Blockchain Essentials
This is the first of two courses in the fully online UBC Micro-certificate in Blockchain Innovation and Implementation.
This non-technical, business-oriented course provides you a holistic, foundational understanding of blockchain technologies, and how they are applied in a wide range of industries and verticals.
While designed for professionals and leaders, this course is for anyone interested in gaining a clear understanding of blockchain technology, where it’s useful, and how to connect the dots across the vast blockchain world.
Please note that is not a coding course, and you don’t need a technical background to enrol. Instead, you’ll come away with a toolkit to analyze and evaluate blockchain solutions for your business or organization.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- explain in plain English blockchain principles, opportunities and barriers, and use cases, including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, DeFi, supply chain, identities and many others
- identify and understand the core principles, features, strengths and limitations of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, including digital tokens, cryptocurrencies, permissions and smart contracts, and how these can create business and societal value
- evaluate blockchain solutions and implications for your business strategies
- understand how blockchain can address existing pain points and augment business processes
- understand how blockchain can disrupt and transform industry and societal sectors by enabling new kinds of organizations, business models, assets and marketplaces
- discuss the current state of blockchain emergence, including common blockchain protocols and their uses.
Week 1: Blockchain Foundations. Start building your toolkit as you dive into blockchain. Explore its key components, capabilities and limitations. Discover what makes blockchain secure and tamper-resistant, and how its combined capabilities can create business and societal value. Gain exposure to different types of blockchain systems and protocols.
Week 2: Augmenting Blockchain Applications. Understand how organizations and governments are creating business and social value today by augmenting current processes and interactions. Examples include supply chain applications and industry consortia.
Week 3: Disruptive Blockchain Applications. Explore how blockchain enables new business models, assets, marketplaces and forms of organizations such as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
Week 4: Blockchain Emergence. Discuss how the emergence of blockchain technology is transforming business and society. See how established companies, governments and other organizations are responding, and how blockchain is converging with other technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and the internet of things, in new applications.
If you also registered for Planning and Leading Blockchain Projects, you’ll have a break in Week 5.
How am I Assessed?
You’re assessed on your participation and ability to demonstrate that you have achieved course outcomes and competencies by completing weekly activities and participating in the discussion posts. You’re also strongly encouraged to attend the live online classes in weeks two and four.
Technology Requirements
To take this course, you should have an email account, internet access and an up-to-date web browser. You’ll also need access to a desktop or laptop computer.
Textbooks
There are no textbooks for this course.
Course Format
This 100% online instructor-supported course combines self-paced independent study with group discussion and instructor-led live classes held Wednesdays from 6pm to 8pm Pacific Time in weeks two and four.
Each week, review readings, podcasts and videos and contribute to a discussion board where you apply your learning to real-world examples. You’ll need to set aside approximately 5–6 hours a week to complete all learning activities, including attending two instructor-led online classes.