4 Projects Using Blockchain to Help Learners Document and Share Educational Records

Four blockchain projects have received funding with the ultimate goal of helping learners take control of their educational records. Each of the projects will receive $150,000 from a competition overseen by the American Council on Education (ACE). The Blockchain Innovation Challenge supports collaborations involving K-12, higher education, technology providers and public agencies, to facilitate more secure, streamlined sharing of learning records and create stronger links between education and work.

Phase 1 winners will use the grants to produce "minimum viable" projects this spring to show the potential of their solutions. Those selected to continue to Phase 2 will share an additional $300,000 to implement their pilot projects more fully. The challenge has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is part of ACE's Education Blockchain Initiative.

The Phase 1 winners of the Blockchain Innovation Challenge were:

"The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency of exploring new solutions that can better serve learners at every stage of their educational journey," said Kara Freeman, senior vice president and chief operating officer of ACE and a member of the Education Blockchain Initiative Steering Committee, in a statement. "These initiatives seek to reach underserved populations and improve economic mobility with a more just, equitable system by leveraging new technologies to improve information-sharing and expanding access."

To learn more about the Blockchain Innovation Challenge, visit the ACE website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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