BoAB: Bitcoin and other Applications of Blockchain
Dates (online part): 28 August -- 30 November 2017
MOOC starting date : 8 August 2016 (running now!)
Main Lecturer: Prof. PHD M. Sala (Trento).
Assistant Lecturer: Dr. PHD Michela Ceria.
Language: English.
With BoAB, you will:
- acquire a perspective on the main principles of Bitcoin and blockchain
- understand the cryptography behind Bitcoin and blockchain technology
- learn how it is possible to apply blockchain to contexts different from Bitcoin,
from smart contracts to distributed cloud services.
Abstract
This course is oriented to a wide audience of professionals, operating both in private companies and in the public sector.
Our audience will probably work in ICT and banking sector,
but not necessarily with an IT or engineering background.
The course follows a four-step path:
- Basic principles of Bitcoin and blockchain
With an eye to giving an overview of cryptocurrencies,
we will ponder the problem of the creation of a digital currency.
- Bitcoin transactions, e-Wallets and mining
In the next step we will examine how bitcoins are exchanged and
how they are used to pay.
We will see how Bitcoin transaction are checked and validated,
introducing the rôle of miners.
- Cryptography behind cryptocurrencies
We will provide a gentle introduction to the main cryptographic tools needed for the Bitcoin protocol and the blockchain technology.
Among others, we will see algorithms related to digital signature,
elliptic curve cryptography and hash functions.
- Some applications of blockchain
Blockchain is a versatile object, born for the sake of Bitcoin,
but which has potentialities yet to be investigated and fully exploited.
In the last step of our journey, we will present some of the emerging applications of blockchain,
such as: digital notary, smart contracts, e-voting and distributed cloud services.
The course can be followed in
two modalities:
- Full Online Course
The course lectures are divided in 25 chunks, each containing a video of about 20 minutes, slides, self-assessment quizzes and extra material, so that they can be easily followed in 5 weeks
of online study. The course will actually run in 8 weeks, with a tutor helping you,
answering your questions via email and via the course forum.
Our e-learning platform is Moodle.
- Free Sample MOOC
We have selected five chunks that may be enjoyed without attending the whole course.
We provide them free as a sample of the whole course, which
can be watched since the 8-th of August 2016!
Course programme
Detailed course programme
Fees and participants:
- Online
Fee: 200 euros. Student fee: 50 euros.
Max number of participants: 200 (plus 40 students).
- MOOC
Fee: none.
Unlimited number of participants.
For any information and special fees, please contact Ms. Francesca Stanca (cryptolabmat@unitn.it).
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