3 Ways Blockchain Has Enhanced the Education Sector – What to Know

• Blockchain has a number of invaluable applications within the education sector
• It allows students to form a digital portfolio that logs all their achievements in a way that’s secure and reliable for prospective employers
• It also promotes the sharing of information while protecting IP, and rewards teachers whose work is used by others

Blockchain has been stealing the limelight from everyone. It is one of the most significant technological developments in recent years. It has provided many of its users, especially in the finance sector, with a way to record and verify transactions using a decentralized public ledger. In other words, it has provided a way to record these transactions securely, reliably and accurately, without it being controlled by a central authority. However, it hasn’t stopped there, as blockchain is now entering many different industries, most notably the world of education. 

Here are three ways blockchain has enhanced the different areas of the education sector:

1. Acts as an E-Portfolio for Students

In the academic world, most learning doesn’t happen in classrooms. It happens outside, where students perform their research, participate in educational events, and so much more. Unfortunately, an official academic record takes none of those into account. 

Now, with the use of blockchain, these little bits of information can all be recorded. All certificates, honors, badges, and so on can be recorded using blockchain. Students can create a digital portfolio that can be updated and verified, but cannot be manipulated or changed, and will remain inaccessible to those without the owner’s permission. 

Of course, there are systems out there that already offer these kinds of services. But because of how reliable a blockchain is, it tends to be more trustworthy and dependable, perfect for when the individual is looking for a job. Because of that, employers can fact-check academic records and portfolios using blockchain to make sure that the data is accurate and reliable. Employers don’t have to rely on an internet database that could have been manipulated or is inaccurate one way or the other.

2. Protects Intellectual Properties 

Blockchain provides a way for people with the same interests to connect and share information and experience without having the platform controlled by a central authority. This means free communication between two parties, encouraging the creation of intellectual property. 

At the same time, any creator of intellectual property has his or her rights protected through the use of the blockchain platform. This means that owners of these IPs can share it with interested parties, such as a teacher with a student, without the risk of it being stolen or used for purposes for which it wasn’t intended. 

3. Rewards the Professors

Professors, researchers, or those who create educational material are rewarded every time their work gets cited. The same concept can be used in blockchain platforms, where educational materials can be used and reused over and over again. 

It is the “using of educational materials” that can be a factor in rewarding whoever created the content in the first place. This helps encourage more and more people to put their teaching materials on the blockchain platform. As a result, a blockchain can also lead to digital libraries, holding an immeasurable amount of educational content for everyone with access to the platform to use.

Thanks to blockchain’s decentralized nature, along with its security and reliability, people within the education sector can enjoy a means of connecting and sharing information safely and securely. But due to it being relatively new to the industry, there are still plenty of ways to use this technology just waiting to be discovered by a creative mind.

If you’re looking to learn more about blockchains, get in touch with STO Filter to see how we can help!