Blockchain technology may be the answer to the secure transferral of academic credentials for international students, experts told stakeholders from 24 countries at the Groningen Declaration Network summit in Paris.
Blockchain technology could hold the key to a future of secure, portable academic credentials for students – particularly relevant for cross-border mobility, experts told stakeholders last week at the annual summit of the Groningen Declaration Network. Delegates from 24 countries met at the seventh annual summit in Paris, with a focus on three main themes; privacy, trust and learner mobility. Held at Sorbonne’s Pierre et Marie Curie campus, the event saw 14 new signatories join the Groningen Declaration Network, which seeks to enable the goal of “making student data portability happen”. Andy Dowling, founder and executive chairman of Australian based Digitary, explained that blockchain technology deals very well with privacy. “[The technology is] designed for environments where nobody trusts anybody else and you need to arrive at a consensus,” he offered.But it has its limitations. Using such technology means you put documents into the possession of the individual in the long-term, Dowling said. “What that does is actually put the burden from the university on to the individual to mind that. You are effectively saying to the individual, you mind your credentials for life, never lose the keys.” The rise of blockchain featured heavily in the program, with several presentations detailing the use of blockchain technology being used in recognition pilot schemes around the world.