Web 3.0 and a Decentralized Approach to Education

TL;DR

This paper proposes a decentralized education credential system using Web 3.0, Decentralized Identity, and blockchain technology to enhance verification, security, and accessibility of educational achievements.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integration of DID with Ethereum blockchain for secure, verifiable, and user-controlled educational credentials in a decentralized framework.

Findings

Credentials are stored immutably on Ethereum blockchain.

DID-based access controls enable transparent verification history.

TLS ensures secure connection and user authentication.

Abstract

With the natural evolution of the web, the need for decentralization has rendered the current centralized education system out of date. The student does not "own" their credentials, as the only way their accomplishments are directly linked to their person and considered valuable is by verification through a stamp of an expensive, prestigious institution. However, going to a university is no longer the only way to acquire an education; open-source learning material is widely available and accessible through the internet. However, our society does not deem these methods of education as verifiable if they do not include a degree or certificate. Additionally, a valid certificate for the vast majority of open-source courses costs a few hundred dollars to obtain. The centralized nature of education inadvertently places students in underprivileged communities at a disadvantage in comparison to students in economically advantaged communities, thus a decentralized approach to education would eliminate the vast majority of such discrepancies. In the present paper, we integrate Decentralized Identity (DID) with Web 3.0 to upload credentials linked directly to the user. Each credential is appended to an Ethereum blockchain that, by design, cannot be altered once uploaded. We include DID document based access controls to display the candidate's upload and verification history. Finally, we utilize TLS protocols to provide a secure connection to the internet for ensuring non-fungibility of credentials and authentication of users.