Blockchain technology’s revolutionary impact on Healthcare, Banking, Supply Chain, Finance, etc. has been quite renovating. Another such sector that seems to be embracing its potential is the education sector.
Education is the foundation behind new technological innovations. The industry no doubt has been pacing up in terms of adoption, research and implementation on the applications of blockchain technology.
The complicated process in running an education industry become faster, safer and a hell lot of easier in the matters of copyright protection, credentialing, etc.
Blockchain’s application seems deemworthy for storing the sector’s secured information, networking and sharing.
Nonetheless, the innovative technology can bring the much about the much needed changes in the educational sector.
Blockchain’s Impact On Educational Sector
Mounting piles of student records, attendance, tuition payments, course works, grades and even diploma certificates can all be stored on blockchain technology.
Once stored on the immutable ledger, the data records become permanently secured not just for the school but even for the students.
Nobody can tamper with the stored records.
Usually, students have always relied on on educational institutions to manage their learning achievements.
These creates a lifelong administrative burden not only for the institutions but also for the students in accessing them.
This whole structure makes it centralized and prone to errors.
Blockchain technology solves this by storing and distributing the students’ record across the network.
This itself makes it visible, transparent and secured without the need for a third party educational institutions.
Moreover, the way people experience learning have also changed dramatically over the decades.
Various learning formats such as:
Negotiated and modularised learning
Short courses
Digital learning
Certificate on completion
This whole complicated web of learning records can be mitigated by the distributed ledger technology, independent of the educational institutions and even location.
Moreover, smart contracts can be used for executing agreements once the conditions are met.
For example, it could validate attendance or assignment completions once a set of conditions are met.
There are various facets to be explored by blockchain in the education sector.
Education’s sector immense potential can surely reap out the benefits, the innovation the technology can offer.
Decentralized Platforms Transforming Educational Sector
APPII uses blockchain technology to verify credentials.
APII utilizes blockchain, smart contracts as well as machine learning to verify academic credentials of prospective professors as well as students.
Users of APII creates a profile while filling out their academic CV with transcripts and education history.
APII will then uses blockchain technology to verify the user’s background while lock the information on blockchain.
BitDegree is the innovator of token scholarships as well as technology talent acquisition project.
The platform encourages students for participation in online studies for blockchain token rewards.
BitDegree incentivizes for successful course completion or reaching certain achievements.
BitDegree also offers free as well paid online classes on blockchain courses.
Blockchain Education Network is a collaborative work on students and alumni all over the work to improve blockchain technology in education.
Blockchain Education Network creates awareness through campus events, while providing educational materials to help them with their studies.
BEN now has over 4,000 members and more sharing blockchain ideas, building prototypes and launching their creations.
Learning Machine and MIT Media Lab teamed up to create Blockcerts.
Blockcerts is an open standard platform for creating, issuing digital certificates verified on blockchain technology.
Blockcerts reviews records like academic transcripts and credentials on the credibility of the documents and discover falsified information.
Academic achievements like grades, transcripts, diplomas can also be stored on a Blockcerts blockchain.
Class of 2018 MIT graduates, over 600 students received digital version of their diplomas on Blockcerts blockchain.
Introducing Blockcerts. Own and share your own credentials: https://t.co/ydy2XEmcFL — Blockcerts (@Blockcerts) February 23, 2018
Disciplina platform uses blockchain in maintaining a unified register of academic achievements, qualifications for universities.
Disciplina’s decentralized algorithm automatically assigns score to someone based on their achievements as well as qualifications.
Disciplina’s student App enables students in viewing their educational history.
Meanwhile, the educator App offers profiles on professors and their teaching styles, course offerings, etc.
Students will be able to receive grades and qualifications via the educational app that records them on the blockchain, and educational institutions will receive additional income. More: https://t.co/QL9jmkePwn pic.twitter.com/l8Ot5fpsly — DISCIPLINA (@tchmpls_events) May 28, 2019
Sony Global Education teamed up with IBM to develop a blockchain platform for educational record storage.
It is a centralized ledger and one of the most innovative platforms with a great future potential.
The platform also allows data sharing by educational institutes making it easy to track and share academic info.
The blockchain helps educational institutions keep a clear digital transcript, ledger of records and payments for each student.
"Sony Global Education Develops Technology Using Blockchain for Sharing of Academic Proficiency & Progress Records." https://t.co/GdZaCfYr3Q — SonyGlobalEducation (@sonyglobaledu) February 22, 2016
Blockchain startup Zebi protects data integrity.
Although, ideal for businesses, multinationals, government, and anyone intending to protect their sensitive data.
Zebi’s tech is also being used in the education sector, helping institutions protect student’s records and information.
DCX Learn is a subsidiary of Indian cryptocurrency exchange platform CoinDCX.
It is an educational platform working with a host of industry partners to make cryptocurrency and blockchain learning accessible to everyone.
The platform covers various learning categories such as:
Blockchain
Cryptocurrency
Trading
Security
Economics
Legal
📢 BIG NEWS! CoinDCX Launches DCX Learn. A blockchain and cryptocurrency academy to groom today's generation for a better tomorrow. Read the full blog here – https://t.co/Wx4Z2Jk8ju#TryCrypto #DCXLearn pic.twitter.com/8Lln76bO6O — CoinDCX: India's Largest Cryptocurrency Exchange (@CoinDCX) June 16, 2020
Finishing Thoughts
Blockchain’s disruption is sure to reach the education sector as well. One cannot deny that the education system is far from where it needs to be.
Although, still in its early days, it will be interesting to see what the technology could offer to the educational sector.
Blockchain technology definitely promises to renovate the educational experience.
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