The Colorado Department of Higher Education has unveiled its plans to launch a specialized “biodome”-like facility that leverages blockchain technology to decentralize the state’s higher education systems.
Also dubbed “C-Lab,” the Colorado Education Work Lab aims to provide the state with a “unified but decentralized ecosystem for innovation, pilots, research, and collaboration for the future of education and work.”
The project is being developed in partnership with Learning Economy, a US-based non-profit organization working in the field of innovative education.
“[The C-Lab] represents a first-of-its-kind ‘biodome’ experiment for blockchain and education, connecting the entire state into a decentralized 21st century education and workplace infrastructure,” said Chris Purifoy, CEO and chairman of Learning Economy.
For that purpose, the facility will develop and launch a statewide Colorado Learning Ledger and Skills Graph that incorporate government IDs, learner/employer records, research information, compliance data and other systems.
The Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger, a joint project of open-source blockchains and related tools, is also listed among the C-Lab’s service partners.
The Colorado Education Work Lab is expected to host its kick-off event on January 30, 2020.