The uniqueness of blockchain is enshrined in its universality. It can be used in any sphere of activity. Education, where new knowledge and relevant information are generated more often than everywhere else, is no exception. Let’s try to highlight the features of the introduction of revolutionary technology in this field, clarifying exactly what benefits society can get from this.
It’s long been known that man’s greatest enemy is himself. Taking into account the topic and the niche we address here, this can be rephrased: the slow scientific progress is primarily due to the lack of coordination between researchers worldwide. As a result, there are studies in completely incorrect areas, not to mention the fact that now and then entire scientific hypotheses turn out to be false. The most unpleasant thing is that it was the same in the dark ages (with alchemy) as it is today (with widespread and cheap Internet technologies used in research).
Education in this context is inextricably linked to scientific research. For example, we can cite the world’s leading universities, which are also research centers. However, the problem of information obsolescence is much less acute here, since the “sensational” research results are imported into the pages of textbooks very slowly.
No one today can reasonably question the fact that coordinated actions are better in effectiveness than the multidirectional intellectual fuss of even very smart people. But how to systematize the work of independent scientists living in different parts of the world? Sometimes they even work for different governments. Oddly enough, the solution to this issue came into being on January 09, 2009. Blockchain technology taught all mankind a lesson! It turns out that it is not necessary to keep original documents somewhere to check them if something happens. It is enough to simply put the data set under the “protection” of blockchain technology. You can be sure that no incorrect changes in the precious data will ever happen again.
The existing body of knowledge in different areas is setting up a database. What is more, its volume is constantly going up. The thing is, new findings crop up every single day. In the case of cryptocurrencies, the protected database is a collection of hashes calculated and approved by the network. So why don’t we put this technology on the guard of the scientific knowledge base, where each element will be a proven fact (no matter in what field of science)?
A new block of knowledge
A new block of knowledge, standardized in a global scientific knowledge base, is able to generate much more conclusions than within one framework of the science section. This produces a snowball effect. In fact, blockchain paves the way to the greatest possible efficiency of the artificial intelligence algorithm. A promising opportunity to reap the benefits of this technology will lead to absolute certainty. Already made conclusions (discoveries, found effects, etc.) will be repeatedly checked by special software when adding any new knowledge (in the process of forming a block). This will give scientists more opportunities: to quickly make adjustments to the existing conclusions on the basis of new discoveries as well as identify priority, key areas of the required research.
Last but certainly not list. We cannot ignore the very process of getting an education. Here the blockchain technology is powerful enough to protect the database of owners of diplomas and certificates (scientific achievements, etc.). Employers will be absolutely confident in the qualifications of the hired specialist. A recertification process and classification confirmation will be immediately displayed in a single system, and this will be absolutely reliable data.
It goes without saying that forged documents and fake certificates will become a thing of the past. In general, the most promising would be to combine the base of scientific knowledge with the base of specialists, professors, and students. It is enough to add the name of its discoverer to a smart contract dedicated to scientific achievement. At the same time, it should be noted that a scientific achievement can also be understood as a conclusion in a course or abstract work, for example.
Then, a number of important discoveries and advances will “come to life” first. They can be used for various applications. They will be moved into the main memory from a long-forgotten box of the archives. Second, with the help of such a symbiosis, it will be possible to objectively consider the value of the hired specialist.
