Blockchain and Higher Education Diplomas

Abstract

Due to added mobility and the increase in international students worldwide, as well as the current problem regarding the counterfeiting of diplomas and the selling of fraudulent certificates, we propose a technological solution. Namely, to ally blockchain technology to higher education certificates and diplomas, to make the process of checking for academic qualifications more facilitated and transparent. Employers of graduates, as well as higher education institutions which evaluate course applicants, would benefit. Perhaps equally as important, students applying for international degree programs would have their lives simplified. There is an increased pressure to ensure the legitimacy and authenticity of certifications and diplomas—and preferably without the current “hassle” of getting diplomas recognized by official entities. New technological advances, with the development of blockchain and smart contracts, with their characteristics of immutability, decentralization, security, traceability, and consensus, may be considered an excellent match to implement a robust and reliable anti-fraud solution to issue digital diplomas. Radical innovations, such as linking blockchain and higher education diplomas, involve significant change and novelty. Linking blockchain and higher education diplomas could potentially positively impact and benefit millions of people worldwide, especially the younger generations. This study involved a literature review and the searching of the Scopus database (refereed publications) for the following concepts: blockchain and diploma. Existing literature is recent, with most articles (25) published between 2019 and 2020, with 4 in 2018 and only 1 in 2017. This was aligned with our expectations since the development of blockchain utilization outside financial and crypto-assets industries is recent, and it is known as “Blockchain 3.0”. We can additionally affirm that the topic is attracting attention and efforts from researchers worldwide and that some higher education institutions have already implemented ad hoc solutions. As it is, the sector lacks a unified response to the problem of automatic and reliable higher education diploma certification.

Applications of Blockchain Technology to Higher Education Arena: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…In addition, Sowmiya et al [ 14 ] described the growing popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) systems in monitoring physical attendance. Castro et al [ 5 ] considered that linking blockchain and higher education diplomas can positively impact students around the world. Next, Woods et al [ 30 ] explored the implications for higher education caused by disruptions brought about by changes in the sector.…”

“…With the growth in the number of international students in the world, and the advance of document forgery, blockchain technology is offered as a secure way to carry out digital transactions [ 5 ]. At last, recent studies reveal that there is a growing number of counterfeit educational certificates produced by dishonest candidates for higher education around the world [ 6 ].…”

“…Some studies have surfaced with the objective of systematizing the literature in this field of study. Consequently, Castro et al [ 5 ] conducted a study of blockchain and diploma in the Scopus database. In addition, Alzahrani et al [ 1 ] identified articles related to the literature on blockchain and higher education for the transformation of quality 4.0.…”

Protocolo de Diploma Digital Auto-Soberano com Retrocompatibilidade Tecnológica: Uma Solução Adptada a Realidade Brasileira

“…Como resultado foram selecionados os trabalhos detalhados nesta sec ¸ão. Diversos autores utilizam as tecnologias de blockchain para o armazenamento dos diplomas Digitais, o que garante temporalidade e imutabilidade as informac ¸ões [Castro and Au-Yong-Oliveira 2021]. Dependendo do grau de privacidade necessário em cada implementac ¸ão, a blockchain é utilizada para armazenar o documento completo, ou apenas um resumo criptográfico do mesmo, que é então armazenado em um sistema externo.…”

“…[Asiri 2020] trás um estudo demográfico sobre a aceitac ¸ão dos sistemas de documentac ¸ão digital em blockchain, mas que é de grande relevância conceitual para a pesquisa apresentada neste artigo. [Castro and Au-Yong-Oliveira 2021] faz uma revisão sistemática apenas na plataforma Scopus, mostrando que as pesquisas encontradas focam muito nas realidades locais dos pesquisadores, trazendo então alguns pontos importantes para o estudo deste tópico como a portabilidade. Por fim, [Lepiane et al 2019] Entre os pontos positivos da adoc ¸ão da blockchain, pode-se destacar que, por ser um sistema distribuído, não possui um só ponto de falha, além de trazer registros ordenados, com timestamps, o que aumenta a quantidade de informac ¸ão possível de ser resgatada e verificada.…”