OpenSTEM Africa Blockchain

Leveraging Blockchain for OpenSTEM Africa

This project, led by WELS and funded by HEIF, is developing a business case and implementation model which leverages blockchain capacity to create a smart and sustainable future for OpenSTEM Africa, BlueScreenIT's education offerings and explores the wider potential for this model across the Open University. The key project objectives are to work collaboratively with BluescreenIT to:

- keep track of existing patterns of OpenSTEM resource use to understand actual and potential demand better

- monetise where appropriate additional delivery to ensure both sustainability and expanded project reach

- validate the integrity of high value Open Educational Resources (OER) such as onscreen science applications

- use blockchain to feasibly manage existing and expanded delivery in diverse and complex educational contexts by reducing the administrative cost and overheads through the use of smart contracts and other measures

- use blockchain (particularly through the use of smart contracts) to monitor and manage expansions of both existing content and platform usage to allow a wider range of users to access and benefit from this content in new creative ways. In particular, use blockchain to facilitate opportunities to licence and appropriately charge for educational resources to be used on various platforms

- integrate this business case and implementation model with relationships in developing countries and organisations and foundations involved in international development

- use this expansion of provision to facilitate wider additional sales such as activities and CPD training

- use this business case and implementation model as a template for other projects in BluescreenIT, WELS, STEM and across the Open University as a whole

- be consistent with the ethics around the use of OER whilst recognising the context of OER provision - particularly around the amount of available grant funding - has changed

- scope the possibility of an OpenSTEM Africa app which can be used in various ways with blockchain

Partners

• BluescreenIT

Alexander Mikroyannidis