E-Portfolio Systems for Seafarer Competency Documentation: Blockchain-Enabled Digital Credentialing and Career Development Tracking

Authors

  • Derma Watty Sihombing Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran Jakarta
  • Widianti Lestari Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran Jakarta
  • Nurindah Dwiyani Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran Jakarta
  • Rosna Yuherlina Siahaan Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran Jakarta
  • Ronald Simanjuntak Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran Jakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55123/ijisit.v2i2.51

Keywords:

Blockchain Credentials, Career Development, Digital Documentation, E-Portfolio, Seafarer Employment

Abstract

Electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) systems—comprehensive digital platforms enabling seafarers to systematically collect, organize, securely store, and selectively share professional competency documentation including STCW certificates of competency, specialized training completion records, sea service discharge books, medical fitness certificates, performance evaluations, and continuing professional development achievements—offer transformative potential for addressing the inefficiencies, authentication vulnerabilities, and administrative burdens inherent in traditional paper-based seafarer credential management systems that have dominated maritime employment verification processes since the establishment of international certification standards. When strategically integrated with blockchain technology employing distributed ledger architectures, cryptographic digital signature validation mechanisms, and immutable transaction recording protocols, e-portfolios provide tamper-proof, instantly verifiable credential records directly addressing the authentication challenges, fraud vulnerabilities, and verification delays that have plagued maritime credentialing for decades. This mixed-methods comparative study investigates blockchain-enabled e-portfolio system implementation at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran (STIP) Jakarta through systematic pilot deployment with graduating officer cadets (n=124) and controlled comparative assessment against traditional paper documentation cohorts (n=137), measuring employer credential verification efficiency, stakeholder confidence levels, and graduate career placement outcomes. Quantitative findings demonstrate that blockchain-enabled e-portfolios reduce employer credential verification time by 97.3 percent (from 14.7 to 0.4 days), decrease verification costs by 93.5 percent, improve graduate employment placement rates by 11.3 percentage points, and increase employer confidence in credential authenticity by 45.4 percent relative to traditional paper documentation systems. The study proposes an evidence-based E-Portfolio Implementation Roadmap for maritime education institutions incorporating phased industry partnership development, employer capacity building programs, regulatory engagement strategies, and hybrid paper-digital transition approaches.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] V. Gekara, "The information and technology revolution and its impact on work: A labour process analysis of seafaring work," New Technol. Work Employment, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 313–328, 2020.

[2] J. D. Jenson and P. Treuer, "Defining the e-portfolio: What it is and why it matters," Change: Mag. Higher Learn., vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 50–57, 2014.

[3] J. W. Creswell and V. L. Plano Clark, Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: SAGE Publications, 2018.

[4] V. Braun and V. Clarke, "Using thematic analysis in psychology," Qual. Res. Psychol., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 77–101, 2006.

[5] E. M. Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 5th ed. New York, NY, USA: Free Press, 2003.

[6] M. Q. Patton, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: SAGE Publications, 2015.

[7] International Maritime Organization, STCW Including 2010 Manila Amendments: STCW Convention and STCW Code. London, U.K.: IMO Publishing, 2017.

[8] M. Sharples and J. Domingue, "The blockchain and kudos: A distributed system for educational record, reputation and reward," in Proc. EC-TEL 2016: Adaptive and Adaptable Learn., K. Verbert et al., Eds. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2016, pp. 490–496.

[9] G. Lorenzo and J. Ittelson, "An overview of e-portfolios," EDUCAUSE Learn. Initiative, White Paper, 2005.

[10] H. C. Barrett, "Researching electronic portfolios and learner engagement: The REFLECT initiative," J. Adolesc. Adult Lit., vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 436–449, 2007.

[11] N. Buzzetto-More and A. Alade, "Best practices in e-assessment," J. Inf. Technol. Educ., vol. 5, pp. 251–269, 2006.

[12] B. Eynon, L. M. Gambino, and J. Török, "What difference can ePortfolio make? A field report from the Connect to Learning project," Association of American Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC, USA, Rep., 2014.

[13] K. B. Yancey, "Electronic portfolios a decade into the twenty-first century: What we know, what we need to know," Peer Rev., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 28–32, 2009.

[14] A. Grech and A. F. Camilleri, Blockchain in Education. Luxembourg: European Commission Joint Research Centre, 2017.

[15] M. Turkanović, M. Hölbl, K. Košič, M. Heričko, and A. Kamišalić, "EduCTX: A blockchain-based higher education credit platform," IEEE Access, vol. 6, pp. 5112–5127, 2018.

[16] S. Nakamoto, "Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system," Bitcoin.org, White Paper, 2008. [Online]. Available: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

[17] D. Tapscott and A. Tapscott, Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World. New York, NY, USA: Portfolio/Penguin, 2016.

[18] J. Yli-Huumo, D. Ko, S. Choi, S. Park, and K. Smolander, "Where is current research on blockchain technology? A systematic review," PLoS ONE, vol. 11, no. 10, Art. no. e0163477, 2016.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

Derma Watty Sihombing, Widianti Lestari, Nurindah Dwiyani, Rosna Yuherlina Siahaan, & Ronald Simanjuntak. (2025). E-Portfolio Systems for Seafarer Competency Documentation: Blockchain-Enabled Digital Credentialing and Career Development Tracking. IJISIT: International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology, 2(2), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.55123/ijisit.v2i2.51

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025): December 2025

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Derma Watty Sihombing, Widianti Lestari, Nurindah Dwiyani, Rosna Yuherlina Siahaan, Ronald Simanjuntak

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish their manuscripts in the International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology agree to the following terms:
Copyright: Copyright on any article in the International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology is fully retained by its authors under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License / CC BY SA 4.0, with the following provisions:

  • First Publication Right: Authors acknowledge that the International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology has the right of first publication under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
  • Non-Exclusive Distribution: Authors may enter the writing separately, arrange non-exclusive distribution of the published manuscript in this journal into other versions (e.g., submit to the author's institutional repository, publish in a book, etc.), acknowledging that the manuscript was first published in the International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology.
  • Reader's Rights: Readers are allowed to download, use, and adopt the contents of the article as long as they cite the article by mentioning the title, author, and the name of this journal. Such citations are made for the advancement of science and humanity and must not violate applicable laws.