Before we ask how Web3 will impact education, we have to ask what is Web3? Web2 is commonly defined as the internet that we know today: Google, Amazon, Facebook (I mean Meta), and the rest. In the current state of the internet, we get great services without having to pay anything, but in exchange we don’t truly own our data or digital identities. Web3 is built on decentralizing that data layer where people can control how and who their data gets shared with. This simple change from centralized storage to decentralized opens up a whole new world of possibilities, from everything from commerce to education.
While the full impact of Web3 on education is hard to predict in these early days, there are three main ways that we are already seeing how Web3 can change education. The first is the decentralization of information; next is moving credentials to the blockchain; and last is how Web3 itself is becoming a major course of study. As an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon, education is a topic close to my heart, so I am excited to dive in!
Decentralization of Information
While decentralizing educational material and information might sound like a brand new idea, it’s actually been around for a while. Crowdsourcing has certainly been happening since way before the internet, but our first modern example is Wikipedia. Instead of having to search through a stack of Encyclopedia Britannicas (who remembers those!), people could turn to Wikipedia, a completely crowdsourced and decentralized source of information. While Wikipedia isn’t perfect, “the number of errors it contains is on par with the professional sources.”[1]
Decentralizing information has made it cheaper, more accessible, and has inspired major universities to follow suit. Universities are in the business of information, so it might be counterintuitive for them to just give it away! However, we are seeing more and more do just that. Even the most prestigious schools like Harvard, MIT and Stanford offer free courses online. It is incredible how much information is available for free now.
Web3 takes this trend to the next level. Due to the wealth of information readily available, students are already becoming more familiar with self-directed learning with 85% saying they taught themselves a new skill online.[2] Decentralized information and self-directed learning are two pieces of the puzzle, but how can you verify that a student has actually mastered the course? That’s where the next area of Web3 impact comes in…
Credentials on the Blockchain
While we live in the 21st century, our methods of tracking and verifying skills are stuck in the past. Verifying background information or that a transcript is accurate is still a manual process, and sometimes requires ancient technology like fax machines! When my daughter was transferring schools, I had to get a physical copy of her transcript and then fax it over. There has to be a better way, and that’s where Web3 comes in.
You might ask, we can already digitize the documents. Do we really need to put them on a blockchain too? Yes! The important thing about blockchain data is that it can be independently verified. With just a digital copy of a transcript or resume, you still can’t confirm that all the information on there is correct without doing reference calls or talking to the university. Credentials stored on the blockchain would have the proof that they were uploaded by the trusted source, encoded right there in the transaction history.
While this has clear implications for transcripts and resumes, it doesn’t have to end there. All of your skills, accomplishments, references, and more could be stored on the blockchain.
Majoring in Web3
Until recently, students looking to learn about blockchain, cryptocurrencies or smart contracts would have had to do it on their own, scouring Twitter, Discord, and forums for answers to their questions. However, now we’re seeing universities like Berkeley and MIT offer courses in Web3 fields like blockchain, crypto and more. Students are being drawn to this new frontier, and their schools are finally catching up. There is even a university ranking for the best blockchain schools organized by CoinDesk.
However, Web3 skills aren’t limited to just blockchain and smart contract development. We’re seeing students bring their marketing, design, communication, management skills and more to the space. Their excitement is being driven by Web3 feeling like the early days of the internet.
Although Web3 may feel like a new frontier for education, the foundation was laid long ago. This technology has the potential to revolutionize how we manage information & credentials, while also opening up new avenues for study and business. With the next wave of students learning about Web3, you can be sure that Web3 has its most innovative days ahead of it still.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6889752/
[2] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1080605.pdf
