Blockchain Technology Utilized by ECPI University for Degrees and Certifications

Technology Offers Convenience, Authenticity, and Security

ECPI University has launched an exciting new service to our students, issuing certificates and degrees on Blockchain after having been selected by The Learning Machine to be one of the first universities to issue these new digital credentials. With Blockchain, graduates no longer need to contact the registrar to have official transcripts sent to a prospective employer or graduate school. Blockchain technology provides immediate, verification. They “own” their own official records.

First used by Bitcoin, Blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, which are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. The system employed by ECPI University employs Blockcerts which are documents that are stored off-chain but can be verified using a blockchain because of how they are issued.

Because Blockcerts are cryptographically secured, nobody but the graduate has access to them. Plus, it lets them keep certificates from many different organizations all in one place on their own devices, so they don’t have to rely on anyone else to store them.

All they have to do is download the app – available on iOS and Android – and they’re ready to go. Once a record is on the blockchain, it’s there forever and always in their possession. They control how it is used, and can share their degrees and/or professional certificates publicly, like on a social media profile, or send them privately by email or text message. Graduates can also include links to them on their resumes, public portfolios, or applications, so people such as potential employers can verify their qualifications with the click of a button.

Anchoring records to the blockchain provides the most advanced form of digital document security and is expected to be in widespread use by 2020. It also provides identity verification of both the issuer and recipient. Anchoring official documents to it makes them tamper proof, thus protecting the issuing institution against fraud and misrepresentation. The issuer’s public key is stored both on chain and in the Blockcerts file. Most institutions – like ECPI University – will publicize their public key, so everyone can know what records legitimately were issued by them. Also, The Learning Machine builds public key registries for its customers – registries which allow graduates to easily verify that it is ECPI University’s public key and no one else’s.

Built in conjunction with MIT, and open sourced in 2016, Blockcerts are designed to anchor records to any blockchain, so issuers can use whichever blockchain(s) best meets their needs. And recipients don’t need to buy tokens or join a proprietary network to receive, view, and verify their records.

“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 adapter and put an end to the archaic process of requesting a degree or transcript.”

Are you interested in technology? If you want to earn a degree in a computer information science or other exciting fields, ECPI University offers degree programs ranging from culinary arts to cybersecurity! For more information about these exciting opportunities, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.