanding of blockchain.

Blockchain technology, the backbone of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, introduces a paradigm shift in storing, sharing, and verifying information. In the context of education, blockchain offers several advantages:

• Immutability
• Transparency
• Security
• Efficiency

Immutability

Once data is recorded on a blockchain, it cannot be altered or deleted. This immutability ensures the integrity of academic records and credentials.

Transparency

Blockchain is a distributed ledger accessible to authorized parties. All stakeholders can view and verify records in real time, ensuring transparency and reducing the risk of fraud.

Security

Blockchain uses robust cryptographic techniques to secure data. This level of security is essential when handling sensitive academic information.

Efficiency

The decentralized nature of blockchain eliminates the need for intermediaries in the verification process, reducing the time and costs associated with credential verification.

How Can Blockchain Be Used In Education?

Amongst many purposes, blockchain can be used to verify credentials and academic records. Let us take a look at those practical use cases of Blockchain In Education:

• To keep records,
• Copyright protection
• E-transcripts
• Digital Diplomas and Certificates
• Micro-credentialing

To keep records

Blockchain technology can automatically verify and store on file various educational documents, such as diplomas, certificates, or credentials, that currently require manual verification. 

Once the predefined parameters are satisfied, smart contracts powered by the blockchain can automatically handle all the verification.

It makes it easy for students and learners to safely find their records and share them with potential employers. 

It makes things easier for employers because they do not have to do time-consuming background checks to verify the applicant’s achievements. 

Copyright protection

Academic institutions face a severe problem with plagiarism. When someone steals or plagiarizes your research paper, they may steal your life’s work. 

A stolen assignment could be the cause of a poor grade. Copyrighted content distribution online can be regulated with blockchain-based solutions.

The primary function of the technology will be to provide a safe place to keep all of the information that has been added to a chain. 

Modern encryption safeguards this data, and manual changes are impossible once saved.

This guarantees that students can access all educational resources in a secure setting. Because the chain also records how often the content is used, the owner has complete control over who can access it. 

E-transcripts

Making transcripts is one of academic institutions’ most time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks. A transcript’s data must be double-checked by hand to guarantee accuracy.

In addition to lowering the number of false claims for unearned academic credits, the widespread adoption of distributed ledger technology and related solutions has improved the efficiency of these processes. 

Blockchains can work wonders for schools by enabling tamper-resistant storage of sensitive data, such as a student’s independent grades. 

Not only does this help universities, but it also streamlines the screening process for staffing agencies and other hiring organizations. 

Digital Diplomas and Certificates

Educational institutions can issue digital diplomas and certificates on the blockchain. Graduates can securely and conveniently share these credentials with potential employers or other institutions.

Micro-credentialing

Blockchain enables the issuance and verification of micro-credentials or badges for specific skills or achievements, offering a more granular view of a student’s capabilities.

How Blockchain can be used to Verify Credentials and Academic Records

Blockchain can be used to verify credentials and academic records by employing a system that utilizes distributed ledger technology. 

A document undergoes verification through a series of steps. 

Firstly, the document issuer undergoes a verification process, and upon successful verification, a public-private key pair is created. 

When a user transacts with the organization, a digital facsimile of the document is generated, incorporating user and organization information.

This digital document is then linked to a user ID and an organization ID, and a signature check is conducted using the organization’s private key. 

If the signature is genuine, a transaction is initiated, appending the hash onto the blockchain, resulting in a unique transaction ID. The user receives a digital copy of the document along with the transaction ID. 

During verification, the verifier compares the hash obtained from the blockchain with the SHA-256 hash generated from the document copy. A match indicates the legitimacy and integrity of the document.

The system comprises various components, including a User Interface, Web Application, Smart Contract, Blockchain Network, and Document Storage. 

The User Interface serves as a web portal for document submission and verification, while the Web Application processes user requests. 

Smart Contracts, executed on the blockchain, facilitate the storage and retrieval of document hashes. 

The Blockchain Network, a decentralized arrangement of nodes, stores document hashes and executes smart contract code, ensuring security and resistance to tampering. 

This decentralized nature eliminates the need for a central authority, promoting transparency and trust among participants in the network.

Challenges of adopting blockchain technology in education

Blockchain technology holds immense promise in the education sector. Along with its benefits, blockchain in education has its challenges. Let us explore what these challenges are:

• Security issues
• User Education
• Cost
• Low adoption rate
• Scalability concerns

Security issues

The student’s education credentials and reports are sensitive and should be stored in a manner that is in sync with state and federal data protection laws. 

Thus, institutions need to be extra careful of the information and the way it is stored. Additional security measures like providing permissions and more robust data encryption should be implemented for better security.

User Education

Users, including students and employers, must be educated about using and trusting blockchain-based credentialing systems.

Cost

Blockchain technology can reduce administrative processes’ price tag over time. Unfortunately, the scale at which this technology must be adopted and implemented is enormous. 

It will be very expensive to do this. Some organizations may not have a problem spending large sums of money, while others may struggle. 

Significant upgrades to the current infrastructure will be necessary to implement a chain fully. 

The digital transformation of the education industry toward blockchain will require massive initial investments, which might stop education institutions from using blockchain technology.

Low adoption rate

Only a few students, primarily graduates, can use blockchain to store their accomplishments and awards. 

Businesses that want to take advantage of this aspect of blockchain in training will need to adopt blockchain technology. 

Companies must make additional investments, which may or may not pay off. Adoption rates could be low because people are worried about paying more.

Scalability concerns

It is difficult for educational institutions to increase blockchain’s capabilities to meet the ever-increasing demands. 

With more information comes the inevitable addition of more blocks, which slows down blockchain-based transactions. 

The need for peer-to-peer verification lengthens the time it takes to complete a transaction.

Conclusion

When it comes to verifying credentials and academic records, blockchain technology has the potential to usher in a new era of efficiency and accuracy. 

As with any new frontier, obstacles will be overcome, but the potential benefits of blockchain in education, such as fraud prevention, faster verification, and enhanced data security, make it an area worthy of investigation. 

As we enter a new era of educational record-keeping, educational institutions, policymakers, and stakeholders need to embrace the potential of blockchain technology for a more secure and efficient future in education.