 |
[email protected] |
 |
3275638434 |
 |
 |
| Paper Publishing WeChat |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Roberta Pisani
Full-Text PDF
XML 56 Views
DOI:10.17265/2161-623X/2025.11.001
SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
Blockchain technology is increasingly being explored as a transformative innovation in the education sector, particularly for its potential to decentralize credentialing, enhance data sovereignty, and increase transparency in learning systems. This literature review examines the current state of research on blockchain applications in education, identifying key domains such as digital certification, learner-owned educational records, decentralized identity management, and smart contract-based learning processes. It provides a critical assessment of their potential benefits, inherent limitations, and varying levels of maturity. Findings reveal that, while the theoretical potential of blockchain in education is widely acknowledged, empirical research remains limited, fragmented, and often technology-driven rather than pedagogy-oriented. Major challenges include interoperability issues, regulatory uncertainty, data privacy concerns, and the lack of institutional readiness. This paper contributes to the literature by offering a structured taxonomy of blockchain applications in education, highlighting conceptual tensions, and outlining an agenda for future research. The paper also discusses managerial and policy implications, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical design, and supportive regulation.
blockchain in education, digital credentials, decentralized identity, student data ownership, educational technology, smart contracts
Roberta Pisani. (2025). Unlocking Blockchain’s Potential in Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Research Directions. US-China Education Review A, November 2025, Vol. 15, No. 11, 735-744.
Alammary, A., Alhazmi, S., Almasri, M., & Gillani, S. (2019). Blockchain-based applications in education: A systematic review. Applied Sciences, 9(12), 2400.
Any, B., Ramadhan, T., & Nabila, E. A. (2024). Decentralized academic platforms: The future of education in the age of blockchain. Blockchain Frontier Technology, 3(2), 112-124.
Belchior, R., Vasconcelos, A., Guerreiro, S., & Correia, M. (2021). A survey on blockchain interoperability: Past, present, and future trends. ACM Computing Surveys, 54(8), 1-41.
Bucea-Manea-Țoniş, R., Martins, O. M., Bucea-Manea-Țoniş, R., Gheorghiță, C., Kuleto, V., Ilić, M. P., & Simion, V. E. (2021). Blockchain technology enhances sustainable higher education. Sustainability, 13(22), 12347.
Casino, F., Dasaklis, T. K., & Patsakis, C. (2019). A systematic literature review of blockchain-based applications: Current status, classification and open issues. Telematics and Informatics, 36, 55-81.
Chen, G., Xu, B., Lu, M., & Chen, N. S. (2018). Exploring blockchain technology and its potential applications for education. Smart Learning Environments, 5(1), 1.
Fleener, M. J. (2022). Blockchain technologies: A study of the future of education. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 22(1).
Gräther, W., Kolvenbach, S., Ruland, R., Schütte, J., Torres, C., & Wendland, F. (2018). Blockchain for education: Lifelong learning passport. In Proceedings of the 1st ERCIM Blockchain Workshop 2018.
Grech, A., & Camilleri, A. F. (2017). Blockchain in education. Joint Research Centre, European Commission.
Kumar, R., Kumar, P., Sobin, C. C., & Subheesh, N. P. (2025). Blockchain and AI in shaping the modern education system. CRC Press.
Kwok, A. O., & Treiblmaier, H. (2022). No one left behind in education: Blockchain-based transformation and its potential for social inclusion. Asia Pacific Education Review, 23(3), 445-455.
Mikroyannidis, A., Third, A., & Domingue, J. (2020). A case study on the decentralisation of lifelong learning using blockchain technology. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2020(1), 1-10.
Novotny, P., Zhang, Q., Hull, R., Baset, S., Laredo, J., Vaculin, R., ... & Dillenberger, D. N. (2018). Permissioned blockchain technologies for academic publishing. Information Services and Use, 38(3), 159-171.
Rani, P., Sachan, R. K., & Kukreja, S. (2024). A systematic study on blockchain technology in education: Initiatives, products, applications, benefits, challenges and research direction. Computing, 106(2), 405-447.
Sharples, M., & Domingue, J. (2016). The blockchain and kudos: A distributed system for educational record, reputation and reward. In Proceedings of the 11th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (pp. 490-496). Springer.
Turkanović, M., Hölbl, M., Košič, K., Heričko, M., & Kamišalić, A. (2018). EduCTX: A blockchain-based higher education credit platform. IEEE Access, 6, 5112-5127.
Werbach, K. (2018). The blockchain and the new architecture of trust. MIT Press.
Zheng, Z., Xie, S., Dai, H., Chen, X., & Wang, H. (2018). An overview of blockchain technology: Architecture, consensus, and future trends. In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE International Congress on Big Data (pp. 557-564).