Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As part of Milligan University’s fall Faculty Lecture Series, Kelly Griffith, assistant professor of computer science and Canvas LMS manager, will present a lecture titled “Blockchain: The Solution to Disparities in Education and Industry.”

The lecture will be held in Hyder Auditorium in the university’s Science Building on​​ Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m.  

Griffith’s lecture will explore how blockchain technology could better track educational records and improve job placement and outcomes for students.

“We have a digital divide in our country, where 46 percent of Americans don’t have access to a personal computer, and a disparity exists in educational assessments as cities and counties across the country have different resources and procedures,” shared Griffith. “Blockchain can help store educational records, making them easier for individuals and school systems to track and share educational achievements. Ultimately, this should improve job placement and help employers and employees find the best long-term outcome.”

IBM defines blockchain as a shared ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network. Griffith will share how this technology could improve job placement, improving outcomes for employers and employees, if applied to educational records.

Griffith reflects on a common situation where a student may be a few credits shy of obtaining a college degree and be weeded out or denied a job interview by a company’s Human Resources system, even though they are a strong candidate. If blockchain technology can be widely applied to education, it could help both parties better find and validate the most qualified job candidate.

Blockchain technology could also significantly benefit certain groups, like foster children and displaced groups, by making it easier to track and certify their educational and professional accomplishments even if they move through various school systems.

Griffith graduated from Milligan with a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and earned her master’s degree in instructional design and learning technology from Anderson University. She previously served at East Tennessee State University as assistant to the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and executive aide to the chair of the Quillen College of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine. Griffith has also served in project management and reporting roles at Advanced Call Center Technologies, LLC.

The Faculty Lecture Series provides students and other members of the Milligan community a glimpse into the active world of academic research and writing at Milligan. The lecture is free and open to the public.