# Blockchain-Based Quality Assurance System for Academic Programs
## 1 Introduction  
A quality assurance system (QAS) is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness and reliability of academic programs in higher educational institutions (HEIs). The QAS provides systematic assessment and improvement of the various aspects of the educational environment, and thus, it is vital for monitoring and maintaining the overall quality of education in academic programs. The QAS involves various processes such as a rigorous assessment of the curriculum, students' performance, KPI analysis, and stakeholder surveys. The expectedoutcomes of these processes are significant for decision-making and the development of improvement plans [1; 2; 3]. Ensuring the security of the sensitive information produced through the QAS is critical and has recently received increasing interest. Research studies have shown that cyberattacks and data breaches in HEI systems have been on the rise over the past decade [4]. Cybersecurity threats pose a significant risk to security and privacy in HEIs. Unauthorized manipulation of students' certificates, assessments, and learning materials, as well as the loss or unintended disclosure of sensitive personal data, are just a few examples of these threats. Additionally, plagiarism and copyright violations are also major issues faced by HEIs worldwide. In the digital world, threats to the QAS can arise due to both intentional and unintentional misuse of resources in addition to cyberattacks such as Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks (DDoSs). DDoSs have become increasingly prevalent and can result in catastrophic consequences for the system resources. These attacks can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system, thus posing a significant threat to its overall security and stability [5; 6; 7; 8]. Therefore, finding an efficient and secure way to store, share, and process the sensitive quality files produced by the QAS is highly needed. To counter related threats and cyberattacks, the current research attempts to establish a reliable and trustworthy environment that enables the safe exchange and cooperative development of quality files while preserving privacy and security. Past research studies have emphasized the importance of developing such environments and finding practical solutions to improve the efficiency of QASs [9; 10; 11]. The current research investigates the adaptation of the distributed ledger technology, known as blockchain, to develop a secure and efficient QAS. Blockchain is one of the cutting-edge technologies that can enhance the security and governance of a QAS via its powerful security features. It can provide transparency, traceability, immutability, and secure sharing and hence contribute to establishing trustworthiness and a reliable environment for quality operations [12; 13; 14]. Many research studies have explored the advantages of using blockchain to offer security services for several processes performed by HESs. Blockchain, along with related technologies such as smart contracts, has been implemented to create a secure system that ensures the integrity and availability of students' certificates. Furthermore, blockchain has been used to improve users' privacy within HESs. Additionally, previous research studies utilized the traceability features of blockchain to enable the effective tracking and verification of sensitive information related to learning records, student scores, and work experience. Moreover, one of the key benefits of blockchain in HESs is its ability to enhance the governance and management of various processes [15; 16; 17; 18; 19]. Despite the potential advantages that blockchain and smart contracts offer in terms of enhancing security and governance, their potential to support a QAS in academic programs has not been fully explored. This research aims to address this gap by proposing a blockchain-based QAS for academic programs that can effectively control and manage quality operations, while also creating a transparent and trustworthy environment for processing quality-related data and transactions.