Welcome.
The blockchain is considered by some people to be The Next Big Thing in higher education. For example, it is claimed that it will "reinvent higher education" (Tapscott & Tapscott, 2017), that it might "hasten the dissolution of universities as institutions" (Matthews, 2017). In this OER, we'll learn more about these claims, why they may or may not be justified, and how we might become better equipped to analyse potential blockchain projects in higher education from a critical perspective.

This resource is made up of four main sections.

1. Key Concepts

2. Critical Toolkit
Here we'll learn what the blockchain is, and how it is perceived that it might be useful in higher education. In particular, we'll spend some time considering one potential application: the independent and decentralised verification of credentials.

3. Critical Experiment

This section will introduce you to an imagined instance of the way the blockchain might be used in education. We'll put to the test the critical toolkit developed in the previous section to anaIyse and critique this idea.
In this section, our goal will be to develop a 'critical toolkit', a list of productive questions with which we might assess any potential blockchain projects in higher education. We'll explore what might constitute this toolkit.

4. Conclusions

Finally, we'll bring all of our ideas together, summarise what we've learned, and consider how we might move forward better armed with a set of critical precepts to assess the introduction of blockchain.

What this OER aims to achieve.

The goal of this OER is not to turn you into a blockchain expert, nor even an advocate for the technology. Instead, in recognition of some of the hype around the capacities and capabilities of blockchain, the purpose of this OER is to encourage critical thinking about potential blockchain projects. The resource openly adopts a position of 'purposeful pessimism' about blockchain projects in higher education (following Selwyn, 2014). However, this position can and should be questioned, and as you move through the OER, you may wish to consider whether this is an appropriate position to take. You may also wish to critique the intentionality of this resource in suggesting it.

The Tools You Need to Complete This OER
  • Three hours. That's all it should take to work through this resource. You should expect to spend more time on the first section where key ideas and concepts are introduced.
  • Access to the internet. All of the main resources listed here are freely available online. Some of the further 'extra' reading might require an institutional subscription, but this is only for those who wish to know more.
  • Some equipment for jotting down your ideas. A pen and some paper will do the trick perfectly.
  • A personal policy on joining in with activities. Throughout the resource, there are times when you will be asked to reflect on specific questions raised by what we've learned. There are also some ways in which you can contribute to discussions - this is optional, and entirely up to you.​
  • Nothing else. No part of this OER requires that you sign up to any platform or give away any personal details.

But before we get started...

most of what we’re hearing right now about the blockchain and education is [...] marketing
- Audrey Watters, 2016a
The blockchain, as you will see, is fairly new technology. It's been around for less than a decade, and actual, real-life applications of blockchain in education remain in low numbers and are fairly self-contained. We'll discuss some examples in the next section.

​​But this raises a number of questions for us, which you might like to consider now.
  • What does it mean to be critical about something that doesn't really exist yet? Is it a challenge, or an opportunity? 
  • How might it affect this resource if its subject is still speculative and evolving quickly?
  • How will you know if the materials in this resource are still relevant?
  • And what, if anything, can be inferred from the source of the materials included?
The spires and steeples of Edinburgh as the sun sets on the city
Beautiful Edinburgh (CC-0 image: credit).

Why this resource exists.

This resource has been created as part of an assignment for the course Digital Futures in Learning, a component of the MSc in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh. It's a first go at putting together an OER like this, so it might be a bit rough around the edges. Any feedback is welcome - please use the comment box below.
All done? Let's move on to the next section.
Creative Commons License
Education and the blockchain is licensed by Helen Murphy under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.