KMi’s Alexander Mikroyannidis has developed the new badged open course: Decentralising Education Using Blockchain Technology. The course introduces Blockchain technology and its potential for decentralising and transforming education. The course also presents the work carried out by the QualiChain project for the decentralised management and verification of education and employment qualifications, specifically in the context of lifelong learning. Finally, the course offers an opportunity to learners to try the online platform developed by QualiChain and earn a Blockchain-based Smart Badge. The course is available on the Open University’s OpenLearn Create platform and is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which allows the reuse and adaptation of the course materials for non-commercial purposes. Upon completion of the course, learners earn a free statement of participation. 

The course was officially launched during the Open Education Global 2021 conference, which took place online between September 27 – October 1, 2021. The purpose of the Open Education Global Conference 2021 & 2022 is to support the implementation of the UNESCO OER Recommendation, from commitment to action. The 2021 & 2022 conference series brings the global open education community together to collectively work on advancing the implementation of the UNESCO OER Recommendation in actions associated with all five action areas: Capacity Building, Policy, Access, Sustainability, and International Cooperation.