Education like other sectors cannot be left out when it comes to the issue of technology advancement. Academic integrity especially regarding the grading system is one of the hardest issues that campuses face today. This is especially seen in the cases of small classes whereby a few students could feel that subjectivity has affected their grades. This problem can be solved by *Blockchain technology*, as grades can be recorded and accessed then such system creates trust and fairness in the assessment process. Despite the fact that most people connect blockchain with cryptocurrencies, this platform has a great potential for education, especially for the grading information system.
What is Blockchain Technology?
Blockchain is an open distributed database with distributed ledger capabilities providing a secure way of recording transaction. In this system, the actual data is placed into “blocks” and are connected or “chained” through their hash symmetric. Every block carries information and a time stamp and once assimilated into the block chain it cannot be changed. This makes the data to be credible and has an added advantage of making all participants in the network to have a clear view of the proceedings. Blockchain is distributed in nature, and does not rely on a single point control; this makes manipulation a tasking assignment.
Applying Blockchain to Grading Systems
Applying the blockchain technology in the education sphere is possible to organize a transparent and safe system of grading. Instructors, learners, and other staff members will all hold a record of scores, feedback, and other information in a blockchain ledger. In that scenario each grade given to students would form an unalterable block, therefore one could not change grades without leaving traces. Such a system would make it easy to explain different aspects of grading, its progression and security.
Benefits of Blockchain for Grading
1.Transparency
When it comes to grading systems, transparency is one of the important benefits that could be achieved through the implementation of blockchain technologies. This system advocates the recording of grades whereby once a grade has been recorded on the blockchain, the teacher, and the student have simultaneous access to the recorded grade. It also gives an equal chance to both the parties to have access to each other’s copies of the grading process. Students are able to scrutinize how the scores were arrived at, something that eliminates conflict between the educators and learners in addition to building credibility. Besides, due to the distribution of records through blockchain, no one can change the grades without others on the network perceiving it.
2. Immutability and Security
The security that is offered by blockchain is such that when a grade has been entered it cannot be changed. This is particularly so for enhancing integrity in order to ward off instances of manipulations or mistakes in the grading criteria. With normal grading systems, there is always a problem of totaling or entering grades and thus different grades may or may not reflect rather required results. By using blockchain, such risks are minimized as every change that is made on the grade is recorded and validated by the blockchain network. The higher level of this assurance makes it possible for the students and teachers to be assured that this system is accountable.
3. Decentralization and Reduced Bias
Basic grading models for learners depend on one centralized figure, the teacher or the school to keep records of score. That is why this system works, but it is also a source of numerous issues involving people’s mistakes and prejudice. The Results key benefit of Blockchain is that the control of grading process is equally distributed thereby making it difficult for grouped parties to influence the results. Therefore if, for instance, a teacher desires to alter a student’s grade inappropriately then that debit will be visible on the blockchain hence discouraging such malpractices. This eliminates bias in grading as well as closely knitted small classes where the teacher and the student have a close relationship which may lead to bias grading.
4. Faster Dispute Resolution
Disputes in small classes are usually common and may lead to time consumption and creation of tension in awarding of scores. Some of the new trends within civil litigation can be summed up as follows; Blockchain technology can help in decentralisation and speed up the resolution process. As the ledger has details of when and how the grades were given, any issue can be easily explained a look at the blockchain as opposed to using substandard and inefficient paper trail. This cuts out confusion as well as offering the student and teacher the objective record of the matter in dispute which is independent and can be checked.
Challenges and Considerations
However, there are issues that hinder the use of blockchain technology in grading systems as follows; First, blockchain adoption demands technical competencies that are not evidence in all instructional environments. This may be a problem for small educational institutions since teachers and administrators need to learn to employ blockchain.
Another consideration is between “openness” and “secrecy”. As for the blockchain technology that provides transparency, the educators have to take into consideration the students’ privacy and their data. Blockchain systems have to be developed in such a manner to shield the sensitives of students, but, at the same time, ensure that certain levels of openness, which are very central to block chain, are provided.
Conclusion
Some of the benefits of the blockchain system include increased transparency, fairness and security this new technology can bring in the grading system especially in small classes. Thus, through the distributions of an open and unalterable ledger, blockchain can eliminate bias, inaccurate assignments of grades and possible disagreement due to the efficiency of the system. However, the effectiveness of this technological innovation seen from the view point of its strengths outweigh the weakness in its implementation hence can play a great role in making the educational settings more transparent and trustworthy. Looking at the future which is already progressing at an undeniable pace, blockchain may become even more incorporated into the sphere of education, and improve the systems of grading in schools all over the world.
