Blockchain assessment: the future of credentialing
M. Jayne Fleener · South Florida Journal of Development · 2024
Blockchain technologies have been used for a variety of sophisticated data management applications, most noteworthy being used as the infrastructure for cryptocurrencies. This paper explores the potential of using blockchain technologies in education, focusing on the opportunities and potential futures for flexible and adaptive credentialing and certification. Using social inquiry methods, the futuring tool of Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) explored the potential and desirable futures of blockchain credentialing and the potential impact of blockchain credentialing for transforming education. Especially valuable was the disruptive potential to formal education blockchain credentialing might present, opening possibilities for nonformal and informal educational opportunities. Taking a whole-systems approach, the utilization of blockchain technologies for intricate record manipulations, accounting, and credential certification offers a more comprehensive perspective on the issues, promises, and challenges tied to their use in education. This study’s implications extend to the recognition of broader social factors that play a crucial role in effecting transformative change within education. These factors pose challenges to the conventional K-12 and higher education curriculum, as well as the overall educational infrastructure.