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Introduction To Blockchain Technologies

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  Course by Don Tapscott, Alex Tapscott and INSEAD
Course Features
  • Lectures
    5
  • Duration
    29 Hours
  • Level
    Beginner
  • Delivery
    Online
  • Audience
    Everyone
  • Provider
    University

The course starts with the basic concepts and functionalities of blockchains. Later the presented topics devote lots of attention to less technical but to more economic and social aspects of the "blockchain revolution".

The course is designed for beginners. We would advice to take it as a second course on blockchains because it does not explain thoroughly all the basic yet more technical concepts. In addition, the course covers lots of material, provide many external information sources that may be challenging to comprehend for the first-timers.

There are no prerequisites for the course but having a bit of exposure to blockchains would be helpful.

  • Content

    The topic discussions are structured as “technology part – implied economic/social changes”. For example, after the introduction of basic blockchain functionalities follows the chapter on blockchain implicit design principles like integrity, power distribution, privacy, inclusion, etc. Since it is an introductory course it touches many topics within the blockchain universe leaving learners to study/understand the details on their own.

  • Technology

    In the first part of the course the very basic blockchain related concepts are discussed. Usually the technical parts in the video lectures tend to be more described than thoroughly explained. Many times a course instructor just reads the text in a video... The technical knowledge seekers are provided with the external reading/video information sources, that sometimes are neglected by learners.

  • Applications

    The course targets beginners. However, we think the course would be most valuable to people who have already learned the very basic blockchain functionalities and now are seeking to better understand the scope of economic/social changes implied by the adoption of the blockchain innovation.

  • Delivery

    The learning material is primarily presented as video and text based lessons usually followed by a short quiz testing main concepts presented. In addition, the learners are encouraged to connect and discuss new concepts, ideas in the online discussion forums. All the lessons have external references that could be used to get deeper insights into the topics. Each learning chapter has short interviews with the leading company representatives or experts in the field. The certificate-related exercises are available just in the paid version.

In this first course of the specialization, we will discuss the limitations of the Internet for business and economic activity, and explain how blockchain technology represents the way forward.

After completing this course, you will be able to explain what blockchain is, how it works, and why it is revolutionary. You will learn key concepts such as mining, hashing, proof-of-work, public key cryptography, and the double-spend problem. You’ll be able to describe seven design principles for blockchain technology, and the challenges facing the people developing it. You’ll also meet the players in the blockchain ecosystem, and consider your own role in stewarding the blockchain revolution.

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