Three University faculty members, a former University postdoctoral fellow and a professor from the University of Maryland will be teaching “BTC-Tech:Bitcoinand Cryptocurrency Technologies,” an unofficial, free online course open to University students and the general public during the spring semester.
Bitcoins are units of a digital currency which operates free from a central bank and are encrypted.
According to the class Piazza page, the course starts on Feb. 16and comprises 11 video lectures at the rate of one per week. Students will complete five programming problem sets and self-correct for accuracy.
Arvind Narayanan, an assistant professor in the computer science department and a codeveloper of the course, noted that the class saw 1,000 registrations within 24 hours of being announced. So far, more than 1,800 students have enrolled in the course.
Faculty involved in the project are not receiving additional compensation.
“We are teaching this for knowledge’s sake,” Narayanan said.
The developers recommend that students take some form of a prerequisite introduction to computer programming before enrolling. No letter grades or formal certification will be awarded.
Narayanan said the unexplored territory and far-reaching implications ofBitcointechnology inspired the teaching project.
“A couple of us and our graduate students in the computer science department have been doing and publishing research onbitcoins, and it’s been a fascinating system, bringing together cryptography, distributive systems and game theory," Narayanan said. "Bitcoinsput them together in a way the academy has never anticipated."
A course called COS 597E: Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies was offered last semester at the University in a traditional classroom setting to graduate and select undergraduate students and explored a wide range of topics ranging from the mechanics ofBitcointo mining pools.
Students watched online lectures, discussed lectures and readings, gave presentations, completed programming assignments and conducted a final project on a topic of their own choosing, according to the course webpage.
“Many people who want to learn about bitcoinsare not computer science majors or even university students for that matter," Narayanan said. "In fact, we are so early in the technology that most universities have not integratedBitcoininto their curriculum."
The course developers are currently authoring a textbook on Bitcointechnology based on the content they designed for this past semester. Narayanan noted that students can access the first three chapters online from the course Piazza page.
He added that other colleges are in the process of creating a similar course and may use materials produced by his team.
In response to recent concerns aboutBitcoinanonymity and the potential for its misuse, Narayanan said he believes wider knowledge about the technological basis of Bitcoin will help generate answers to pertinent political questions. He added that a small portion of the course will be devoted to addressing the disputed role of bitcoinsin the economy.
Narayanan added that University students interested in pursuing research onBitcoinscan join his weekly reading group currently attended by graduate students.
“We are happy to have students who have learned the basis ofBitcoin to help them out and guide them with research,” Narayanan explained.
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