A Consortium Blockchain-Based Secure and Trusted Electronic Portfolio Management Scheme

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Information Security
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) are vital for showcasing skills but rely on centralized, third-party systems for credential verification.
• Existing systems lack learner control over data and increase risks of forged credentials.
• The need for secure, decentralized, and learner-centric e-portfolio management is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a decentralized e-portfolio management scheme using consortium blockchain technology.
• To enhance the security, reliability, and privacy of credential issuance and verification for e-portfolios.
• To empower learners with ownership and control over their digital credentials and achievements.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging smart contracts for learner-driven e-portfolio ownership, publishing, and management.
• Utilizing blockchain as an immutable distributed ledger for tamper-proof data provenance.
• Implementing decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials (VCs) for secure authentication and authorization.
• Employing verifiable claims for e-portfolio credential proof authentication and verification.

Main Results:

• A prototype system was designed and implemented on a Quorum consortium blockchain network.
• The proposed scheme ensures the authenticity and integrity of user credentials and e-portfolio data.
• The system provides decentralized, secure, and trustworthy management of e-portfolios.
• Evaluations confirm the solution's feasibility, security, privacy-preservation, and excellent performance.

Conclusions:

• The consortium blockchain-based e-portfolio management scheme offers a secure, decentralized, and learner-controlled alternative to existing systems.
• This approach effectively addresses the risks of forged credentials and enhances data integrity.
• The system demonstrates significant potential for improving the trustworthiness and usability of digital credentials in education and employment.