Blockchain-Enabled Micro-credentials: A Hyperledger Besu Framework for Academic Trust and Portability
Abrar Mahbub Tanim, Humira Saria, Md. Foysal Hossain, Nafees Mansoor
Conference Paper. IEEE International WIE Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering/WIECON-ECE, no. 2025, pp. 575–579 (2025).
Abstract
Traditional education struggles to provide the agile, skill-focused qualifications demanded by today's evolving workforce. Micro-credentials offer a promising solution, yet challenges with recognition, seamless portability, and robust security hinder their widespread adoption. This paper introduces and systematically evaluates a decentralized system utilizing Hyperledger Besu to integrate secure, credit-bearing micro-credentials into academic frameworks. Leveraging smart contracts, the system establishes a resilient, tamper-proof framework for issuing and verifying digital credentials, thereby addressing critical needs for a more flexible and trustworthy learning paradigm. Performance evaluation comprehensively confirms the system's efficiency, demonstrating an average block creation time of 2.64 seconds and a mean block retrieval time of merely 3.30 ms. While initial tests showed consistent performance under low transaction loads, significant scalability challenges emerged under high concurrency, indicating crucial areas for future development and optimization. By bridging the gap between formal education and evolving industry needs, this research validates a robust blockchain-based pathway for significantly enhancing credential portability and fostering trust, paving the way for a new era of continuous lifelong learning and skill validation. © 2025 IEEE.
Keywords
Blockchain, Decentralization, Education, Hyperledger Besu, Microcredentials, Smart Contract