Blockchain, Self-Sovereign Identity and Digital Credentials: Promise Versus Praxis in Education

Abstract

Blockchain’s versatility is primarily due to its immutable and almost indestructible nature. These attributes have caught the attention of researchers and developers interested in applications and environments where the need for the integrity of identity and content are as paramount as the safe delivery and record of transactions. Self-sovereign digital identity in particular is often cited as a human right that nation states need to embrace with as much conviction as education and lifelong learning are considered to be a public good. Although the blockchain has long been identified as an opportunity for driving much-needed change in the core processes of the education sector, use cases to date have been limited in scope and execution, with blockchain advocates and education policy makers seemingly disconnected on fundamental issues such as governance, self-sovereignty, interoperability, choice of blockchain platforms and overall trust in standards and the integrity of the infrastructure. This article is primarily interested in the affordances of the technology as a public good for the education sector. It levers on the lead author’s perspective as a mediator between the blockchain and education sectors in Europe on high-profile blockchain in education projects to provide a snapshot of the challenges and workable solutions in the blockchain-enabled, European digital credentials sector.

A Consortium Blockchain-Based Secure and Trusted Electronic Portfolio Management Scheme

“…Chen and Zhu [ 31 ] described an approach for building a decentralized, immutable, secure personal archive management system using a blockchain. Other works [ 13 , 14 , 32 ] discussed the potential benefits of using blockchains, self-sovereign identity, and digital credentials in the education sector, where educational certification credentials are completely owned and managed by students without requiring any TTPs. However, there still exist several technical challenges that must be overcome to successfully implement these schemes.…”

“…Smart contracts [ 9 , 10 ] are self-executing computer programs deployed on a blockchain that runs without interference when certain predefined conditions are satisfied. Blockchain and smart contract applications can be found [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ] in many fields including cryptocurrencies [ 11 ], education [ 12 , 13 ], identity management [ 13 , 14 ], and Internet of things [ 15 ]. In a blockchain-based distributed ledger, the data is timestamped and cryptographically linked in chronological blocks that are synchronized across the network.…”

The Digital Network of Networks: Regulatory Risk and Policy Challenges of Vaccine Passports

“…25 Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology which allows a network to validate a transaction and is based on a distrust of any centralised control. 26 It is trust-less by design, outside the control of centralised databases, platforms, or protocols. 27 The philosophy of the technology is essentially anti-regulatory.…”

Converged AI, IoT, and blockchain technologies: a conceptual ethics framework

“…The success of this technology is essentially due to its multi-role technology which allows it to be applied to different types of services such as data storage services, financial services, security and privacy services, etc. Blockchain technology is currently used in a wide range of applications [12] such as education [43], healthcare [27], smart grid [3]. Besides, blockchain technology is currently used by a variety of applications that aim to ensure both security and privacy in many areas [87], such as the security mechanisms [56], transportation [50], healthcare [27], and many others.…”