Blockchain-Based Platform for Smart Learning Environments

• Published in: Business Information Systems Vol. 353; pp. 487 - 499
• Main Authors: Bdiwi, Rawia, de Runz, Cyril, Cherif, Arab Ali, Faiz, Sami
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2019; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing
• Subjects: Blockchain technology; Decentralised architecture; Internet of Things; Smart Learning Environments
• ISBN: 9783030204846; 3030204847
• ISSN: 1865-1348; 1865-1356
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-20485-3_38

The Internet of Things (IoT) is making significant advances, especially in smart environments, but it still suffers from security issues and vulnerabilities. Hence, the security approach seems to be inappropriate for IoT-based workspaces due to the centralised architecture used by most connected objects. However, BlockChain (BC) is a technology that has been recently used to enhance security in mainly peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. The main research goal of this study is to determine whether BC, IoT, and decentralised models can be used to secure Smart Learning Environments (SLEs). In this paper, we propose a new secure and reliable architecture for connected workspaces that eliminates the central intermediary, while preserving most of the security benefits. The system is investigated on an environment containing several connected sensors and uses the BC application, offering a hierarchical network that manages transactions and profits from the distributed trust method to enable a decentralised communication model. Finally, an evaluation is conducted to highlight the effectiveness in providing security for the novel system.