Although I applaud any effort to improve the match between our (formal) education systems and the real world, I not so sure whether this project is solving a big problem. It might be a real world problem but it doesnt mean we need a blockchain to solve it. Also, I am not sure whether this really is a big problem.
I'll pass on this one :-)
What do you guys think?
Hey, pleasure meeting you. Thanks for your interest. Are you sure we are not solving the right problem with the right technology? Because a recent report of the European Commission, which are partners of ours, says exactly the opposite - https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/blockchain-education According to EU, blockchain has disruptive potential in the filed of education and will empower learners. This is a statement of high-profile public officials that are in charge of the educational agenda, not ours. What other technology is there to enable validation and verification of learners credentials beyond institutional borders - you cannot solve this though a propitiatory institutional database. Is it normal for businesses to spend months to rung background checks for these credentials? Do you know that this doubles the hiring process and costs, according to market research? Is it normal for learners to wait 6-12 months for their credentials to be verified from one university to another when they change countries of study? Is it not a problem the lack of credit mobility? Don't you know that 30+ million learners in the States are with some college, no degree, due to lack of credit mobility? We are sure you are not aware of these issues. That's why we published our research at www.os.university/book. We hope you download the e-book and change your mind, based on the data.
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it :-)
You're making some good points. I am sure you address some problems, I am just not sure whether in all cases it is the right problems or whether blockchain in all cases is the right means to solve the problem.
For instance, one of the problems you mention is the problem of background checks and how long they take. Theoretically 1 big database with all info on students grades and credits would suffice right. It just needs to be a great searchable one. The problem isn't with the institutions, it is with those that cheat and invent diplomas and grades.
Also, I am a big believer that the stuff you learn at school/university which can be graded, are never the real world skills that you actually hire people on. If you need to know about Google Adwords for a certain job, of course you want to have somebody that has seen it before. But that is a filtering mechanism, just like educational level. You hire someone based on their attitude, communications skills, problem solving skills, likability, integrity etc. So the problem is not that grades and diploma's need to be verified, the problem is that we need to be able to somehow provide insight in soft and macro skills.
In my opinion there is a certain order in which certain problems need to be tackled. I'm not convinced that you will be solving the right problem at the right time. To me it sounds like you are a bit too early and that makes it very hard to achieve a critical mass and the right adoption rate.
Anyway, I still wish you a lot of luck on your project. Prove me wrong please ;-)
We will! Thank you for the feedback, though - it is highly appreciated :)