Free 12-Week MOOC in Digital Currencies | Offered by the University of Nicosia

We would like to thank you for your warm welcome on steemit platform.

In this post we will briefly describe the free MOOC (lessons start September 2018) with information about what topics are being covered in the MOOC.

The Lecturers of the course are Mr Andreas Antonopoulos & Mr Antonis Polemitis

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Mr. Andreas Antonopoulos

Mr. Antonopoulos is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Nicosia and is co-teaching the introductory MOOC course on the program.

Mr. Antonis Polemitis

Mr. Polemitis is the CEO of the University of Nicosia and also serves as a Director on the coordinating Board of the University. He is an adjunct faculty member and leads the industry advisory committee for the University on digital currency. He is co-teaching the introductory MOOC on the program.

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Scope

The course provides an introductory understanding of decentralized digital currencies.

More specifically, in the course, the students will

• learn about the theory & principles of the cryptocurrencies' operation
• examine practical examples of basic transactions
• understand the current and future interaction of cryptocurrencies with the banking, financial and regulatory systems

All students who will succeed the Final Exam will receive their academic certificates, verified through the Bitcoin Blockchain

In the beginning of every week you can download the pdf document in the platform, post your questions or discuss with other students in the forum.

Every Friday Mr Antonopoulos or Mr Polemitis will be online for an one hour lecture and for accepting questions / comments during their live-streaming.

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Week 1 - A brief history of money

After studing for this subject, you will be able to comfortably answer the below questions.

• What are the main characteristics of a currency and what problems are solved with a medium of exchange?
• What was used as primitive money and which are the advantages of modern coinage relative to the older coinage used?
• Are there necessary characteristics of fiat curencies?
• Why is Bitcoin different when compared to prior currencies and what are its properties?

A "Rai" stone from the Pacific island of Yap. Such stones were used as currency until the 1960s. This Rai stone at the Currency Museum, Ottawa, weighs about three tons.

_{Rai Stone by user Beades | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 unported License}

Week 2 - The Byzantine Generals' Problem

The objections of this session include recognizing the centralized assets and transaction ledgers. The student will be able to understand the Byzantine Generals' Problem and how Bitcoin addresses it.

This is one of the most important sessions of the whole course and understanding it, is essential for moving forward to the next topics.

Week 3 - Basics of Cryptocurrency

The students will go through important events in Bitcoin's history and will get introduced to Bitcoin mining as well as gain a first idea about how Bitcoin is related to cryptography and how a Bitcoin transaction works.

_{Simplified chain of ownership - Image licensed under CC0 link}

This is a technical session so for students without previous knowledge of cryptocurrency, some time will be required for familiarizing themselves with the new concepts.

Week 4, 5 - Bitcoin in Practice I & ΙΙ

These sessions are about the technical side of Bitcoin. You will learn about the Bitcoin wallets & Bitcoin clients. After these sessions the students will be able to analyze the bitcoin transactions and they will learn what a "paper wallet" is and what "cold storage" means.

Week 6 - Alternative uses of the blockchain

In this session we explore the different applications on the blockchain and get a glimpse of pottential future uses.

Week 7 - Alternatives to Bitcoin

Bitcoin was the first of many popular alternative currencies (altcoins). In this session key performance indicators will be mentioned and summarized for a better understanding of the popular digital coin.

You will learn more about altcoins (such as Ethereum, Monero etc) and the criteria one can use for their categorization.

Week 8 - Cryptocurrency & Central Banking

In this session the student will understand basic functions of Central Banks.

You will be able to answer questions concerning which metrics are managed by most Central Banks, their responsibilities and best practice principles.

You will explore the focus areas about Bitcoin regulations and will learn about which types are defined as "Virtual Money" by the European Central Bank.

Week 9 - Digital Currencies and Financial Institutions

In this session the existing financial services will be briefly described and cryptocurrency services (such as exchange centers, wallets) will be explored.

Week 10 - Regulatory and Tax Treatment

In this course you will get a better understanding about regulations concerning cryptocurrencies. You will learn where Bitcoin activies are fobidden, where it is legal to own and transact with Bitcoin and what the IRS's position regarding Bitcoin is.

Week 11 - Digital Currencies and Innovation

What is considered as innovation? Is Bitcoin innovative; If yes, why is that?

_{Innovation Life Cycle - Image released at the Public Domain link}

This session will help you understand the innovation principles and apply its concepts to the development of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general.

Week 12 - Digital Currency and the Developing World

What are the non-traditional payment systems? What could "financial communication" mean for underdeveloped countries?

In this session you will understand more about how cryptocurrencies could revolutionize financial access for the poor countries. Are there still problems unsolved? What about private records, identification verification?

This session is a preview of DFIN-535 (MSc).

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Prior to every week's live session, the students can post their questions to the public forum.

After studying for each session and watching the live streaming, you can answer the quiz questions that you will find in the platform to gain a better understanding of the studying material.

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Feel free to ask any questions or register for our Free MOOC, starting coming September 2018!