"It should be in this box... mmmhhh, maybe in this folder? Wait, the last time I copied it, it was here... "
Edu, short for Eduardo, is desperate. After his latest house move, his flat is a mess. He needs to send his academic transcript plus his diploma with both sides to the Admissions Team by today still to meet that last-round deadline for his Master's application. Edu has already requested that his university send an official transcript and graduation certificate to the other university. Still, it will take about 2 weeks (and cost him 50 USD for the express mail service). Why do universities not evolve?
Certainly, more than one can resonate with this situation. Edu is not the only one misplacing his academic credentials. Recovering them can take hours (in the end, you find them somewhere at home) or requires requesting copies from the university. For readers who went through that process, it's time-consuming and expensive.
Even with your original documents on hand, universities may still have doubts about their authenticity. Digital files are susceptible to manipulation and lack credibility without proper security measures. Therefore, providing legitimate copies directly from your previous educational institution remains essential when pursuing further studies.
With the rise of blockchains, there is an increased number of digital credential providers that offer solutions for higher education institutions. To name a few:
Just imagine how powerful this could be:
Without entering into technicalities, issuing digital credentials becomes a breeze, and they are ready to be distributed within seconds. It even lowers the carbon footprint as no more printers are involved, and the time-consuming mailing from the university to the student and from the student to the interested party disappears.
The Registrar's Office no longer needs to attend to any requests for re-issuance of degrees. Students can access the digital credential platform and share their blockchain-verified certificates with whomever they want.
As the issuer of the certificate, the university can revoke the credential should irregularities arise. However, the lifelong learning record should shift into the hands of the learner. They should be able to manage and distribute these records. The dependence on verification from the university should vanish.
Universities issue digital credentials in a blockchain-secured format that is shareable and instantly verifiable anywhere in the world. It builds immediate trust for any person who needs to verify those credentials. Paper-based documents are easy to fake even with stamps, and doubts always remain.
From the perspective of the Admissions Officer who handles the application from Eduardo, digital credentials would come as a blessing: the process could be much faster without this verification process as Eduardo produces his degree as a link in the online application. No management of copies that at a later stage still need to be compared with the originals or verified otherwise.
Implementing digital credentials in the student/graduate experience. It optimizes any internal management of the Registrar's Office. Nonetheless, the adoption of digital credentials in Higher Education is very slow. Many training organizations like Coursera or EDx have fully embraced this trend. Why can universities not do the same?
If you plan to review your processes in Admissions, feel free to contact us or explore our Admissions workshops as an upskilling initiative for your team.