Integrating ML and Blockchain technologies in Education/learning systems

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This article argues that the integration of different technologies is essential to

deliver real benefits to the humanitarian supply chain

As a result, it proposes a framework to improve the flow of information,

products and financial resources in humanitarian supply chains integrating three
emergent disruptive technologies; Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and 3D
Printing. The analysis presented shows the potential of the framework to reduce
congestion in the supply chain, enhance simultaneous collaboration of different
stakeholders, decrease lead times, increase transparency, traceability and
accountability of material and financial resources, and allow victims to get
involved in the fulfilment of their own needs.

BlockChain in Education-students/employee record

By Srinivas Kamadi

Widespread digital transformation has changed the way organisations function across
industries, with research being conducted into methods to integrate contemporary technology
into traditional sectors. Some of the most influential technologies that have emerged have
centred on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and automation. Blockchain is
now a worthy contender to these technologies, possessing the potential to revolutionise
multiple sectors. While its effects have already been discussed in major areas such as finance,
cybersecurity and logistics, an area that is of equal importance is the effect blockchain can
have on the education space.

As talent acquisition becomes an important concern across industries, universities are tasked
with providing their students the best possible chance to secure employment opportunities.
Within this framework, a compilation of the capabilities students possess is of essence,
creating a direct link between the universities and their potential employers. The process of
recording these capabilities, however, suffers from two major problems.

Firstly, these records do not contain a holistic view of the knowledge the student possesses as
the only aspects being evaluated are purely academic, leaving no scope for extracurricular
activities that the student may undertake voluntarily. The same is true of working
professionals, where the only records present are of the professional targets achieved,
ignoring after-work knowledge that the employee may acquire during his/her term of
employment. The second problem is that the information that is recorded is mostly in the
form of physical assets, such as paper documents, which can be easily misplaced. An
additional problematic aspect of this reliance on physical records is that the information tends
to exist in scattered silos, leaving no possibility of integrating the information in any other
manner but manually.

Information security is the most contemporary issue that is plaguing the education space.
Most countries suffer from the menace of fake certificates that are readily available—as
cheap as Rs 2,000—and are used by candidates to enhance their prospects of employment. As
a result, organisations are faced with a simultaneous talent crunch and excess of applicants as
they are now required to spend a large amount of time and money to verify all certificates and
transcripts submitted. Digitisation has aided in this process by the movement of all physical
records to digital platforms. This, however, raises the prospect of the loss of all digital
records due to cyber threats such as hackers and digital thieves. Such a situation can have
repercussions beyond merely the academic domain, with a lack of verifiable certificates
leading to inefficient governance and a weak healthcare system due to the cross-linking of
user data in the contemporary world.

Blockchain to the rescue: It is into this troubled space that blockchain arrives and has begun
to create viable solutions. The digitisation of records represents the first space where the
influence of this technology can be felt. Although most universities and organisations have
moved from physical to digital transcripts and records, these are still stored in on-site
databases. Blockchain allows for the creation of a central server on the cloud where multiple
universities and organisations can store records, creating a database that is easily accessible,
no matter the geographical location. Within this centralised server, individual profiles can be
created for every student and employee who tags their records and renders them unique,
thereby combatting the problem of fake certification. An added advantage of these profiles is
they remain dynamic and are agnostic to categorisations such as academic and
extracurricular, allowing for every profile to be updated in real-time when the individual
gains additional capabilities. Such a situation implies that organisations can verify an
individual’s credentials more easily and will save on both financial and temporal costs.

From a security perspective, the hub model of information reduces the points of entry for
cyber threats while securing the limited ports that exist with elements such as data encryption
and two-factor authentication. By securing data in transit, blockchain allows for greater data
transparency without the fear of incursions. The creation of digital ledgers also makes tracing
the path of information much easier in cases when theft and falsification do occur.

Clearly, blockchain has the potential to transform education. There are, however, certain
roadblocks that must be overcome. Cultural indifference and caution towards digital records
is the first challenge, as geographies persist in their preservative attitudes towards paper
records. Also, data registration is a slow process and some countries still do not possess
adequate infrastructure to regulate such a system. These challenges can be overcome, as
showcased by the work being done by universities and organisations in the US such as the
MIT. The Indian government, too, has put into place plans for the creation of an indigenous
blockchain network. Given this scenario, blockchain is set to change the way the education
space functions and help ensure that fraud and information security will cease to be menacing
issues.
 4 ways to inculcate blockchain in edu

Blockchain in Education
Does Blockchain have the potential to transform the education regime as known today?
The answer to this is affirmative as smart classrooms are shortly going to become an integral part of
the schools across the world. The ed-tech market is rocketing and by 2020 it is expected to reach a
high fame figure of whopping $93.76 billion.
The other sectors of industry have been benefitted greatly by the Blockchain technology as the
underlying processes of these sectors has improved to a great extent. Now, the education industry is
following their footsteps and is entering into the new era bestowed upon by the Blockchain industry.
In this blog post, we have outlined some of the exciting possibilities for Blockchain in the education
industry and how they can transform the educational landscape.

1) Payment of tuition fees in

Cryptocurrency
Few universities have taken the initiative to accept the tuition fees in cryptocurrency already. The
examples of these universities are King’s college in New York, University of Nicosia, and Simon
Fraser University in BC.
Few other universities announced that the fees will be accepted in Bitcoin from students enrolled in
technology-related courses only, which makes sense given the extra infrastructure required to accept
this form of payment. Also, till now, relatively very less number of students have paid for their tuition
with Bitcoin which so far is equivalent to nearly 2% of the entire student body as reported by Cumbria
Institute for Leadership and Sustainability.
This indicates that average college students are slowly adopting alternative modes of payments.
 

2) Verification of Graduation Certificates

Verification of diploma requires a lot of time as confirmation of credentials is to be requested to the
universities by potential employers and graduate programs. Therefore, few universities are
experimenting with pilot programs in which diplomas are available on an app which is built on
Blockchain technology. Students can share their credentials with anyone then and the forgery is
impossible because of inalterability and security of distributed ledger technology.
MIT is already forward in this area and has taken an initiative to develop an app for the above
purpose. The app used by MIT’s media lab for such pilot programs is known as Blockcerts. This app
majorly aims to facilitate digital self-sovereignty for individuals’ diploma records.
Currently, this app is in pilot version, in case this app is fully implemented, it will eliminate a whole
department of officials for verifying graduates’ certifications. Given the formalities required for this
process, this app will be certainly a big leap into the future.
 
3) Academic Credentials on Distributed
Ledger
To further the agenda of securely recording education data on a decentralized platform Sony and
IBM have taken initiative to create an educational platform which will serve the purpose. The
students’ records that will be put on distributed ledger will include attendance records, transcripts,
graduation certificates and more.
This technology is equally beneficial to school students as now better records can be kept for student
transcripts, school lunch, transfer records, standardized testing scores, attendance and so on. More and
more data can be put on the distributed ledger for cutting down paperwork to a minimum level and
making school processes more efficient.
The one main challenge that will hinder the process of record-keeping is that every institute will put
the information differently on the distributed ledger. This will hamper the comparability of the records
and parse desired information at ease. There arises the necessity of a standardized regulation for
record keeping in the education sector. With the advancement in technology, the intervention of
regulatory authority will be necessary in the times to come.
 

4) The Lifelong Learning Passport

Next, in line is  Open Badges created by Open University as tokens of affiliation, authorization, and
achievement which present details of an individual’s learning experiences all through his life. This
will include graduation certificates, official certification, community involvement, participation in an
event and likewise.
The usability of these badges is that these badges can be shared with potential employers for obtaining
a suitable job offer and also can be shared across social media.
The year 2026 will look a lot different than the world we live in now. With distributed ledger
technology anyone will be able to mentor students with the ledger. Also, by teaching forward what
you have learned in school, you can pay back your education loan.
The ledger will track your skills and you will get credits for your learning. Based on your credits,
employers can approach you with jobs that perfectly match your level of learning. It doesn’t stop
here!
There will be a complete record of income that each skill you learned helped you to generate.
Surprised? Now, this is what we called a tech reality.
 

Concluding
The learning passport initiative mentioned above requires a vast change in the educational domain as
of now. Blockchain offers a great way to track untraditional learning outside educational institutions.
But, the transition and adoption will take longer than expected.
But,  it has to be accepted that Blockchain has the potential to advance the education sector far into
the future. The students who are already learning and using Blockchain right now are the hope as they
will pave the way for Blockchain in their respective industries. Then the era of e-portfolios,
Blockchain based credential system, and a badge-like system are not far away.