Application of Blockchain Technology in Higher Education

Abstract

Emergence and development of the blockchain technology, which is able to transform into "a most powerful disruptive innovation", shall definitely concern universities. Moreover, nowadays the blockchain technology meets the challenges that both the system of higher education and the entire society are currently facing. Advantages of the blockchain technology are decentralized open data, absence of forgeries, safe storage of information, and reduction of transaction expenses related to data checkup, control, and verification. This paper provides a critical analysis of application of the blockchain technology considering with its applicability opportunities and restrictions in education; it also aims to identify the consequences of its influence upon the development of education. The article analyzes real cases when this technology was applied, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an example. The MIT applied it to protect and validate the certificates that it issued. Another example is the Sony Global Education that forms individual data on its trainees' competencies and productivity; a third one relates to the University of Nicosia, which was the first to use smart contracts and accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment. The paper also considers the elements of the blockchain technology at universities (both in Russia and outside it), which participate in massive open online courses. It determines the scope of application of this technology in the Russian educational system. In addition, this article provides a literature review related to application of the blockchain technology; the review includes works by such renowned researchers as D. Tapscott, B. Bleir, A. Watters, A. Grech, A. Camilleri, M. Swan, A. Zaslavsky, etc. The paper analyzes the obtained findings of the survey that its authors have conducted among experts, professors, and specialists involved in accreditation. Thus, the paper provides an analysis of opportunities and restrictions related to application of the blockchain technology in higher education.

The Blockchain Oracle Problem in Decentralized Finance - A Multivocal Approach

“…On the other hand, the web is constantly providing a plethora of articles that could have highly contributed to our research. For that reason, we first decided to include another database (Google Scholar) and further opted for a Multivocal Literature Review (MLR), which is a form of Systematic Literature Review that also includes so-called "grey literature" [27]. Falling under that grouping is information found in news editions, blogs, websites, or official documents.…”

Blockchain System in the Higher Education

“…On the one hand, it is difficult to persuade education actors to implement Blockchain systems because of its novelty, which could be mitigated through appropriate training and the development of usable Blockchain-applications [15]. Moreover, Blockchain reduces university administrative staff-related expenses and therefore, university administrations may resist its implementation [7]. On the other hand, the extensive adoption of Blockchain systems requires political support amidst a context of indistinct legal status [16] when it comes to deciding, for example, the Blockchain versions for governance decentralization [22].…”

“…Blockchain technology has a role in ensuring their authenticity and keeping accurate records [6]. The increasing digitization of higher education has further led to the acknowledgment of concerns related to secure storage, while blockchain technology allows decentralized open data, absence of frauds, safe storage of information, and reduction in transaction expenses related to academic data control [7]. Blockchain has been suggested as a way to solve critical challenges faced by higher education, such as recordkeeping of diplomas and by a student-centric approach [8].…”

“…Nevertheless, prior research has made partial attempts to summarize existing knowledge through systematic literature reviews (SLRs) [5,7,[9][10][11][12]. For example, some discuss the application of the latest key technologies for the development of smart campuses and universities [5]; the advantages of this technology as decentralized open data for safe storage of information in specific case studies (e.g., MIT) [7], the use of these technologies for assisting students in their acquisition of technical knowledge and development in Engineering [9] and the creation of distributed applications involving multiple actors without the control of a central authority [11].…”

Organization of higher education in context of digitalization: online learning experience at pandemic, development trends

“…Existing publications show the benefits of using digital technologies in the educational environment, which make education open, mobile, accessible to a wide audience of students [5,6]. Some researchers are skeptical about the digitalization of education, expressed in a radical change in the content of educational programs for teaching students, which may lead to the formalization of professional training and a decrease in students' knowledge, especially when teaching in a distance form due to the lack of direct teacher-student contact [7].…”