Application of the blockchain technology for digital diplomas: problems and prospects
Authors: Shamsutdinova T. M. 
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this studyis to analyze possible problems in issuing digital diplomas, using the blockchain technology, and to promote solving these problems as well as to show the possibility of practical implementation of the blockchain technology, using a test example.

 Materials and methods.The study included a review of bibliographic sources on the use of blockchain technologies in the education system, as well as computer modeling of the task of registering and verifying a digital diploma in the blockchain.

Results.In the course of the work, a model of the process of issuing and verifying digital diplomas was built, and a number of problems related to the practical implementation of this model were also considered.

At the same time, the following groups of problems that restrain the spread of blockchain in the education sector of the Russian Federation were identified: technical and technological problems (lack of a national blockchain platform); legal issues (lack of legal force of digital diplomas); organizational problems (lack of a centralized management structure that coordinates the “educational” blockchain as a single digital information space).

An example was also realized, showing the hardware and technological capabilities of the implementation of the task under consideration using the currently open (freely available) platforms. To implement the proposed test case, the Ethereum blockchain network was used, in particular, its RinkeBy test network.

The project implementation consisted of the following stages: creating a digital diploma file and placing it in the open file-sharing network in order to obtain the corresponding document hash; obtaining blockchain address (an electronic wallet was created using the MetaMask browser plugin, which allows for the transfer of data on a digital diploma to the blockchain); preparing data to be sent to the blockchain, where the data was a hexadecimal code, containing brief information about a digital diploma, including its hash; transferring data to the Ethereum blockchain (making a transaction); verification of transaction results in Etherscan.

Conclusion.The blockchain technology provides great opportunities in improving the concept of e-learning, taking into account the current requirements of the digital economy. This technology can conceptually change the data archiving system, increase the reliability of information protection against falsification, and significantly speed up the execution of requests for information and data processing. The problems that arise can be successfully resolved, as long as that the blockchain becomes one of the principles of the unified information educational space.

At the same time, the blockchain gives the following new opportunities: transparency and verifiability of the system of certification of graduates of educational institutions; the possibility of liquidation of intermediary organizations that implement a variety of support monitoring and certifying functions, associated with the “paper” requests for confirmation of diplomas; the overall reduction in paper workflow, the transfer of the classic “paper” business-processes into the information space, and as a result of all this – the practical implementation and example of the realization of the concept of digitalization of the knowledge economy.