We will review how these steps are undertaken traditionally, new roadblocks which are hampering the process, and how efficient digital approaches can bypass or address such obstacles.

- Receipt of official academic credentials via direct means using secure protocols

It is of utmost importance in any situation requiring verification that credentials be sent through secure means. Traditionally, this meant delivery through regular mail. Courier and email are not considered secure, as both present opportunities for backend manipulation. The credentials themselves must arrive in a stamped and sealed envelope. This was considered the gold standard, but mail has become sluggish and unreliable due to budget constraints, COVID, and labor strikes.

In comparison, a proper digital approach involves the transmission and delivery of such credentials through a secure app or platform. Replacing the sealed envelope would be digital security measures embedded within the file (encryption or blockchain hash).

- Visual and physical inspection of credentials by experienced professionals

In order to ascertain the legitimacy of the documents, a comprehensive inspection is needed to look for flaws or irregularities. Beyond obvious issues such as typographical errors, additional causes for concern include primitive formatting, signs of commercial printer use, blurriness etc. Ideally, this sort of inspection is performed by veteran staff who’ve seen thousands of credentials spanning decades. However, the so-named Great Resignation has not spared the education sector, which is experiencing a “brain drain” of qualified and practiced professionals. [1] Newer hires, having no experience to draw from, naturally find it harder to differentiate the genuine from the inauthentic. Increasing sophistication in the production of forged credentials further exacerbates this issue. [2]

Now let’s apply these analog techniques to digital. Although you may not be able to feel the transcript’s texture, the same visual discrepancies can be searched for in electronic credentials. But this is to ignore the fact that any digital credential, suspicious-looking or not, should have security measures in place that make visual inspection a redundant practice.

- Research to establish chain of custody and confirm legitimacy of signees

A further degree of confidence is gained by taking the time to research the names and positions of the officials who have signed the credentials. A worthwhile investigation will confirm whether these individuals exist, if they hold the positions indicated on the document, and if they are the appropriate officials to sign off on such documents. This information was once readily available on school websites and materials. However, due to high turnover and the need to countermeasure spam messaging, such information is being intentionally obscured by institutions. Many school websites and handbooks now provide generic office contacts rather than those of individual staff. Modern digital credential platforms allow institutions to provide a full chain of custody at all stages on a need-to-know basis, eliminating time-intensive research on the recipient’s end.

- Irregularities of any significance are cause for a formal request to the issuer

Any red flags trigger the process of requesting explicit confirmation from the issuing representative at the institution: this entails a written memorandum on letterhead, signed and stamped in a sealed envelope. This sort of late-in-the-game undertaking significantly delays the application/evaluation/hiring process, and must often be repeated another two times until a response is received. By comparison, the streamlining potential of modern digital platforms is such that one can request and receive direct authentication in less time and with less effort than it takes to properly inspect the document on one’s own.

Up to now, “analog” verification procedures have well served those whose work depends on determining the veracity of academic credentials. As a means of skill building and knowledge deepening, these techniques are undoubtedly valuable and will continue to be taught to admissions processors and evaluators. Notwithstanding, there is a clear imperative for all parties to transition to modern, platform-based models, seeing as their security and transparency measures greatly surpass those of the old methods.

Juan Garibaldi has 15 years of experience as a credential evaluator and works as Director of Credential Evaluations at Veri Once.

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[1] Fried, Michael. The Great Resignation and Higher Education Employees. Ithaka S+R, 7 Feb. 2023. <a href="https://sr.ithaka.org/blog/the-great-resignation-and-higher-education-employees/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">https://sr.ithaka.org/blog/the-great-resignation-and-higher-education-employees/</a>

[2] Pang, David. College the easy way: How to get a fake degree, and how it stacks up against the real thing. Belmont Vision, 6 Apr. 2022. <a href="https://www.belmontvision.com/post/college-the-easy-way-how-to-get-a-fake-degree-and-how-it-stacks-up-against-the-real-thing" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">https://www.belmontvision.com/post/college-the-easy-way-how-to-get-a-fake-degree-and-how-it-stacks-up-against-the-real-thing</a>