How blockchain is poised to disrupt the education sector
Education has undergone huge changes, from traditional classrooms to eLearning, and now we have moved on to blended learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital education, and schools around the world have started using online platforms and learning management systems (LMS) to teach students. Blockchain technology is also poised to revolutionize the education industry. Blockchain has the potential to change the way academic data is managed and teachers and students interact. Let’s take a look at how blockchain technology could impact education in the future.
6 Ways Blockchain Can Impact Education
1. Smart contracts for courses and assignments
Smart contracts on blockchains could also make the work of educators easier. A smart contract contains lines of code that are programmed into the blockchain and automatically run when certain conditions are met. Smart contracts can also be used to manage course content and distribution. They can automate the delivery of course materials such as readings, videos, and quizzes, and track student progress and assignment completion. This can help reduce the administrative burden and improve the overall organization of courses.
2. Maintaining student records
The market for fake degrees (certificates) is growing along with online learning. This is becoming a major concern for many businesses and educational institutions around the world. So blockchain can easily solve this problem with certificate management, where universities can store certificates on blockchains as immutable items. Students can easily share these credentials using exact URLs in their email signatures, social media profiles, and resumes. Many blockchain development companies provide such certificate and identity management services. As the blockchain is decentralized, all documents are stored in the blockchain and are immutable and verifiable as it is transparent.
3. Cryptocurrency for rewards
Transferring documents and verifying them when a student changes schools is a laborious process that takes a lot of time for the student, teacher, and administration. Blockchain technology can be used to streamline the authentication process in schools and universities. We receive scholarships, trophies and rewards for our outstanding performance in extracurricular and academic activities, but blockchain technology also allows us to provide tangible rewards to children in the form of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Teachers can use gamification to reward their students in online learning environments for completing modules or other tasks. The gamification feature of Learning Management Systems helps in tokenizing all rewards as digital currency.
4. Digital Badges and Credentials
One of the most important applications of blockchain in eLearning is the creation of secure digital badges and certificates that can be easily verified and displayed in digital portfolios. Smart contracts can be used to encourage and facilitate mutual learning and collaboration. They can be programmed to reward students for contributing to online discussions or providing feedback on their peers’ work. This can help create a more engaging and interactive learning environment and help students develop their critical thinking and communication skills.
5. Ease of certification of authenticity
Blockchain distributed ledger technology can increase transparency and accountability in education. It can create an immutable record of educational data, including transcripts, degrees, and certifications, that is verifiable and tamper-resistant. This means that academic achievements can be verified with absolute accuracy and employers can be confident in the skills and knowledge of job applicants.
When transferring a student from one school to another, transferring documents and verifying them is a time-consuming process. The authentication process can be streamlined by introducing blockchain technology to schools and colleges. When a student transfers from one institute to another, student records can be easily transferred to the new institute by granting access to the blockchain. Some blockchain development companies develop and issue certificates that are immutable and unforgeable, but can be easily verified for authenticity.
6. Reduced costs
This can also be extended to situations where the grades of students traveling to other institutes on exchange programs can be easily shared across institutes by providing the necessary access, reducing administrative costs.
Conclusion
The convergence of the physical world with virtual reality and augmented reality has accelerated, causing disruption in various economic sectors around the world. Blockchains, a newer technology compared to traditional centralized databases, provide greater efficiency and storage capacity. Cryptocurrencies, blockchain and the metaverse are already changing the financial industry. Thus, their inclusion in the academic curriculum will not only provide more opportunities for the youth, but also create a framework that is efficient, economical and easy to serve all strata and provide greater outreach to all students. while making learning an enjoyable journey. Overall, a blockchain development company can help educational institutions streamline their processes, reduce costs, and increase the quality of education through blockchain technology.
Further reading:
Expert Plus LMS
Expert Plus LMS is a customizable and open source ready LMS. It is easy to use and integrates seamlessly with third-party platforms and plugins. The LMS has been designed with all the tools you need to run an online learning platform.
