Blockchain and Student Records

Presenter
John Papinchak
University Registrar
 Blockchain – a brief history
The blockchain is often described as distributed,
digital ledger.
Blockchain is an emerging technology where objects or
information of value can be stored and shared in a
secure manner.
• Blockchain technology enables agreements to be collectively maintained by
anyone, taking away the monopoly of “truth” maintenance from central
authorities.
• The blockchain was first defined in the original source code for
Bitcoin. While interest in Bitcoin has ebbed and flowed, interest in
blockchain continues to grow.

https://hackernoon.com/blockchain-for-non-techies-2-how-they-work-
2f94d313c7e5
 How it works
One of the key features of the blockchain is that it is
a distributed database; that is to say, the database exists
in multiple copies across multiple computers.
• These computers form a peer-to-peer network, meaning that there is no single,
centralized database or server, but rather the blockchain database exists across a
decentralized network of machines, each acting as a node on that network.
• Transactions on the blockchain are signed digitally, using public key cryptography.
Public key cryptography uses two keys, which makes it harder to crack.
There is a public and private key – related mathematically but because of the
complexity of that math, nearly impossible (or at least computationally infeasible) to
guess.
• The public key can be used to sign and encrypt a message that’s being sent; the
recipient – and only the designated recipient – can decrypt that transaction with their
private key.

http://hackeducation.com/2016/04/07/blockchain-education-guide
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/06/blockchain-explained-simply/
 How it works - continued
In addition to encrypting messages, public key
cryptography can be used to authenticate an identity as
well as to verify that the message – or in the case of a
transaction on the blockchain – has not been altered.)
• Because of the distributed nature of the blockchain database, data about all new
transactions must be propagated to all nodes on the network so that the blockchain
stays in sync as one “world wide ledger,” and not as many conflicting ledgers. That
means that in order to update the blockchain, these multiple, distributed copies of it
must be reconciled so that they all contain the same version.
• This happens in the blockchain via a consensus process: the majority of the nodes in
the system must concur.
• This consensus process is one of the key innovations of the blockchain: it is
“emergent,” rather than happening at a scheduled time or interval as each new
transaction and block is verified computationally.

http://hackeducation.com/2016/04/07/blockchain-education-guide
 How it works - continued
Each block of the blockchain is made up of a list of
transactions with each block also containing a block
header.
• That header, in turn, contains (at least) three sets of metadata:
1) structured data about the transactions in the block;
2) the timestamp and data about the proof-of-work algorithm (this is how
new blocks are mined and verified – more on this in a minute);
3) a reference to the parent block – that is, the previous block – via a
“hash” (in order words, a cryptographic algorithm).
This creates the “chain” part of the blockchain. Each block in the blockchain
can be identified by a hash of its header.

http://hackeducation.com/2016/04/07/blockchain-education-guide
 How does this apply to Higher Ed?
• Stanford – we’ve seen this today
• University of Texas & ChainScript™
Created to deliver unbundled, stackable professional and academic
offerings and credentials in a single system, TEx guides students on
personalized journeys across a lifetime of educational programming and
experiences.
https://utx.edu/initiatives/tex/
• University of Maryland University College (UMUC)
UMUC is running a pilot facilitated by IMS Global through Learning Objects
for a new open-source transcript tool. The system displays students’ skills
in multiple contexts, showing a more holistic and well-rounded picture than
the transcripts of yesteryear, which only verified the requirements toward a
specific degree. Shendy added that both students’ and employers’ needs
are helping to drive the design.
http://nextgenlearning.org/blog/does-degree-ever-expire-examining-
extended-transcript
 How does this apply to Higher Ed?
• The Open University in the UK
Applied to education, says KMi Professor John Domingue, it will give
learners ownership of their qualifications and associated coursework and
feedback, rather than control being vested in educational institutions or
employers.
http://blockchain.open.ac.uk/

• MIT & Learning Machine’s Blockcert

Partnering to pilot digital diplomas to cohorts of June 2017 graduates.
https://www.blockcerts.org/
Next Steps?

AACRAO’s Innovation HUB

• We will continue the discussions through this
forum.
• We expect to have highlights of development
through AACRAO’s media outlets
• Watch for additional presentations at AACRAO’s
Annual 2018 meeting in Orlando
Questions?

Thank you!

John Papinchak, University Registrar

Carnegie Mellon University
jp7p@andrew.cmu.edu
412.268.7404