EPPR: using blockchain for sharing educational records

Abstract

There have been recent, marked increases in the challenges of privacy, data interoperability and quality of Educational Professional Personal Record (EPPR). This calls into question the current model, in which different parties generate, exchange and monitor massive amounts of personal data related to EPPR. Ethereum blockchain has demonstrated that trusted, auditable transactions is visible using a decentralized network of nodes accompanied by a general ledger. Thus, the rapid development of educational and professional data generators such as online universities and distance learning, learners need to engage in detail into their EPPR as well as the educational and professional data generators. In this paper, we propose a novel decentralized approach to manage EPPR using Ethereum blockchain technology. The decentralized approach provides the owner of the EPPR a comprehensive immutable log and ease of access to their educational records across the educational record editors and consumers. Utilizing Ethereum blockchain features, can provide solutions with the main concerns of exchanging data between parties such as privacy, accountability and data interoperability. The aim of this approach is to also facilitate educational stakeholders (universities and employing agencies) to participate in the network as blockchain miners rewarded by pseudonymized data in compliance with General Data Protection Rules (GDPR) in United Arab Emirates (UAE).