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INSEAD

Introduction to Blockchain Technologies

INSEAD via Coursera

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Overview

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Blockchain technology is changing how businesses, financial institutions, governments, and individuals exchange value and information online. But what exactly is a blockchain, and how does it work? This course provides a clear introduction to blockchain technology and the ideas behind it. You'll learn how blockchains create trust without relying on a central authority, how decentralized networks work, and the key design principles that shape blockchain systems. You'll explore cryptocurrencies, digital assets, smart contracts, and the broader blockchain ecosystem, while examining where the technology has delivered real-world value and where significant challenges remain. No coding or finance background is required. By the end of the course, you'll have a practical foundation in blockchain technology and be able to explain how it works, why it matters, and where it may be headed next.

Syllabus

  • The Second Era of the Internet
    • The Internet connects billions of people around the world, and is great for communicating and collaborating online. However, because it was built for moving and storing information, and not value, it has done little to change the way we do business. Now, for the first time in human history, two or more parties anywhere in the world can transact and do business peer to peer using the blockchain. In this module we introduce blockchain as “the trust protocol,” and explain how it represents the second era of the Internet. We describe how blockchain technology establishes trust—not through powerful intermediaries, but rather through collaboration, cryptography and clever code.
  • Blockchain Design Principles
    • Now that you understand what a blockchain is, you're ready to explore what makes it genuinely different from the systems it's replacing. In this module, you'll work through seven design principles, from networked integrity and distributed power to security, privacy, and inclusion, that capture what blockchain technology makes newly possible for businesses, creators, and individuals alike. For each principle, you'll see a real problem it addresses and consider what it might mean for your own industry or role. Tip for success: as you move through each principle, jot down one concrete example from your own work or life where it might apply; you'll get far more out of this module's Dialogue activities if you've already started making that connection.
  • Public and Private Ledgers
    • Every blockchain makes a fundamental choice about how open its data should be, and in this module you'll learn to think through that choice like a strategist rather than a technologist. You'll compare public, private, and permissioned ledgers, and examine why radical transparency can be both a powerful asset and a genuine strategic risk depending on the context. You'll also look at how privacy is preserved even on fully public blockchains, through techniques like multiple identities and zero-knowledge proofs.
  • The Blockchain Ecosystem
    • Blockchain technology didn't emerge in a vacuum, it grew out of a diverse, sometimes messy ecosystem of pioneers, investors, developers, regulators, and everyday users, each pulling in a different direction. In this module, you'll meet the major categories of stakeholders shaping blockchain's development and consider how their interests align, and where they clash. You'll also learn about the three levels of blockchain stewardship, so you can start thinking about where you might fit in.
  • Blockchain Implementation Challenges
    • Like every revolutionary technology, the blockchain has its upside and its downside. In this module you'll work through ten implementation challenges for blockchain, from technical readiness and energy use to regulation, incumbent resistance, and misuse, that anyone serious about blockchain needs to understand honestly. For each challenge, you'll consider not just the problem but potential solutions and the progress that's already been made. Tip for success: resist the urge to read this module as a simple pro and con list; the most valuable insights will come from asking which challenges are fundamental trade-offs versus which are just growing pains that time and better engineering can solve.

Taught by

Don Tapscott

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5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4.7 rating at Coursera based on 2500 ratings

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  • Profile image for Ted Watson
    Ted Watson
    3
    Great course. Covers the basics of blockchain technology and provides lots of articles and books to further study the related topics.
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