Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

Blockchain-enhanced Integrity Verification in Educational Content Assessment Platform: A Lightweight and Cost-Efficient Approach

Talgar Bayan, Richard Banach, Askar Nurbekov, Makhmud Mustafabek Galy, Adi Sabyrbayev, Zhanat Nurbekova

TL;DR

The paper addresses the integrity and trust challenges in digital educational content assessment by introducing a Blockchain-enhanced framework for EPEC that uses Polygon as a Layer-2 solution to store encrypted reviews linked to unique identifiers on-chain. The approach employs a lightweight, Dockerized Flask Web3.py stack and a simple Solidity contract (TextStorage) to bind on-chain data with off-chain databases, enabling end-to-end data integrity verification. It demonstrates substantial cost savings, with Polygon gas fees dramatically lower than Ethereum, enabling scalable deployment for large-scale educational content verification. The contribution provides a practical, secure, and extensible solution that can integrate with existing systems and evolve toward multi-chain, privacy-preserving extensions and AI-assisted security auditing.

Abstract

The growing digitization of education presents significant challenges in maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of educational content. Traditional systems often fail to ensure data authenticity and prevent unauthorized alterations, particularly in the evaluation of teachers' professional activities, where demand for transparent and secure assessment mechanisms is increasing. In this context, Blockchain technology offers a novel solution to address these issues. This paper introduces a Blockchain-enhanced framework for the Electronic Platform for Expertise of Content (EPEC), a platform used for reviewing and assessing educational materials. Our approach integrates the Polygon network, a Layer-2 solution for Ethereum, to securely store and retrieve encrypted reviews, ensuring both privacy and accountability. By leveraging Python, Flask, and Web3.py, we interact with a Solidity-based smart contract to securely link each review to a unique identifier (UID) that connects on-chain data with real-world databases. The system, containerized using Docker, facilitates easy deployment and integration through API endpoints. Our implementation demonstrates significant cost savings, with a 98\% reduction in gas fees compared to Ethereum, making it a scalable and cost-effective solution. This research contributes to the ongoing effort to implement Blockchain in educational content verification, offering a practical and secure framework that enhances trust and transparency in the digital education landscape.

Blockchain-enhanced Integrity Verification in Educational Content Assessment Platform: A Lightweight and Cost-Efficient Approach

TL;DR

The paper addresses the integrity and trust challenges in digital educational content assessment by introducing a Blockchain-enhanced framework for EPEC that uses Polygon as a Layer-2 solution to store encrypted reviews linked to unique identifiers on-chain. The approach employs a lightweight, Dockerized Flask Web3.py stack and a simple Solidity contract (TextStorage) to bind on-chain data with off-chain databases, enabling end-to-end data integrity verification. It demonstrates substantial cost savings, with Polygon gas fees dramatically lower than Ethereum, enabling scalable deployment for large-scale educational content verification. The contribution provides a practical, secure, and extensible solution that can integrate with existing systems and evolve toward multi-chain, privacy-preserving extensions and AI-assisted security auditing.

Abstract

The growing digitization of education presents significant challenges in maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of educational content. Traditional systems often fail to ensure data authenticity and prevent unauthorized alterations, particularly in the evaluation of teachers' professional activities, where demand for transparent and secure assessment mechanisms is increasing. In this context, Blockchain technology offers a novel solution to address these issues. This paper introduces a Blockchain-enhanced framework for the Electronic Platform for Expertise of Content (EPEC), a platform used for reviewing and assessing educational materials. Our approach integrates the Polygon network, a Layer-2 solution for Ethereum, to securely store and retrieve encrypted reviews, ensuring both privacy and accountability. By leveraging Python, Flask, and Web3.py, we interact with a Solidity-based smart contract to securely link each review to a unique identifier (UID) that connects on-chain data with real-world databases. The system, containerized using Docker, facilitates easy deployment and integration through API endpoints. Our implementation demonstrates significant cost savings, with a 98\% reduction in gas fees compared to Ethereum, making it a scalable and cost-effective solution. This research contributes to the ongoing effort to implement Blockchain in educational content verification, offering a practical and secure framework that enhances trust and transparency in the digital education landscape.
Paper Structure (18 sections, 4 equations, 8 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 18 sections, 4 equations, 8 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Works
  3. Blockchain Technology in Education
  4. Smart Contracts in Educational Assessment
  5. Blockchain-based Content Verification
  6. Research Gap and Our Contribution
  7. Methodology and Implementation Details
  8. Blockchain Platform Selection and Rationale
  9. Smart Contract Design and Implementation
  10. Integration with EPEC
  11. Data Security and Encryption Approach
  12. Privacy and Security in Blockchain
  13. Results
  14. Performance Analysis
  15. Smart Contract Address and Interacting Wallet Security Considerations
  16. ...and 3 more sections

Figures (8)

  • Figure 1: High-Level Architecture of EPEC Platform.
  • Figure 2: Functionality of our TextStorage smart contract.
  • Figure 3: Database relations.
  • Figure 4: Integrity checking with the on-chain encrypted data and returned successful status.
  • Figure 5: User interface displaying a failed integrity check, indicated by a red notification when local data does not match the Blockchain record.
  • ...and 3 more figures