Blockchain technology for sustainable education

Abstract Blockchain—a digitally distributed, decentralised, peer‐to‐peer shared ledger technology that exists across a delimited network—is recognised as a disruptive technology for the next socioeconomic mega trend. Most of the researchers in education theoretically speculate upon blockchain's extraordinary potentials for enterprises, finance, administration, and management of education. Little attention has been paid, however, to the problems of socially inclusive knowledge transformation, sustainability, and equitable access to quality education for marginalised communities. This paper aims to describe an approach and method for leveraging education blockchain as a possible means to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the social inclusion of marginalised communities of teachers and learners. This theoretical paper adopts a reflective research approach to critically analyse the current state of blockchain applications in education, and discuss its prospects for building educational commons for sustainable development. This paper contributes to the field of educational technology by exploring blockchain's prospects to building educational commons through four strategies: (a) network cooperation; (b) diversity of interacting agents; (c) shared resources; and (d) educational logistics. It also contributes to the conceptualisation of knowledge transformation for sustainable education by modelling blockchain‐supported educational commons and informing educational practitioners and technological innovation policy makers. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Blockchain is a digitally distributed, decentralised, peer‐to‐peer shared ledger technology that can be adopted across education networks. Blockchain is regarded as a disruptive technology and a key driver of the next socioeconomic mega trend. The extant literature on blockchain in education are technology‐centred and limited to applications in financing, administration, and management of education. Blockchain's potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education and in favour of marginalised communities remain unexplored. What this paper adds A critique of the mainstream literature and its utilitarian and business‐oriented paradigm for leveraging blockchain technology in education. An operational definition of ‘education blockchain’ as a set of affordances of a blockchain technology that empowers educators and learners to achieve sustainability of their education system. Conceptualisation of a ‘sustainable education blockchain’ for the knowledge transformation of marginalised communities. A framework of blockchain for building educational commons through network cooperation, diversity of interactive agents, shared resources and educational logistics. Implications for practice and/or policy This paper calls for re‐orienting blockchain technology in education from pro‐profit to human‐centred adoption. This is to ensure a balance among technological advances, knowledge transformation, and safeguarding of privacy and individual rights of marginalised teachers and learners. Sustainable blockchain technology is for the social inclusion of marginalised teachers and learners by means of secure and trusted peer‐to‐peer collaboration, autonomous community organisation and fair distribution of resources. This paper contributes to the conceptualisation of knowledge transformation for sustainable education by (a) modelling the key features of blockchain‐supported educational commons; and (b) informing educational practitioners and innovation policy makers who are interested in blockchain applications. The model contributes to the understanding of an authentic and humanistic knowledge transformation beyond its dominant notion of an instrumental, linear, purely technological driver of educational systems. The model allows us to envisage a more sustainable transformation in educational practices.