Development of a Blockchain Based Digital Credential Framework for Competency Based Learning in the Veterinary Industry

Lincoln Memorial University, Ethos Veterinary Health · Oct 15, 2018

Competency-based medical education is a learner-centered model that de-emphasizes equating competency with grades and focuses on abilities and achievement as salient learning outcomes. A challenge to this model is providing verification of skill acquisition in an appropriate format. Digital badges represent an innovative strategy for credentialing competencies. They establish achievement criteria and communicate concrete evidence of skills, attributes, and accomplishments veraciously versus traditional grades.

While many platforms exist in the area of digital badges, we are proposing a new-generation framework based on blockchain technology. Blockchain is a secure, digitized, decentralized ledger that serves as an ideal technology for this application, creating a method for multiple distributed entities to issue and accept credentials that are portable, verifiable, shareable and discoverable.

Our initiative has been focused on a systematic review of the literature to comprehensively identify, critically appraise, and meticulously synthesize the relevant studies on the use of digital badges in medical education, as well as working with leading technology partners to create a prototype for this concept. This unique development strategy integrates theoretically supported models of learning with the practical application of an educational platform by stakeholders, resulting in empirically-based and feasibly operational instructional technology.

The findings from this study provide an evidence-based foundation for our future work developing an open digital credentialing system accessible to all veterinary professionals and students for the demonstration and standardization of competency-based learning, as well as early stage results for the use of blockchain technology in this application.