A student in the Faculty of Computer Science and Technology has secured a research award to build a framework aimed at reducing admissions fraud in post-secondary institutions
An Algoma University student is working on a project that could help colleges and universities to combat admissions fraud after receiving a high-profile research award.
Vani, a student in Algoma University’s Faculty of Computer Science and Technology, has been awarded a Mitacs Business Strategy Internship worth $75,000 over two years for their project, entitled Developing a Decentralized Trust Framework for Higher Education: A Blockchain-Enabled Multi-Factor Authentication and Verifiable Credential Ecosystem.
Vani’s last name is not being disclosed at her request, according to the university.
The project — which is being done in partnership with LinkBlock, a Toronto-based technology startup specializing in the education sector — is expected to significantly improve how colleges and universities securely verify the information and documents students are required to submit as part of their post-secondary applications packages, according to a release from Algoma University.
“Vani’s achievement reflects the calibre of research taking place within our Faculty of Computer Science and Technology and the meaningful impact our students can have when academic excellence is paired with strong industry collaboration,” said Dr. Ajmery Sultana, a Faculty of Computer Science and Technology assistant professor at the university.
“This project addresses a real-world challenge in secure digital identity and credential verification, while creating opportunities to advance innovation in higher education.
“We are incredibly proud of Vani for earning this prestigious Mitacs award and look forward to seeing the impact this research will have in Canada and beyond.”
Using blockchain technology and modern authentication methods, the project aims to make it easier and safer for post-secondary institutions to confirm degrees, diplomas, certificates, and other qualifications while giving students greater control over their academic records.
The project will develop a secure digital identity and student record verification system that can work with online learning platforms already used by many colleges and universities, including the Moodle and D2L Brightspace platforms, which support course delivery, assignments and grading.
“The project is designed to simplify administrative processes, reduce credential fraud, strengthen privacy and security and make it easier for students to securely access and share their academic records,” the university said in its release.