Core Course
AT400 – Blockchain and Applications
Course Unit Code: AT400
Type Of Unit: Elective
Level of Course Unit: Second cycle
Year of Study: First / second year
Semester: On demand
Number of ECTS Credits: 6
Class Contact Hours: 28
Mode of Delivery
Face to Face
Prerequisites
BI405 Database Management and Cloud Computing
BI425 Information Security Management for Business
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is to introduce the students to the Blockchain technology, associated platforms and different applications in several domains such as supply-chain and smart-contracts.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate understanding of the underlying architecture and major components behind Blockchain.
- Acquire high-level knowledge regarding several platforms that are used in Blockchain projects, as well as their key performance criteria.
- Demonstrate understanding of the applicability of Blockchain technology across several domains.
Course Content
1. Inside Blockchain’s architecture:
– Distributed public ledger and its metadata
– Block chaining via hash functions
– Hashing techniques for immutability
– Ownership via digital signatures
– Consensus algorithms (proof of work, proof of stake)
2. Blockchain platforms overview, benefits and drawbacks:
– Bitcoin
– Monero
– Ripple
3. Case studies:
– Supply chain & sourcing
– Certification process
– Economics and Cryptocurrencies
– Smart-Contracts
Course Features
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
lectures, group work, lab work, role playing, project-based learning, homework
Assessment methods and criteria
100% Presentation of a Case Study in Blockchain
Language of Instruction
English
Work Placement(s)
Not applicable
Readings
No text book is used for this course. Students need to study the following research articles from journals and online repositories.
Recommended Reading
Textbooks
1. Melanie Swan. Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy. O’Reilly, 1st Edition, 2015.
Research Articles
2. Satoshi Nakatomo. Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Online Paper available at: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf, 2008.
3. Sarah Underwood. Blockchain Beyond Bitcoin. Communications of the ACM, Vol. 59 (11), 2016.
4. Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott. The Impact of the Blockchain Goes Beyond Financial Services. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2016.
5. Marco Iansiti and Karim Lakhani. The truth about Blockchain. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 95(1), 2017.
6. Tien Tuan Anh Dih, Ji Wang, Gang Chen, Rui Liu, Beng Chin Ooi and Kian-Lee Tan. BLOCKBENCH: A Framework for Analyzing Private Blockchains. Report Available at: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1703.04057.pdf , 2017.
English (UK) 
Ελληνικά