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ECPI University recently launched a service that allows graduates to share their degrees digitally with prospective employers or others. ECPI offers the service through Blockchain, becoming one of the first universities to do so. Graduates who use the service won't need to contact the registrar’s office to have a verifiable degree sent to a requester.
Blockchain technology provides secure verification. The student controls his or her official records and can share degrees and/or professional certificates publicly on social media profiles, or send them privately by email or text message using the ‘share icon’ in the app and with its own unique URL. Next year, ECPI plans to use the platform to issue digital transcripts.
First used for cryptocurrency (i.e. Bitcoin), Blockchain manages information in small units called blocks, which are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. Recipients can store their earned credentials in the Blockcerts app off-chain on their smart device, while using the Blockchain for verification.
Digital credentials have the potential to dramatically reduce false claims on resumes, since employers will be able to instantly substantiate a person’s educational background.
“This is the future of retaining your vital academic records independent of any issuing entity,” says ECPI University Chief Information Officer Jeff Arthur. “You retain proof and control of your achievements indefinitely. Employers benefit from a process that allows them to quickly and easily verify educational histories on a resume. ECPI University is proud to be an early adopter and put an end to the archaic process of requesting a degree or transcript.”
