Just like the other new technologies emerging quickly, such as artificial intelligence and extended reality, blockchain technology in the education sector has brought new waves of change and introduced solutions formulated from different industries that go beyond its initial financial and cryptocurrency focus.
Accessing credentials and academic records and the validation of transcripts were done by following a vague process in the traditional educational model that was posing challenges in its expansion and growth. These issues could be easily solved by blockchain-based software.
The main advantages blockchain brings are decentralized storage, the immutability of stored information, traceability, and transparency. The improvements that blockchain technology is making to education could provide opportunities for people from all backgrounds and nations.
The features are undoubtedly innovative because they have so many potential applications in the field of education. Many public educational institutions are now thinking about implementing blockchain-based tools. If you deal with schools, being aware of this development will aid you in comprehending and suggesting ideas to help improve the system.
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The use cases below will help you better comprehend the use of blockchain in education.
Blockchains have the ability to create distinctive digital assets that validate the legitimacy of academic qualifications and certifications. There are other applications of blockchain in the education industry and employment sectors in addition to just credential verification. Let us take a look at those practical use cases:
1. Record-keeping
Blockchain technology holds the promise of long-overdue changes to record-keeping practices, which have traditionally been primarily unreliable.
A diverse set of educational documents, like diplomas, certificates, or credentials, that presently require validators can be verified and kept on file automatically by blockchain. Once the predefined parameters are satisfied, smart contracts powered by blockchain can handle all the work with instant, self-triggered approval of documents.
It enables students and learners to quickly access their records and securely share them with prospective employers. Additionally, it lessens the strain on employers because they no longer need to do laborious background checks to authenticate the applicant’s accomplishments. The good thing about it is that it stays intact regardless of external problems.
2. E-transcripts
Along with the simplicity of verification comes the amazing potential of E-transcripts. Producing transcripts is the academic institution’s most time-consuming and labor-intensive task all over the world.
To ensure correctness, each entry in a transcript needs to be manually checked. It requires case-by-case inspection and a mountain of paper records from high school to university. Even in 2022, the majority of schools still send and receive transcripts using old techniques like mail.
These processes might be readily made more efficient by distributed ledger technology and related solutions, which would also help reduce the number of fraudulent claims for unearned academic credits.
Blockchains can undoubtedly work wonders for schools by enabling tamper-resistant storage of sensitive data, such as a student’s independent grades. Not only does it benefit educational institutions, but it also makes the vetting process simpler for recruiters and staffing firms. It also results in significant time and financial savings.
3. Decentralization of the institution
Due to its vast potential, blockchain can create a new business model and serve as an entire infrastructure for universities rather than just a tool.
By using smart contracts to support and automate agreements and payments between students and teachers, the platform introduces online courses. As a result, students enjoy affordable tuition and dependable service.
On the other hand, automation has allowed educators to liberate themselves from various administrative responsibilities, secure faculty and student data from hacks with the help of blockchain cryptography, and cut administrative costs by doing away with middlemen.
4. Financing education
In academic institutions, financial accounting plays a crucial role, and blockchain technology can be used in education in previously unheard-of ways. Blockchain technology can be used to manage teacher wages and student scholarships, creating a transparent and equitable system for funding grants and projects.
5. Copyright protection
Plagiarism in the academic community is a severe issue. When a research paper is copied or stolen, a lifetime’s worth of labor can be lost. Low grades may stem from an assignment that was stolen. Blockchain-based solutions can be used to regulate how copyrighted content is distributed online.
The technology’s main purpose will be to securely store the data that has been recorded in a chain. Once it is stored, this data cannot be manually changed because it is protected by cutting-edge encryption.
This makes it possible for students to access instructional materials safely. The owner can simply manage access because the usage of the content is also tracked in the chain. Online usage tracking is possible and proving ownership is simple.
Challenges of adopting blockchain technology in education
One does face challenges in adopting blockchain despite its benefits. There is little hesitation among educators and students in using a revolutionary technology that might have roots in the challenges that occur at implementation, including those with security and cost. Let us explore what these challenges are:
Security issues
Blockchain is known to be one of the most secure technologies. However, it is not impervious. Finance and education are two entirely different sectors; the security parameters also should be according to the specific sectors. The flexibility and vulnerability of blockchain currency might not fit into the security parameters of blockchain for edtech.
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, it is important for institutions 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.
Scalability concerns
The scope of student data and certification is ever-growing. Education institutions find it challenging to scale up the capabilities of blockchain with ever-growing needs. The simple logic is as the data increases, more blocks are added, which tends to slow down transactions on the blockchain platform. Additionally, peer to peer verification process makes the transaction process lengthier.
Low adoption rate
The benefit of blockchain is currently limited to a smaller group of students; majorly graduates, who can store their achievements and accolades in it. For organizations to use this feature of blockchain in education to ease their hiring process will need to adopt blockchain technology. The businesses will have to make additional investments for the same that might not be feasible or even beneficial for some organizations. This apprehension of additional costs might lead to low adoption rates.
Cost
Adoption of blockchain eventually saves costs in administrative activities. However, the scale at which this technology needs to be adopted and implemented is gigantic. This will, obviously, involve huge costs. While it might be difficult for some institutions to spend a huge amount of money, others might find it challenging as blockchain implementation will also require a huge change in existing infrastructure. Overall, the digital transformation of the education industry towards blockchain adoption will require humongous investment initially, which might refrain education institutions from adopting blockchain technology.
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