Summary – Blockchain is a transformative technology affecting multiple industries including e-learning. At one end where e-learning has provided a platform for the common populace to acquire desired skill sets from anywhere, there are multiple issues that can easily be solved using blockchain technology.
The process of learning has evolved from its traditional sense. Previously, anyone who wanted to acquire a desired skillset, they were required to explicitly go to a physical place for education. However, the world has transformed from that reality. Now because of e-learning, people can learn and acquire skills & knowledge anywhere. They are not bound by the limitation of location or accessibility. All the user need is a smartphone or device that can connect to the internet.
Adding to it, since the inception of e-learning, there has been an emergence of multiple e-learning platforms such as Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera, edX, etc. These platforms, developed by mobile application development companies in USA, provide online learning courses on multiple subjects that can be used by any person, anywhere to acquire a desired skill. However, there are certain issues with the current system that can be solved using blockchain.
Therefore, let’s start our journey to unfold those issues and learn what blockchain technology is bringing to the table in terms of solutions.
Problems associated with E-Learning that can be Solved using Blockchain
There are multiple challenges that are associated with e-learning platforms such as lack of trust in e-learning platforms, security & privacy concerns, and most importantly credentialing the academics.
However to further extrapolate, and understand how the decentralized nature of blockchain can help, here are some problems that can be solved using blockchain technology.
Verification of Academic Credentials
The majority of e-learning institutes and platforms provide online certificates and degrees. The issue with these certifications and degrees is that these can be easily tampered with fake data. Verifying this data is a lengthy process and comes with its own hiccups on the way. Using blockchain technology, it is possible to create ledgers of academic records that can’t be changed by the user. It is because the nature of blockchain is immutable. Therefore, once a record is created, it can be easily used for verifying academic credentials within seconds.
Trust and Transparency
Students that are pursuing learning online often struggle with the credibility of the teacher, instructor, or lecturers, they are getting tutored by. To create more trust between the two parties, blockchain can provide a transparent and decentralized platform that ensures trust between the two parties.
Security and privacy
Security and privacy are much bigger concerns when it comes to online learning. Loss of personal information of the student from an e-learning platform can create tonnes of problems. However using blockchain, the platforms can easily store and share sensitive information while maintaining the privacy of the individuals.
Intellectual property protection
In online learning, there is a higher susceptibility to intellectual property theft. For instance, scenarios such as plagiarism and unauthorized sharing of course materials are not new. However, with blockchain technology, it can be ensured that the course material created by the instructors is not misused or pirated in any form or manner.
Ways Blockchain can Transform the E-learning Industry
From the very beginning, blockchain has been a promising industry in multiple fields. This can be said for e-learning as well. To further stress this, these are the following ways blockchain can transform the e-learning industry.
Smart Contracts
The majority of transactions that happen using blockchain technology are carried out via smart contracts. A great example of this would be decentralized finance. A smart contract is nothing but a piece of code that both the associated parties involved in a transaction agree upon. In blockchain that can be used for certifications, assignments completions, report submission, etc. The moment the student submits or completes a particular task, the fulfillment of the smart contract can be construed as a source of truth.
Maintenance of records
The beauty of blockchain is that once a record is created, it can not be changed by the associated parties. Blockchain are basically ledgers of records. Therefore, once a student record is created, the chance of tampering with it is close to zero. This makes this technology adequate for maintaining student records.
Platform subscription cost
The power of blockchain is that it removes any intermediaries in the process. Transactions in blockchain can be completely between two parties. How this can help? Well, every e-learning platform charges a certain amount of fees from the tutor putting its content out for education. Now this fee can be per transaction or a monthly subscription for listing the course on the platform. With blockchain, both the teacher and student can connect from anywhere in the world, and the transaction will be carried out between them.
Wrapping Up!
E-learning has bridged multiple gaps that stuck out like a sore thumb in the process of learning. Traditionally anyone who wanted to acquire a desired skill set was required to join a physical institution. There were barriers both monetary and geographic that were solved by adoption of blockchain technology in the online learning or e-learning industry. With the inclusion of blockchain and blockchain app development company in the e-learning platform, the barriers that existed in this realm can be bridged easily. There is no doubt that blockchain has the potential to revolutionize e-learning and with each passing year, there will emerge multiple novel ways that will provide opportunities to the e-learning industry.
