14th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems

Abstract

Self-sovereign identity deals with the way individuals can manage their identity in the digital world. This is high in priority for European Blockchain Infrastructure (EBSI) that is leveraging blockchain technology and offers a decentralized solution that enables higher education institutions (HEI) to manage sensitive digital data that shouldn’t be forged, such as digital credentials (e.g., diplomas and proofs of studying). This simplifies the way digital credentials can be issued and verified by HEIs while giving the ownership of them to the learner. However, there is an absence of empirical research using EBSI ecosystem for cross-border verification of digital credentials. To address this gap, we used design science research method and developed an artefact. A study between two HEIs was conducted, and the artefact was evaluated through qualitative analysis by interviewing 19 administrators from HEIs. As a contribution, our study identifies 14 considerations that might affect the implementation of such a system in practice. However, we conclude that institutional and national strategies towards digital credentials play a bigger role than technical considerations for implementation.

Download

Share

COinS