During the last couple of months, the popularity of blockchain technology has grown significantly, considering the vast number of potential uses that it has. According to recent reports, it seems like a bigger number of schools have started, and/or are considering using bitcoin to track students.
To put things better into perspective, recording and verifying student’s credentials, but also issuing certificates, diplomas and other important data, are processes that are both time-consuming, but also quite expensive. This is why certain schools have started using the blockchain for these purposes, as it allows employers to save valuable time, and focus on other aspects of their jobs.
One example of a school that is planning on implementing blockchain technology is the Holberton School of Software Engineering. The educational institution initially announced their plans back in October 2015, and imposed 2017 as the deadline to begin sharing academic certificates on the blockchain.
According to the co-founder of the school, "For employers, it avoids having them to spend valuable time checking candidates' educational credentials by having to call universities or to pay a third party to do the job".
Additionally, blockchain technology can also be used to keep track of student’s activity and personal data. In return, this saves educational institutions from investing large sums of money into building and operating their databases.
The co-founder continued by saying that: "Because of the design of the blockchain-distributed database, it cannot go down and cannot be altered, making the data always available and secure … the blockchain does this free of charge".
On the other side of the spectrum, the University of Nicosia situated in Cyprus has already been using the technology for a while. According to a representative from the school, the blockchain technology is being used to keep track of students’ achievements, and has so far, been welcomed with enthusiasm, as students are given the possibility to check the authenticity of their certificates, and the peace-of-mind that they cannot be recreated.
At this moment in time, there are several groups that are trying their best to encourage the technology to catch on in schools. So far, reports indicate that there are a few more universities in the process of researching the benefits of blockchain technology, or actually implementing it to serve the same purposes. Other potential uses of blockchain tech in schools include providing micro-courses, a secure messaging platform for students to carry out projects and more.
Based on everything that has been outlined so far, what do you personally think about blockchain technology being used in schools? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.