Understanding the Role of Blockchain Technology in Education
[TL;DR]
The Education sector has become one of the major industries embracing blockchain technology. Although this is a relatively new development, there are numerous use cases for the nascent technology in the education industry.
Blockchain technology's security, traceability, and privacy put it in a perfect position to support educational activities. Institutions can use it to issue certificates. Employers can easily verify credentials using the tech. Students and academicians can use it to protect their works from piracy, and cryptocurrencies can be a payment option for educational institutions and many other use cases.
Various edtech protocols have sprung up over the years using blockchain technology to provide services that enhance educational activities. The list includes Gilgamesh, Odem.io, and many others.
So far, blockchain has been adopted by only 2 percent of higher education institutions. These earlier adopters, mostly institutions in Europe and America, use blockchain in accepting Bitcoin payments as tuition. However, more are expressing interest by the day.
As the advantages of the digital database become more apparent to the global community, it will likely see widespread acceptance.
Keywords; Education and blockchain, Blockchain technology, cryptocurrency.
What is Blockchain? A Brief Breakdown of Blockchain Technology.
Source: Euromoney.
In brief, the blockchain is a unified online database for storing information across multiple special devices designed for the purpose. The technology arrived on the scene in 1991 as a research project, gained ground in 2009 through Bitcoin, and has become a massive presence in the world economy. Cryptocurrencies are created and exchanged, and digital and physical goods are bought and sold using blockchain technology.
There is no end to the use cases entrepreneurs, companies, and developers have found and keep finding for it. The public distributed ledger has been used in decentralized finance, fashion, real estate, fitness, and the media, among many other sectors. This is because it is a secure, transparent means of storing information and is out of the control of any central authority. The technology can also be used to preserve anonymity. Moreover, Blockchains' digital format makes sharing limitless, bringing the global market closer.
Therefore it is no surprise that it would find its way into the Education industry, although it's a fairly new incursion yet to gain traction. In 2019, the percentage of institutions of higher learning that have adopted blockchain was around 2%. The same poll made by Garner, claimed that 18% more institutions expressed interest in adopting the technology within two years. However, we can blame these low metrics on a lack of understanding of how it works and its use cases. Blockchain technology will grow in acceptance in the educational community when this changes.
The Role Of Blockchain in Education.
Source: Freepik
1. Securing Data: One of the biggest challenges that educational institutions face is data preservation. Institutions of learning collect data from students’ activities throughout their stay there and have to store the data over long years. In physical files, the data is often stored on paper which is susceptible to loss of structural integrity over time. They can also get lost, stolen, forged, or burned in a fire accident. All these are impossible on a blockchain as data stored there are unalterable and cannot be lost or destroyed. Sony Global Education provides this solution with a platform that allows numerous institutions to store their information using immutable blockchain technology.
2. Reduction of Storage Space: Physical files become bulky as they increase and take up valuable space. Files on the blockchain are stored electronically in digital files that take no physical space, as evidenced by the Sony Global example above.
3. Enables Payment Through Cryptocurrencies And Smart Contracts: The blockchain provides another payment option for students. The forward-thinking schools offer Bitcoin scholarships and accept crypto as a tuition payment option. The University of Nicosia in Cyprus became the first school to announce its acceptance of Bitcoin in 2013. Other schools in Europe and America soon followed. e.g., The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Business School (IEBS), USA’s King's College, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Switzerland, and quite a few more
4. Open Source Education: This educational system seeks to make learning available on an equal platform to everyone. Blockchain provides the perfect framework for such an idea with its decentralization. Its digital format solves the issue of physical distance as well.
5. Protection Of Intellectual Property: Members of Academia constantly grapple with piracy and plagiarism of projects and research they spend years of their life on. The blockchain gives them tools to protect their intellectual rights with ownership-enabling projects like NFTs.
6. Issuance Of Certificates: Institutions of learning can take advantage of the secure digital database to issue verifiable certificates to their students. This prevents forgery and equally gives the recipients the ability to protect their private information from unauthorized persons. Blockcerts, an open-source blockchain for making, issuing, and verifying certification, is an example of this.
7. Verifying Credentials: certificates acquired through fraudulent means can be traced through the blockchain’s open-source distributed ledger. Employers can be sure that the credentials applicants submit are indeed earned and authentic. APPII is a blockchain platform that uses a combination of machine learning and smart contracts to authenticate
8. Documentation Of Transactions: transparency is a core feature of the blockchain since changes on any file reflect across the entire network. Therefore, institutions can use the technology to maintain accountability and honesty in allocating resources in the educational system.
9. Platforms That Aid Learning: Shikapa is an excellent example of blockchain tools being deployed to strengthen local education in West Africa. Another one is Cubbomania, a blockchain-powered protocol that allows users to create educational content that is unique and transfer them. Finally, Gilgamesh is a startup that incentivizes discussions, sharing, and writing of educational content with tokens. These tokens can afterward be used to acquire electronic books.
10. Decentralized Educational Marketplaces: like Odem.io that link academics with appropriate resources using blockchain technology.
How Can Blockchain Adoption in Education Increase?
The biggest issue with blockchain adoption in education can be traced to a lack of awareness and understanding of the technology's benefits and workings.
Blockchain technology can be complex and arduous to understand. However, if educational systems can involve actively, there will be more conversion among educational institutions.
Furthermore, despite the increase in the adoption of blockchain across multiple industries in the global market, it is still a relatively new technology. Consequently, most people are unaware of its utility in several scenarios. Massive awareness creation by blockchain proponents can enlighten the educational industry about its value in their sphere. Blockchain advocates can also organize conferences and other platforms to teach people more about the technology. Incentivizing blockchain in educational activities will also inspire increased acceptance of the technology.
Final Words
Despite its present low adoption percentage, Blockchain tech promises to play a vital role in the educational system in the nearest future.
We can already see it at work in some universities that now accept crypto as a payment option. Also, recent news has it that the Hongkong University is currecntly embracing blockchain technology as it has commence building the university replicas in the metaverse. In the near feature these students will be able to learn in the metaverse, recieve their certificates & tran_script_s in NFTs.
Author: Gate.io Observer: M. Olatunji
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* This article represents only the views of the observers and does not constitute any investment suggestions.
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