Top 10 Free Courses To Learn about Crypto and Blockchain
1. DFIN 511: Introduction to Digital Currencies (Offered By UNIC)
THE WHAT?
Andreas Antonopoulos (author of Mastering Bitcoin) and Antonis Polemitis teach this free online course, which is the first course of UNIC’s MSc in Digital Currency program
The course situates bitcoin and cryptocurrencies within the context of the history of money before delving into the practical implementation of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies
THE WHAT?
This simple set of interactive flashcards is an excellent resource for people looking to quickly learn the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies, from buying and selling to mining
Aside from a modest promotion of Coinbase as secure and regulated, the mini-course is an objective resource that covers a lot of subjects in a surprisingly intuitive and brief manner
A fantastic resource to share with absolute novices who have limited time and want to get up to speed quickly
3. Coursera (Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies) Offered By Princeton University
THE WHAT?
This free Coursera course explains basic cryptography topics before connecting them to the fundamentals of Bitcoin
The course presenter explains how decentralization is achieved in practice, how Bitcoin mining works, and how Bitcoins are stored through films
Following that, a brief explanation of altcoins and the future of the space is provided
Princeton University offers the course
The knowledge and manner in which it is given serves as a valuable introduction to cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin principles, with an emphasis on Bitcoin security
4. EdX (Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies) Offered By UC Berkeley
THE WHAT?
This UC Berkeley EdX course distinguishes itself by including a section dedicated to the Ethereum Virtual Machine, as well as a segment focused on the game theory of what it would take to attack the Bitcoin blockchain
A novel method of enumerating the system’s theoretical security flaws
In an unusual twist, the two instructors were undergraduate students from the Blockchain @ Berkeley Group
The course, like other EdX courses, is free to audit and take, but a verified certificate ($99 USD) is required to demonstrate completion
THE WHAT?
This YouTube series focuses on various technical aspects of bitcoin, ranging from the components of private keys to tackling the scaling and centralization problems
That is sometimes inherent in how bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are implemented in practice
THE WHAT?
The learning part of the ethereum.org website (the official website for Ethereum) contains a collection of free resources that go into great detail about Ethereum
The second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization
It delves into the smart contracts part of Ethereum, as well as the fundamentals, and focuses on knowledge of the most recent developments and roadmap for Ethereum
In the end, there is a part dedicated to criticism and other perspectives on how Ethereum should be doing better
Leaving it with a rather well-balanced assortment of knowledge about the ecosystem packed like a curated course
7. Udemy (Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain)
THE WHAT?
A free two-hour video course on the fundamentals of distributed systems and their significance in the history of money
Perhaps an excellent resource for folks who want to learn at a slower speed than the Coinbase flashcards
But don’t want to be fully immersed in different aspects of blockchain and the ecosystem as with the fully-fleshed out courses offered by EdX and Coursera
It’s a free Udemy course that has been used by over 40,000 other students
8. EdX (Introduction to Hyperledger Blockchain Technologies)
THE WHAT?
This EdX course, provided by the Linux Foundation (which is developing the HyperLedger framework), provides an overview of blockchain and the role HyperLedger plays in the field, as well as the tools available
It’s designed for a non-technical business audience and serves as an introduction to blockchain principles outside of the context of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies
The course is free, but a verified certificate from EdX will set you back $99 USD
9. DeveloperWorks (Blockchain Essentials)
THE WHAT?
This video course was created in collaboration with IBM and taught by two developers from IBM’s blockchain enablement group
Covers the fundamentals of blockchain before leading to a demo and lab component where you can actually work with and practice with the HyperLedger framework
After completing this course, you will be able to use the HyperLedger Composer
While the level is slightly more technical, it is still marked for beginners, including non-technical ones
10. Coinbase Earn
THE WHAT?
Coinbase provides introductory courses and quizzes in cryptocurrencies that don’t typically have a dedicated course, such as Dai (a stablecoin), EOS, and privacy-focused ZCash
This will provide any learner with a more comprehensive understanding of altcoins and alternative cryptocurrencies than traditional courses centered on bitcoin and Ethereum
You’ll win small quantities of the cryptocurrency in question by answering exam questions on it, so you’ll have a small amount to practice with afterward
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DISCLOSURE:
None of these articles constitutes financial advice. Articles are highly summarised to make it easy for the reader and save your time, so please DYOR further before putting your hard-earned money into any product mentioned.
Please note that the tech industry evolves rapidly and the info in this article is correct at the time of publishing. As Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant,” so if anything sounds old or off, please holler on the socials or comment here so everyone stays peeled.
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