Integrating an academic management system with blockchain: A case study

Abstract

This paper reports the design, implementation, and experimental phases of the EU H2020 QualiChain pilot “Staffing the Public Sector—The Case of Portugal”. The overall purpose of this pilot is to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the diplomas for all involved stakeholders and therefore to contribute to solving the diploma counterfeiting and/or falsification that is a great threat to the recruitment of qualified personnel. The main innovative aspect of this solution is the integration that is offered between an Academic Management System (the Fenix.edu platform) and a Blockchain (Ethereum) to automatically deploy diplomas. This solution helps the involved stakeholders trust the diplomas provided. The case study involves four different stakeholders and studies, specifically, the increase in their satisfaction in terms of diploma control, diploma veracity, and diploma credibility. The developed system was tested with external participants who were asked to follow a set of guidelines and complete a survey to assess their perceptions. All system interactions were recorded, and the data were analyzed. The results indicated that the participants successfully executed the guidelines and that a perception increase toward diploma control, veracity, and credibility was identified.