Intelligent Blockchain for Managing Micro-credentials (IBMM)

Alsobhi, Hada Awaduilah

Intelligent Blockchain for Managing Micro-credentials (IBMM)

Alsobhi, Hada Awaduilah

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2024

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Alsobhi, Hada Awaduilah
dc.date.accessioned	2024-06-19T04:14:35Z
dc.date.available	2024-06-19T04:14:35Z
dc.date.issued	2024
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/179572
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Recently, blockchain technology or distributed ledger technology (DLT) has been used in a wide range of fields as a way to preserve records and information in a distributed and trusted manner. Blockchain technology has revolutionized higher education, particularly in the area of micro-credentials. The incorporation of micro-credentials in higher education has the potential to change traditional education and learning process. A number of micro-credentials can be accumulated for credit toward a specific academic degree. Validating micro-credentials is a time-consuming and cumbersome process, but blockchain technology enables students’ micro-credentials to be validated easily and quickly. The immutability, decentralization, security, and transparency of blockchain technology make it a suitable technology for addressing the significant challenges associated with micro-credential provenance and data sharing in a secure manner. Several existing micro-credential platforms that use blockchain technology to efficiently and securely manage students’ micro-credentials and academic accomplishments have been discussed in the literature. However, none of these existing platforms offer a comprehensive solution that can securely store, manage, and share micro-credentials with stakeholders in a privacy-preserving manner, nor are they able to provide personalized recommendations on students’ majors and action plans. In this thesis, we propose an intelligent blockchain for managing micro-credentials (IBMM) framework as a holistic platform for higher education students to manage their micro-credentials. A systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out to identify the shortcomings of the existing scientific studies in the micro-credential management area and to identify the research questions and solutions. By employing the SLR process, 15 relevant studies were identified and systematically reviewed which highlighted a number of research gaps. None of the existing studies propose a method that ensures the anonymity of students’ identities on the blockchain when exchanging micro-credentials. Moreover, no intelligent techniques are used to recommend suitable majors for students and assist them in selecting the best action plan. This thesis examines the use of privacy-preserving and AI methods to address these research gaps. Blockchain and AI techniques are integrated into the IBMM framework to undertake the following tasks: • verify and store micro-credentials on the blockchain ledger to ensure the immutability and security of data. • preserve the privacy of students’ identities while sharing their micro-credentials with HEIs. • recommend the most appropriate academic majors for students based on their micro-credentials. • choose the most optimal action plan for students from multiple options based on several criteria.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/179572/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2024 Hada Awaduilah Alsobhi
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Intelligent Blockchain for Managing Micro-credentials (IBMM)	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Recently, blockchain technology or distributed ledger technology (DLT) has been used in a wide range of fields as a way to preserve records and information in a distributed and trusted manner. Blockchain technology has revolutionized higher education, particularly in the area of micro-credentials. The incorporation of micro-credentials in higher education has the potential to change traditional education and learning process. A number of micro-credentials can be accumulated for credit toward a specific academic degree. Validating micro-credentials is a time-consuming and cumbersome process, but blockchain technology enables students’ micro-credentials to be validated easily and quickly. The immutability, decentralization, security, and transparency of blockchain technology make it a suitable technology for addressing the significant challenges associated with micro-credential provenance and data sharing in a secure manner. Several existing micro-credential platforms that use blockchain technology to efficiently and securely manage students’ micro-credentials and academic accomplishments have been discussed in the literature. However, none of these existing platforms offer a comprehensive solution that can securely store, manage, and share micro-credentials with stakeholders in a privacy-preserving manner, nor are they able to provide personalized recommendations on students’ majors and action plans. In this thesis, we propose an intelligent blockchain for managing micro-credentials (IBMM) framework as a holistic platform for higher education students to manage their micro-credentials. A systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out to identify the shortcomings of the existing scientific studies in the micro-credential management area and to identify the research questions and solutions. By employing the SLR process, 15 relevant studies were identified and systematically reviewed which highlighted a number of research gaps. None of the existing studies propose a method that ensures the anonymity of students’ identities on the blockchain when exchanging micro-credentials. Moreover, no intelligent techniques are used to recommend suitable majors for students and assist them in selecting the best action plan. This thesis examines the use of privacy-preserving and AI methods to address these research gaps. Blockchain and AI techniques are integrated into the IBMM framework to undertake the following tasks: • verify and store micro-credentials on the blockchain ledger to ensure the immutability and security of data. • preserve the privacy of students’ identities while sharing their micro-credentials with HEIs. • recommend the most appropriate academic majors for students based on their micro-credentials. • choose the most optimal action plan for students from multiple options based on several criteria.

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