Blockchain

EDUCAUSE LEARNING INITIATIVE | SEPTEMBER 2016

Scenario

Condor University has begun using blockchain to power some of the university’s educational and administrative resources, including a transcript tool called The Gallery. Blockchain provides The Gallery with vast, secure storage across thousands of computers, ensuring its security while providing safeguards against outages. Dylan, a senior at Condor U who will soon apply to graduate school, appreciates the utility of the new, cryptographically protected online transcript service, which lets him see his complete academic history whenever he likes.

This morning Dylan is viewing his transcript on his laptop. He aspires to become an elementary school teacher for special populations, with an emphasis on using his interests in music and physical training, and his transcript reflects that intent. In addition to courses and other learning activities sponsored by Condor U, he includes courses, projects, and badges from other institutions, corporate providers, and public nonprofit sources. Each can be expanded to show a detailed description.

Because the data stored in blockchain are immutable, Dylan cannot alter the university-provided data in his transcript. He can, however, choose what he will show to others and provide access for those who want to view it. The Gallery front end also allows him to build a resume or CV, controlling which data from his transcript appears there.

Dylan updates his CV, adding a comment on a project from his junior year where he helped second-grade students build their own “ninja warrior” climbing wall. Data from the subsequent study suggested physical activity improved students’ academic performance. Because he has decided to target an arts-magnet school with this CV, he highlights another project, a study in which his team explored the effects of music studies on student focus and concentration. In both cases, he adds comments to emphasize that his roles involved working directly with students.

When finished, Dylan posts his CV and a link to the public part of his transcript to a site called Faculty Futures, where upper-class candidates can post and perhaps be selected for student teaching internships. Blockchain shows him where he has been on his academic journey and helps prepare him to claim his place in his chosen profession.

1 What is it?

Blockchain is a technology that functions as a public, distributed, unchangeable ledger that consists of a series of “blocks,” each of which contains data or transactions and is linked to all previous blocks, allowing users to see—and verify—the entire history of a set of records. The technology is best known as the foundation of Bitcoin, and its application for higher education has recently become a focus of attention. Various articles explain blockchain, provide an overview for education, and attempt to frame some of its possible disruptions and its future for education. At this point, there are more questions than answers, but one emerging thread is that in higher education, blockchain could offer a durable, transparent, trusted transcript, one with wider controlled access and potentially greater detail than current educational records.

2 How does it work?

A blockchain stores information in bundles of records, called blocks, stored across multiple computers. Each block contains a batch of records, a timestamp, information about where the block appears in the chain, and sometimes programmatic instructions. In current applications, blocks cannot be edited or deleted, though in principle a blockchain could be set up that permits changes or assigns expiration dates to blocks. Because the computers that store the blocks are sometimes the property of ordinary computer users, the technology is public and transparent. This structure is inherently resistant to most forms of tampering. A blockchain is secured by cryptographic keys and could require digital signatures to prove identity for read or write access. In the case of a blockchain-backed transcript, for example, registrars and other entities that verify credentials could have write access to a student’s record. Students could access their own records, and they might be able to determine who else can see those records (or even regulate which parts of their records can be seen by different users).

3 Who’s doing it?

Several institutions are providing proof-of-concept projects that suggest ways blockchains could be used. The MIT Media Lab issues blockchain-based recognition consisting of a digital certificate and coin to acknowledge those in the community whom they regard as Media Lab Director’s Fellows. Holberton School announced plans to deliver academic certificates on blockchain by 2017, acting in partnership with Bitproof, a notary service that provides document certification. Meanwhile, the University of Nicosia in Cyprus is using blockchain to record student certificates. The Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University is studying blockchain’s effects on property law, digital finance, and other legal areas. The Ethereum platform offers “blockchain as a service” and invites experimentation by academics. IBM is a supporter of the Hyperledger Project and has developed a blockchain environment for enterprise use that provides a managed, auditable blockchain service that addresses business concerns about security and takes into account numerous regulatory requirements.

4 Why is it significant?

Because the use of blockchain in higher education remains experimental, discussions of its significance are speculative. Still, blockchain potentially ties into trends including the emergence of alternative forms of courses and credits (such as MOOCs and badges), the need for stronger connections between education and the workplace, and investigations into the evolution of the transcript. With blockchain, learners could become the owners of their credentialed learning experiences, managing the content and access to it. Such a change would be disruptive for colleges and universities, which have long been the keepers of learner records. Blockchains might also lead to networks of trust in which individuals could recognize learning by other individuals, creating a “social system” of learning credentials.

5 What are the downsides?

Because blockchain records are intended to be immutable and exist in many places, far-reaching questions arise about whether corrections would be allowed and in what form, and about the ownership of the data—what are the ethical repercussions of maintaining records about individuals who would prefer that those records be deleted? Questions of governance and management have yet to be addressed. A blockchain transcript raises questions of who could create or view blocks, who establishes and verifies identity, who has control of student records, and how to identify students across records. The rules governing who can add to a blockchain require a reconsideration of long-held assumptions about self-interest and authority, particularly if degrees or other credentials include elements from multiple entities. Some content in an educational blockchain would likely be subject to regulations such as FERPA and HIPAA. For higher education, some have suggested that if a student opts in, there should be little risk for the institution, but not all institutions are comfortable with that approach. Finally, recent breaches of blockchain platforms—including Ethereum, commonly used by academics—have fueled debate about the security of the technology.

6 Where is it going?

An academic blockchain may require formal governance or guidance, which could evolve over the next few years. A blockchain transcript could evolve to provide a thorough record of achievement, one that might include writing samples, images of projects completed, reflections or recommendations from faculty, or links to resources that chronicle a student’s progress. Such a ledger could provide evidence of a lifetime of experience, growth, and learning. Access to such a record of achievement might play a role in educational planning and progress. Blockchain smart contracts can be set up to trigger an action whenever specified conditions are met. In real estate, for example, the criteria for selling a house might be met when one party transfers funds and the second transfers title. Higher education might pursue similar automatic blockchain transactions, such as when students complete assignments, courses, or programs.

7 What are the implications for teaching and learning?

The initial focus of blockchain technology for higher education is the transcript. Many see a blockchain transcript as better fitting an educational environment in which students often take an à la carte approach to education, selecting courses from multiple institutions or seeking recognition for project- or service-based learning. A blockchain transcript can show more than a conventional record, revealing not only what students have done but also where their interests lie and where they could take their careers. The record might include information on course content, exam types, the amount of writing involved, projects completed (group or individual), and links to related extracurricular exercises or internships. By clarifying the nature of the class, such records could facilitate an improved transfer of credits because a receiving institution could more easily map thorough descriptions to its course catalog. Although other avenues allow students to tell their own educational narrative, blockchain ownership and curation implications can reveal patterns and pathways of learning while providing students with new forms of agency in learning design.

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