Blockchain Technology for Higher Education and Recruitment: A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17015/ejbe.2024.033.01Keywords:
Blockchain, Human Resources, Recruitment, Systematic Literature Review, Higher Education.Abstract
Blockchain is a recent technological innovation that has undergone significant growth with numerous business applications. One of the most promising applications of blockchain technology lies within the domains of higher education and recruitment. Despite its potential, academic literature on these topics remains limited. In this study, the researchers conducted a systematic literature review to unravel blockchain’s potential applications in higher education and recruitment. This paper identifies the current benefits and challenges of blockchain in these fields and delineates key steps in higher education and recruitment processes to determine blockchain practical applications. To analyze the potential benefits and challenges of blockchain for higher education and recruitment, we integrate the resource-based view (RBV) and transaction cost theory (TCT). The RBV is employed to underscore blockchain’s potential as a strategic resource that can provide competitive
advantages in higher education, while the TCT is utilized to focus on its efficacy in
reducing transaction costs related to recruitment. The study concludes by highlighting directions for future research, emphasizing the imperative for empirical investigations into real-world blockchain applications. It also encourages theoretical advancements to deepen our understanding of the impact of blockchain technology on higher education and recruitment.
References
Abdul, C., Wang, W., University, R. M., & Li, Y. (2020). The Impact of Technology on Recruitment Process. Issues in Information Systems, 21(4), 9. https://doi.org/10.48009/4_iis_2020_9-17
Alammary, A., Alhazmi, S., Almasri, M., & Gillani, S. (2019). Blockchain-based applications in education: A systematic review. Applied Sciences, 9(12), 2400. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9122400
Alnafrah, I., & Mouselli, S. (2021). Revitalizing blockchain technology potentials for smooth academic records management and verification in low-income countries. International Journal of Educational Development, 85, 102460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102460
APSCo Global. (2020). Biggest Cyber Security Threats to the Recruitment Sector. https://www.apsco.org/resource/biggest-cyber-security-threats-to-the-recruitment-sector.html
Awaji, B., Solaiman, E., & Albshri, A. (2020). Blockchain-Based Applications in Higher Education. Paper presented at the 96-104. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411681.3411688
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
Bhaskar, P., Tiwari, C. K., & Joshi, A. (2020). Blockchain in education management: present and future applications. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 18(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-07-2020-0102
Caldarelli, G., & Ellul, J. (2021). Trusted academic transcripts on the blockchain: A systematic literature review. Applied Sciences, 11(4), 1842. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041842
CareerBuilder. (2017). Nearly Three in Four Employers Affected by a Bad Hire. https://press.careerbuilder.com/2017-12-07-Nearly-Three-in-Four-Employers-Affected-by-a-Bad-Hire-According-to-a-Recent-CareerBuilder-Survey#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20new%20CareerBuilder,wrong%20person%20for%20a%20position.
Castro, R. Q., & Au-Yong-Oliveira, M. (2021). Blockchain and Higher Education Diplomas. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 11(1), 154-167. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11010013
Chen, G., Xu, B., Lu, M., & Chen, N. (2018). Exploring blockchain technology and its potential applications for education. Smart Learning Environments, 5(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-017-0050-x
Chen, J., Lv, Z., & Song, H. (2019). Design of personnel big data management system based on blockchain. Future Generation Computer Systems, 101, 1122-1129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2019.07.037
Cheng, J., Lee, N., Chi, C., & Chen, Y. (Apr 2018). Blockchain and smart contract for digital certificate. Paper presented at the 1046-1051. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICASI.2018.8394455
Chillakuri, B., & Attili, V. P. (2021). Role of blockchain in HR's response to new-normal. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-08-2020-2363
Choi, M., Kiran, S. R., Oh, S., & Kwon, O. (2019). Blockchain-Based Badge Award with Existence Proof. Applied Sciences, 9(12), 2473. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9122473
Deenmahomed, H. A. M., Didier, M. M., & Sungkur, R. K. (2021). The future of university education: Examination, transcript, and certificate system using blockchain. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 29(5), 1234-1256. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22381
Delgado-von-Eitzen, C., Anido-Rifón, L., & Fernández-Iglesias, M. J. (2021a). Blockchain Applications in Education: A Systematic Literature Review. Applied Sciences, 11(24), 11811. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104537
Delgado-von-Eitzen, C., Anido-Rifón, L., & Fernández-Iglesias, M. J. (2021b). Application of Blockchain in Education: GDPR-Compliant and Scalable Certification and Verification of Academic Information. Applied Sciences, 11(10), 4537. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104537
Dhanala, N. S., & Radha, D. (2020). Implementation and Testing of a Blockchain based Recruitment Management System. Paper presented at the 2020 5th International Conference on Communication and Electronics Systems (ICCES), 583-588. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCES48766.2020.9138093
European Commission. (n.d.). Higher education initiatives. https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/about-higher-education
Fachrunnisa, O., & Hussain, F. K. (2020). Blockchain-based human resource management practices for mitigating skills and competencies gap in workforce. International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 12, 1847979020966400. https://doi.org/10.1177/1847979020966400
Fedorova, E. P., & Skobleva, E. I. (2020). Application of blockchain technology in higher education. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 9(3), 552-571. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2020.3.552
Flavin, M. (2016). Technology-enhanced learning and higher education. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 32(4), 632-645. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grw028
Foster, P. (2014). 146,000 student Social Security numbers possibly exposed at Indiana U, https://www.usatoday.com/story/college/2014/02/26/146000-student-social-security-numbers-possibly-exposed-at-indiana-u/37438953/
Garcia-Font, V. (2020). Blockchain: Opportunities and challenges in the educational context. Engineering Data-Driven Adaptive Trust-Based E-Assessment Systems, 133-157. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29326-0_7
Grech, A., Sood, I., & Ariño, L. (2021). Blockchain, Self-Sovereign Identity and Digital Credentials: Promise Versus Praxis in Education. Frontiers in Blockchain, 4 https://doi.org/10.3389/fbloc.2021.616779
Gresch, J., Rodrigues, B., Scheid, E., Kanhere, S. S., & Stiller, B. (2018). The proposal of a blockchain-based architecture for transparent certificate handling. Paper presented at the International Conference on Business Information Systems, 185-196. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04849-5_16
Hameed, B., Khan, M. M., Noman, A., Ahmad, M. J., Talib, M. R., Ashfaq, F., Usman, H., & Yousaf, M. (2019). A review of Blockchain based educational projects. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 10(10) https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2019.0101065
Han, M., Li, Z., He, J., Wu, D., Xie, Y., & Baba, A. (2018). A novel blockchain-based education records verification solution. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 19th Annual SIG Conference on Information Technology Education, 178-183. https://doi.org/10.1145/3241815.3241870
Hunt, K., Narayanan, A., & Zhuang, J. (2021). Blockchain in humanitarian operations management: A review of research and practice. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 101175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2021.101175
Ingold, P. V., & Langer, M. (2021). Resume= Resume? The effects of blockchain, social media, and classical resumes on resume fraud and applicant reactions to resumes. Computers in Human Behavior, 114, 106573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106573
Jain, P., & Jain, P. (2020). Converting Blockchain Into A Strategic Resource.
Jandrić, P., & Hayes, S. (2021). The Blockchain University: Disrupting “Disruption”? Conceptualizing and Innovating Education and Work with Networked Learning (pp. 159-170). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85241-2_9
Jeong, W., & Choi, M. (2019). Design of recruitment management platform using digital certificate on blockchain. Journal of Information Processing Systems, 15(3), 707-716.
Kamble, S. S., Gunasekaran, A., & Gawankar, S. A. (2018). Sustainable Industry 4.0 framework: A systematic literature review identifying the current trends and future perspectives. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 117, 408-425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2018.05.009
Kant, N., & Anjali, K. (2020). Can blockchain be a strategic resource for ODL?: a study. Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, 15 (3), 395-410. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23813-1_20
Keršič, V., Štukelj, P., Kamišalić, A., Karakatić, S., & Turkanović, M. (2019). A blockchain-and AI-based platform for global employability. Paper presented at the International Congress on Blockchain and Applications, 161-168. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23813-1_20
Kim, T., Kumar, G., Saha, R., Rai, M. K., Buchanan, W. J., Thomas, R., & Alazab, M. (2020). A privacy preserving distributed ledger framework for global human resource record management: The blockchain aspect. IEEE Access, 8, 96455-96467. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2995481
Kouhizadeh, M., Saberi, S., & Sarkis, J. (2021). Blockchain technology and the sustainable supply chain: Theoretically exploring adoption barriers. International Journal of Production economics, 231, 107831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2020.107831
LendEDU. (2020). The Drawbacks and Deceptions of LinkedIn. https://lendedu.com/blog/drawbacks-deceptions-linkedin/
Li, H., Arditi, D., & Wang, Z. (2013). Factors that affect transaction costs in construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000573
Li, L., Zhang, H., & Dong, Y. (2021). Mechanism Construction of Human Resource Management based on Blockchain Technology. Journal of Systems Science and Information, 9(3), 310-320. https://doi.org/10.21078/JSSI-2021-310-11
Liu, Q., Guan, Q., Yang, X., Zhu, H., Green, G., & Yin, S. (2018). Education-industry cooperative system based on blockchain. Paper presented at the 2018 1st IEEE International Conference on Hot Information-Centric Networking (HotICN), 207-211. https://doi.org/10.1109/HOTICN.2018.8606036
Liyuan, L., Meng, H., Yiyun, Z., & Reza, P. (2019). E^ 2 C-Chain: a two-stage incentive education employment and skill certification blockchain. Paper presented at the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Blockchain (Blockchain), 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1109/Blockchain.2019.00027
Lizcano, D., Lara, J. A., White, B., & Aljawarneh, S. (2020). Blockchain-based approach to create a model of trust in open and ubiquitous higher education. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 32(1), 109-134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-019-09209-y
Loukil, F., Abed, M., & Boukadi, K. (2021). Blockchain adoption in education: a systematic literature review. Education and Information Technologies, 26(5), 5779-5797. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10481-8
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2017). Digital Diploma debuts at MIT. https://news.mit.edu/2017/mit-debuts-secure-digital-diploma-using-bitcoin-blockchain-technology-1017
Mathivathanan, D., Mathiyazhagan, K., Rana, N. P., Khorana, S., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2021). Barriers to the adoption of blockchain technology in business supply chains: a total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) approach. International Journal of Production Research, 59(11), 3338-3359. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1868597
Michailidis, M. P. (2018). The challenges of AI and blockchain on HR recruiting practices. Cyprus Review, 30(2), 169-180.
Mikroyannidis, A., Domingue, J., Bachler, M., & Quick, K. (2018). Smart blockchain badges for data science education. Paper presented at the 2018 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2018.8659012
Mishra, R., Kalla, A., Braeken, A., & Liyanage, M. (2021). Privacy Protected Blockchain Based Architecture and Implementation for Sharing of Students’ Credentials. Information Processing & Management, 58(3)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2021.102512
Onik, M. M. H., Miraz, M. H., & Kim, C. (2018). A recruitment and human resource management technique using blockchain technology for industry 4.0. Paper presented at the Smart Cities Symposium 2018, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1049/cp.2018.1371
Palma, L. M., Vigil, M. A., Pereira, F. L., & Martina, J. E. (2019). Blockchain and smart contracts for higher education registry in Brazil. International Journal of Network Management, 29(3), e2061. https://doi.org/10.1002/nem.2061
Park, J. (2021). Promises and challenges of Blockchain in education. Smart Learning Environments, 8(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-021-00179-2
Rahardja, U., Hidayanto, A. N., Putra, P. O. H., & Hardini, M. (2021). Immutable Ubiquitous Digital Certificate Authentication Using Blockchain Protocol. Journal of Applied Research and Technology, 19(4), 308-321. https://doi.org/10.22201/icat.24486736e.2021.19.4.1046
Raimundo, & Rosário. (2021). Blockchain System in the Higher Education. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 11(1), 276-293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11010021
Rama Reddy, T., Prasad Reddy, P. V. G. D, Srinivas, R., Raghavendran, C. V., Lalitha, R. V. S., & Annapurna, B. (2021). Proposing a reliable method of securing and verifying the credentials of graduates through blockchain. EURASIP Journal on Information Security, 2021(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13635-021-00122-5
Reis-Marques, Figueiredo, & de Castro Neto. (2021). Applications of Blockchain Technology to Higher Education Arena: A Bibliometric Analysis. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 11(4), 1406-1421. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11040101
Rhemananda, H., Simbolon, D. R., & Fachrunnisa, O. (2020). Blockchain technology to support employee recruitment and selection in industrial revolution 4.0. Paper presented at the International Conference on Smart Computing and Cyber Security: Strategic Foresight, Security Challenges and Innovation, 305-311. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7990-5_30
Saberi, S., Kouhizadeh, M., Sarkis, J., & Shen, L. (2019). Blockchain technology and its relationships to sustainable supply chain management. International Journal of Production Research, 57(7), 2117-2135. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2018.1533261
Salah, D., Ahmed, M. H., & Eldahshan, K. (2020). Blockchain applications in human resources management: Opportunities and challenges. Proceedings of the Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering, 383-389. https://doi.org/10.1145/3383219.3383274
Sarkis, J., Zhu, Q., & Lai, K. (2011). An organizational theoretic review of green supply chain management literature. International Journal of Production Economics, 130(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2010.11.010
Schmidt, C. G., & Wagner, S. M. (2019). Blockchain and supply chain relations: A transaction cost theory perspective. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 25(4), 100552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2019.100552
Sharples, M., & Domingue, J. (2016). The blockchain and kudos: A distributed system for educational record, reputation and reward. Paper presented at the European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, 490-496. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45153-4_48
Sherimon, V., Sherimon, P. C., & Ismaeel, A. (2020). JobChain: An Integrated Blockchain Model for Managing Job Recruitment for Ministries in Sultanate of Oman. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2020.0110252
Srivastava, A., Bhattacharya, P., Singh, A., Mathur, A., Prakash, O., & Pradhan, R. (2018). A distributed credit transfer educational framework based on blockchain. Paper presented at the 2018 Second International Conference on Advances in Computing, Control and Communication Technology (IAC3T), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.1109/IAC3T.2018.8674023
StandOut CV. (2022). Study: Fake job references and resume lies. https://standout-cv.com/usa/study-fake-job-references-resume-lies
Tang, Q. (2021). Towards Using Blockchain Technology to Prevent Diploma Fraud. IEEE Access, 9, 168678-168688. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3137901
Treiblmaier, H. (2018). The impact of the blockchain on the supply chain: a theory-based research framework and a call for action. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 23(6), 545-559. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3224145
Turkanović, M., Hölbl, M., Košič, K., Heričko, M., & Kamišalić, A. (2018). EduCTX: A blockchain-based higher education credit platform. IEEE Access, 6, 5112-5127. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2018.2789929
UPCEA. (2022). Survey: 3 in 10 students lose significant academic credits transferring between colleges. https://upcea.edu/survey-3-in-10-students-lose-significant-academic-credits-transferring-between-colleges/
Vaezinejad, S., & Kouhizadeh, M. (2022). Blockchain and Supply Chain Management: Applications and Implications. In The Palgrave Handbook of Supply Chain Management (pp. 1-26). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89822-9_75-1
Williams, P. (2019). Does competency-based education with blockchain signal a new mission for universities? Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 41(1), 104-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2018.1520491
Yumna, H., Khan, M. M., Ikram, M., & Ilyas, S. (2019). Use of blockchain in education: a systematic literature review. Paper presented at the Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems, 191-202. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14802-7_17
Zhao, W., Liu, K., & Ma, K. (2019). Design of Student Capability Evaluation System Merging Blockchain Technology. Journal of Physics. Conference Series, 1168(3), 32123. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1168/3/032123