Blockchain-based Solutions for Education Credentialing System: Comparison and Implications for Future Development

Abstract

Blockchain technology is reshaping fundamental structures in many industries. Similarly, there is an increasing interest in adopting blockchain as a new solution to addressing educational credentialing problems. However, none of the existing blockchain initiatives in educational credentialing seems to meet their original goal of global adoption. Based on the Australian tertiary education credentialing industry, this paper presents an abstract credentialing workflow and involved stakeholders, identifies six practical problems in the industry, and proposes five desired attributes of ideal credentials infrastructure. In addition, the paper presents a layered framework for evaluating seven blockchain-based education projects, and provides insights into factors hindering the wide adoption of these blockchain solutions. Finally, we suggest future considerations for the application development of blockchain-based education solutions.