Dr. Alexander Mikroyannidis proposes a learner-centered approach to lifelong learning powered by blockchain technology. The current centralized education model is unsustainable as learning increasingly occurs outside of traditional institutions. Blockchain can record educational achievements and transactions of reputation between individuals and institutions publicly on the ledger. This envisions a model where students, teachers, and peers have more ownership over the learning experience and validation of qualifications without compromising security. The Open University is currently implementing this ecosystem using Ethereum and collaborating with open educational platforms.

1. Dr. Alexander Mikroyannidis
The Open University, UK
A Learner-Centred
Approach for
Lifelong Learning
Powered by the
Blockchain

2. Motivation
The centralised education model is no longer sustainable:
– Learning happens increasingly outside the brick-and-
mortar lecture halls of schools, colleges, and universities
on online platforms, within communities of like-minded
individuals, or by contributing to projects and initiatives in
the real-world.
– Learning is far more international than it used to be: key
education players open campuses abroad, while students
travel to different countries to improve their employability
prospects.
– In the networked, digitally empowered world of the 21st
century, education providers often do not have remit or the
means and capacity to cover the range of activities
learners engage with, which attest their achievements,
knowledge, and skills.

3. Vision
We envision an education model in which the
awarding and validation of qualifications no
longer occur exclusively under the
management of an education institution or
an employer.
Individual students, teachers, and peers take
more ownership of the learning experience
and its outcomes without compromising on
safety, security, and accessibility.

5. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FBQMQ0l8U
What is a blockchain?

6. Blockchain educational
reputation
• Transactions of educational reputation rather than
money.
• An amount of reputation is assigned to institutions
and individuals, based on their status. This could be
related to their standing in international league
tables or to significant achievements.
• They can then award small amounts of this
reputational currency to students who graduate, or
colleagues whose work they value.
• The record is public, so anyone can see how a
person gained educational reputation, and the rules
for adding new value are agreed by consensus.

7. Movies available at: http://blockchain.open.ac.uk/
Peer reputation

8. Next steps
• We are currently implementing the core
components of this ecosystem, using the
Ethereum Blockchain platform.
• We are also working on learning scenarios
and applications on real-life educational
platforms, in collaboration with the
OpenLearn repository of open educational
resources and the FutureLearn MOOC
platform.

9. blockchain.open.ac.uk