VerDe

What is VerDe?

Verified Degrees (VerDe) is a fully functional blockchain-based application for registration and verification of academic qualifications. The platform offers an efficient and transparent facility able to handle mobility consequences, detect fraud, and overcome administrative barriers by: (i) offering the verification capability to any third-party, and (ii) employing a custom-made token that emulates the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
VerDe platform is envisioned as a decentralized application with two distinct interfaces, facilitating two distinguishable processes: the registration of an academic qualification (to the Ethereum blockchain), and the verification of issued degrees. VerDe is composed of a smart contract operating on the Ethereum blockchain, a customised ERC-20 token and two interfaces for the initialization of the registration and verification processes.

REGISTER Academic Qualification VERIFY Academic Credentials

How to use VerDe

For VerDe to operate, make sure you have installed on your browser a digital wallet connected in Ethereum Ropsten network (e.g., Metamask).

REGISTRATION emulates:

1. The student’s data retrieval from a local database

2. The data entry by an Academic Unit (courses, grades, ECTS)

3. The submission of the transaction to the Ethereum blockchain via the implemented smart contract.

In this demo, only steps 1 and 2 are supported, as step 3 incurs transaction costs. To retrieve a sample student, search for Academic ID: dai16067

VERIFICATION emulates the search and retrieval of an individual’s academic credentials based on the knowledge by any third party of their digital wallet address.

To retrieve the credentials of a sample student, search for digital wallet address: 0xB1DedF3e9b7558fEA42ba05625355bAA3Ed5BdeE

PUBLICATIONS

1. G. Michoulis, S. Petridou and K. Vergidis, “Verification of Academic Qualifications through Ethereum Blockchain: An Introduction to VerDe”, Proceedings of the XIV Balkan Conference on Operational Research (BALCOR2020), Thessaloniki, Greece, Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, 2020 (link).

2. Γ. Μιχούλης, Κ. Βεργίδης, Σ. Πετρίδου, "Επαλήθευση εγκυρότητας ακαδημαϊκών τίτλων με χρήση του Ethereum Blockchain", 17ο Φοιτητικό Συνέδριο Διοικητικής Επιστήμης και Τεχνολογίας (ΔΕΤ), Οικονομικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, Μάρτιος 2021 (link).

Research Team

Sofia Petridou

Assistant Professor in Department of Applied Informatics at University of Macedonia

Kostas Vergidis

Associate Professor
in Department of Applied Informatics at University of Macedonia

Nikos Nousias

Doctoral researcher, Department of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia

George Michoulis

MSc student, Department of Computer Science, Aristotle University, MSc Data and Web Science

Contact

Website

Email

spetrido@uom.edu.gr

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