Blockchain and Higher Education Diplomas.

Renato Q. Castro,Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira

doi:10.3390/ejihpe11010013

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.

Highlights

The aim of this research is to facilitate access to higher education academic qualifications, including to their quality, in a more transparent fashion. This could be due to the need to eradicate fraudulent practices, or to provide an outlet for individuals without the possibility to transport documentation, to be able to capitalize on previous qualifications via the use of a decentralized technological system and platform
In regard to applications in academia and in Higher Education Institution (HEI), with the increase in globalization and with evermore students aiming to study abroad, namely in Portugal, such a system linking academic diplomas to blockchain might even serve as a catalyst for additional travel regarding higher education studies
With aging populations in Europe, more international students being ready and interested in studying abroad would make up for the diminishing local student populations (European women, as in all developed countries, are having children at increasingly older ages and are having less children, quite understandably due to the cost and time involved with the rearing of children) and would boost a market otherwise condemned to stagnation

Summary

Introduction

The aim of this research is to facilitate access to higher education academic qualifications, including to their quality, in a more transparent fashion. This could be due to the need to eradicate fraudulent practices, or to provide an outlet for individuals without the possibility to transport documentation (e.g., refugees), to be able to capitalize on previous qualifications via the use of a decentralized technological system and platform. The counterfeiting of diplomas, the selling of fraudulent certificates, and degree mills (organizations that commercialize false diplomas without an associated educational experience) are not a new issue. The issue is attracting more attention from education institutions, international organizations, and employers [1].

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