One of the best ways of describing one of the core principles of cryptocurrency technology is a form of unifying users with a currency based marketplace.
In order for any cryptocurrency to succeed, there must be a strong community built around it. Therefore, as new blockchains are being introduced, there is a natural inclination to develop them around certain demographics, interests and problems.
A new blockchain named Disciplina is trying to follow the same model by utilizing this idea to serve those involved in the educational system.
Disciplina ICO Review: The Market Opportunity
What is Disciplina?
In this day and age, the importance of education is becoming increasingly relevant. With most jobs requiring some degree from an institute of higher education, the community of those in the academic field is tightly knit and ever growing. Several tools, apps, and alternative social media platforms regularly come forth to serve this niche segment, and that approach has now reached the blockchain space.
Disciplina is developing a platform exclusively targeting those with ties to academics. It describes itself as the first blockchain to create profiles based on academic and professional achievements.
The blockchain stores and uses the academic and professional accomplishments of its users in order to create a registry-based upon a scoring system centered around an individual’s credentials.
The purpose of doing this is not to give an individual bragging rights for their achievements, but to actually solve a real-world problem of students not being able to easily find jobs in their respective fields.
How Does Disciplina Work?
In Disciplina, students’ grades, tasks, test scores, and certifications are stored and are made available to recruiters and employers all under the umbrella of a cryptocurrency based network. From there, recruiters and employers can contact those students who seem like viable candidates and offer them work opportunities to secure the students’ talent for their firm.
The central goal of Disciplina is to create a universal blockchain based on achievements in academics and the professional realm. It will supplement this by utilizing an algorithm that will form the basis of a search engine that shows candidates based on their respective fields of expertise.
It will then use these features to monetize the data provided by the educational institutions partnered with Disciplina. This format presents some distinct advantages for consumers.
Enhanced Opportunities
One of the most prominent benefits is the ability for students to store their personal data in digital form and provide access to recruiters and employers through the platform. This ensures that apart from regular job fairs, students could rely on transparency and the increased usability of blockchain technology to find jobs even as they are going through their classes and subsequent exams. This opens doors to plenty of opportunities to come to them without the chances of disrupting their studies.
Searchable Data
The stored data can be segmented and combed through via the implementation of a search tool that sorts candidates by expertise and achievements in their field. This is backed by an open source code so any educational institute or recruiting service can rely on its promise of transparency. This ensures that students can get a fair opportunity at being found by an interested recruiter; while for the recruiter, it brings the benefits of finding great candidates according to very specific requirements.
Focused Milestones
Another advantage that Disciplina offers to students is the power to target their education through set milestones. For instance, conditions can be set by recruiters and employers for their selected candidate to unlock certain accomplishments through their academic experience. If the students manage to complete these particular milestones in their education, their job would be guaranteed with added incentives (according to the employer’s discretion). This further incentivizes students to take their education seriously.
Effective Communication
The blockchain is designed in a manner that unites academic institutions, tutors, students, and recruiters. These groups interact with one another through applications designed around a primary purpose. For instance, employers, private tutors, and the universities are connected to the Disciplina blockchain through its education application. Similarly, recruiters can then retrieve this information from the blockchain through the HR application. No public blockchains are used in the operations either; rather, Disciplina relies upon its own blockchain and eponymous token (DSCP).
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What Does Disciplina Solve?
Disciplina seeks to solve data stored in various educational institutions in differing formats and the level of trust in the educational system.
The first problem might be an issue for developing nations, if the developing nation has these issues due to lack of infrastructure from computers to internet and etc, then blockchain would not be of use to them. This would not be a problem for developed nations such as the United States, Great Britain, France, and many other countries out there. They have databases that can easily transfer information to recruiters and other interested parties.
The problem that it may solve for students is more compelling. Being able to provide a credible rating registrar for an educational institution as well as teacher qualifications might be of more use. Yet any education system, secondary education or otherwise would have independent parties that accredit schools and universities.
A registrar which showed the success of students in finding a job, moving further in life and other criteria might be worthwhile but how much? If students were able to see data in regard to inputs and outputs, it could be a great value-add.
These inputs would state the costs involved in attending the university and the historical returns of students who have invested their time and money into the university. If the Disciplina system is able to create an educational plan to address a particular employment goal, this could bring some real value to students.
If students can tap into a dynamic system which shows them an educational path toward employment, thus guiding hem and guaranteeing more potential after attending a university or college, this would be very helpful.
Disciplina also helps recruiters to connect to the right candidates as well.
Disciplina’s Blockchain and Its Token Usage
Disciplina’s blockchain is designed with the safety of its users’ stored data at the forefront of its technology. That is one of the core reasons why it does not use a public blockchain such as Ethereum, but brings its own solutions to the mix.
The blockchain operates upon a proof of stake method of validation for its tokens with a rating system instead of delegation. Rewards for creating nodes are random but proportional to the amount of stake that a user has in the platform.
Disciplina functions on a two-layer architecture, where it boasts of both private and public layers. While the public layer serves as the segment that gives access to verification procedures for privately held and recorded data, the private layer is for students and educational institutions.
The public layer is for witnesses and recruiters, and it stores cryptographic proofs that show that the data is untampered. The Web of Trust is a novel method of validating transactions and users. It serves as a reputation mechanism where each entity reviews and rates other users on their ability to assess skills and their overall usefulness to the platform. This allows for a method of assessing the validity of users and transactions without relying on delegation.
Whereas, the private layer contains the data on academic and professional qualifications and achievements. The reason of it operating on a separate channel is driven by privacy, which adds to the trust that a user needs to develop in the Disciplina blockchain.
Mining is Disciplina is different from the majority of existing blockchains, as it relies on usefulness to the platform rather than work. Users get rewards for productive activity devoted to transaction processing as well as how well they are helping build the network.
These rewards are proportional to the amount of DSCP tokens that a user has staked with the network. Miners will receive tokens from the technical pool depending on their activity, as well as commission for their services performed.
The DSCP token is the base currency supported on the Disciplina blockchain. It is not linked to other types of cryptocurrency but rather exists solely on this platform. There is however a unique feature attached to it which is rarely seen on other blockchains.
Users have the option to receive a Cryptopay co-branding card which will have the option to convert tokens to fiat money. This is a unique function because it demonstrates that the emphasis of the platform is not placed on transaction fees or exchanges, but rather on creating a unified network of users centered around a particular field.
Disciplina ICO Review: CrowdSale
The ICO took place in July, 2018, it started on July 18 2018 and ended the next day. The platform raised more than $13 million in their initial crowd offering.
Participants did have to go through a KYC procedure to contribute toward the ICO.
Max volume of issued tokens will be 95,000,000 DSCP.
Disciplina ICO Review: The Team and Its On-Paper Potential
Each of the managerial team members at Disciplina holds sufficient experience in their respective fields, and have LinkedIn profiles tied to their portfolio.
Disciplina has so far met the goals defined in its roadmap effectively. What adds to its reliability is that it has been in the works since 2016, and has already launched its Alpha release for users to try and get acquainted with its interface.
While that sounds impressive, it makes sense how a relatively new blockchain has been able to pull off this feat when you take a look at their profiles more closely. Some of the key team members behind Disciplina have previously worked on Cardano’s development, which remains a popular blockchain in the cryptocurrency space.
They are already working with Teachmeplease, a site that offers courses. This sort of system creates an interesting use case for the platform as it can prove that users took the courses, passed the class and has that knowledge.
Disciplina ICO Review: Opinion
Disciplina is operating in a sector that certainly needs a lot of help. The cost of higher education in the United States is not the friendliest for students, a better system would greatly improve their lives.
Disciplina is also competing in a space that has platforms like Udacity, Udemy, Lynda and other organizations that provide credentials and certifications. These organizations are still trying to provide value to students and become a value-add to their students.
For example, Udacity seeks to do an end-to-end process by providing in-demand education and the opportunity to connect with companies as well if students are successful in their courses.
They are also operating in a world that has Linkedin, a system that acts as a database for professionals across various disciplines and regions. The ability to have a way of certifying an individual and their talents and knowledge would be interesting for certain.
It could make the onboarding process much easier, corporations would not have to spend as much time on training if they know for a fact that the individual will be able to be competent and get to work from day 1
Yet the application process for specialized jobs is not easy, companies do have tests and intense interviews before a candidate can be hired. Employers look at various factors ranging from the technical ability to cultural fit, if employers are able to minimize the onboarding process through Disciplina it can provide a key value-add in that process. This would probably be a system that is integrated with a database like Linkedin.
The main point is that Disciplina is building a foundation on the verification of educational data and then building on top of that premise. This may not be a big problem across the world.
Is Disciplina Really Beneficial to Its Users?
The strong emphasis on uniting people in the academic field means that it’s goals and mission are better fulfilled without the clutter of multiple currencies or fields. Those who perhaps are no longer active in education but are wishing to rejoin the field are therefore further incentivized to do so, and in particular to excel.
Not only is there monetization involved in these endeavors but it opens the door for potential employers and recruiters to access these achievements, thus increasing the chances of the involved being hired for their hard work.
In a world of many different blockchains with various features and goals, Disciplina stands apart as a particularly unique and thought out platform. It is straightforward and simple but it seems to be competing in a market that is changing gradually.
It can provide value over time if they are able to integrate into various universities and be widely recognized. There is certainly an opportunity here for solving aspects in the educational system and I think that Disciplina is still working it out.
I don’t see how token holders for investment purposes will benefit from holding the token as this was not very clear in the whitepaper