Hello future! Tec kicks off an era of university degree certificates

 At Tec de Monterrey, our bachelor’s degree certificates will now also be digital and on blockchain.

As of the group of students graduating this semester, alumni will receive an encrypted digital degree certificate that is easy to authenticate in real time anywhere in the world, along with the paper version.

In this way, any employer or university in Mexico or abroad will find it easy to authenticate degree certificates in an instant.

To do so, the Tec is using an international certification standard developed by MIT, which is based on blockchain technology (in which information is stored simultaneously on several computers across the world).

What’s more, the Tec is already issuing its degree certificates in accordance with the new official digital standard in XML format (the same one used for electronic invoices) established by the Mexican Ministry of Public Education (SEP).

THE TEC, BLAZING A TRAIL ACROSS MEXICO AND THE WORLD

This step makes the Tec the first Mexican university to offer degree certificates on blockchain, and it joins a very select group of pioneering universities across the world on this journey.

These institutions include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) itself, in the United States, considered the number one university in the world in all rankings.

“Issuing our degree certificates in digital form based on Blockchain is a big step that allows our graduates to share their academic credentials electronically”, commented David Garza, Rector of Tec de Monterrey, to CONECTA.

“Today, this applies to degree certificates, but in future it will be extended to other type of certifications. This provides benefits to employers, institutions, and organizations throughout the world.

“We are confident that this technology will have a great deal of impact in future on different sectors of society. As a university, we are exploring new and different uses”, he added.

society. As a university, we are exploring new and different uses”, he added.

ADVANTAGES

Here are some key advantages of this new method:

- Verifiable
Employers and institutions can authenticate them in real time.

- Portable
Alumni can share their degree certificates and even publish them to social networks.

- Secure
Blockchain ensures that records cannot be modified after they've been issued.

- Global standard
Degree certificates are issued under a widely accepted open standard.

HOW DO THE NEW DEGREE CERTIFICATES WORK?

Those students who are about to graduate should download the Blockcerts Wallet application and follow these steps.

If you're graduating in 2019:

1) DOWNLOAD the Blockcerts Wallet app onto your cellphone.

2) ENTER as a new user and your passphrase will be created automatically.

3) ADD "Tecnológico de Monterrey" to your Blockcerts digital wallet before May 9. You'll receive an invitation to do so in your university email inbox.

4) RECEIVE your bachelor's degree certificate in your university email inbox on June 7.

5) ADD your degree certificate to your digital wallet by pressing the button "Add credential".

6) ENJOY the benefits: Verifiable anywhere and accessible for easy sharing.

WHAT ABOUT THE CERTIFICATE FOR MY PARENTS? WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PAPER VERSION?

For those students graduating with a traditional degree certificate, this will continue to hold the same value.

Those students who have already received their digital degree certificate will also get a certificate on paper, which they can present to anyone who needs it in this form.

CAN I REQUEST A DIGITAL DEGREE CERTIFICATE IF I’VE ALREADY GRADUATED?

The Tec’s Student Services area is already receiving and answering requests to generate degree certificates for graduates in XML format, which are now valid for the SEP in Mexico.

Adding a bachelor’s degree certificate via blockchain technology is optional and there are certain requirements for making this possible.

One of these is issuing your electronic degree certificate in XML format, a process begun by the SEP in December 2018, so we encourage graduates from May 2018 and previous years to ask your campus student office to issue your degree certificate in XML format.

Those of our students who graduated in May 2018 and previous years will receive their degree certificates on blockchain over the course of a second phase in January 2020, provided that students have them in XML format and have the necessary documents.

WHAT IS BLOCKCHAIN?

Blockchain is a public decentralized network that allows you to make digital transactions securely. Its most significant features are encryption and unalterable records.

This institution will use the Blockcerts standard created by MIT in 2016 for adding credentials to blockchain.

The Tec will issue Blockcerts via the Learning Machine system, a platform that allows governments, universities, and corporations to add digital records to blockchain.

Tec de Monterrey is also actually working with another 8 top universities across the world -also including MIT- to create an even better new standard of digital certification for education, in anticipation of future needs.

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