NDAK19000U Blockchain Business Development (BBD)
The term blockchain encompasses decentralized peer-to-peer systems maintaining a digital ledger without central control. The technology is not limited to cryptocurrencies and is applied to various fields, e.g., registries and supply chains. Similar to the impact of the internet, blockchain has the potential to truly disrupt multiple industries by making transactions and processes more democratic, secure, transparent, and efficient. Building on this vision, students will explore how the capabilities and the underlying mechanism of blockchain can be applied to generate economic and social value.
This course highlights the central topics of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies. It provides insight into current research and state-of-the-art. It is designed to familiarize students with the theoretical and practical foundations of blockchain technology, e.g. cryptography and distributed systems, and its key application areas. In addition, the course seeks to provide hands-on experience in applying blockchain technology to developing novel insights and turning them into prototypes.
The course is expected to run as a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School.
Knowledge of
- A distributed ledger (= blockchain) platform supporting executing programs ("smart contracts") such as Hyperledger fabric or Ethereum.
- Foundations of blockchain in cryptography and distributed systems.
- Important characteristics of and corresponding techniques for implementing distributed ledgers.
- Potential of distributed ledger technology for solving real-world problems.
Skills to
- Identify and explain the theories and technologies that were presented in the course, including their key terminology, underlying assumptions, and how they relate to one another.
- Demonstrate how the theories and technologies that were presented in the course were applied in the process of developing the prescribed blockchain project.
- Design, analyze, implement and test smart contract code on a state-of-the-art distributed ledger platform.
- Set up and deploy a prototype smart contract code on a distributed ledger test system.
- Analyze suitability of applications for implementation on a particular distributed ledger system.
Competences to
- Evaluate the blockchain innovation project through theory-based critical assessment and discuss the results including how to mitigate the prevailing challenges as well as how to move ahead with the development of the underlying project.
- Design basic distributed ledger-based solutions to real-world problems.
- Produce rapid prototypes of distributed ledger applications.
- Report and present the findings of a group project.
A reading list of relevant up-to-date articles will be distributed to the participants at the start of the course.
Information about a few of the generalised ledgers:
- Androulaki E, Barger A, Bortnikov V, Cachin C, Christidis K, De Caro A, Enyeart D, Ferris C, Laventman G, Manevich Y, Muralidharan S. Hyperledger fabric: a distributed operating system for permissioned blockchains. InProceedings of the Thirteenth EuroSys Conference 2018 Apr 23 (p. 30). ACM.
Li, W., Sforzin, A., Fedorov, S., and Karame, G. O. Towards scalable and private industrial blockchains. In Proceedings of the ACM Workshop on Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Contracts (2017), ACM, pp. 9-14.
Wood, G. Ethereum: A secure decentralised generalised transaction ledger. Homestead Draft (Yellow Paper), 2014.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 30
- Preparation
- 60
- Project work
- 86
- Exam Preparation
- 29
- Exam
- 1
- Total
- 206
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Written assignmentOral examination, 20 minutes
- Type of assessment details
- Specifically, the exam consists of two parts:
1. A group report based on the group project. In order to give an individual grade it is required to specify in the submitted group project report who wrote what parts.
2. An individual oral examination (without preparation) based on the group report and group project
The written and oral examination are not weighted, why only one overall assessment is provided for the entire exam. - Exam registration requirements
Submission of weekly status updates. Specific guidelines will be given during the course.
- Aid
- Only certain aids allowed
A laptop can be used for the presentation on the group project.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Several internal examiners
- Re-exam
Same as ordinary exam.
The written project report can be revised and resubmitted.
If a student has not qualified for the exam or handed in a project report, then the student must prepare a full project on their own and submit the project report. The exam qualification must be met no later than three weeks prior to the re-exam.
Criteria for exam assesment
See Learning Outcome
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NDAK19000U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 1
- Schedule
- C
- Course capacity
- 40 students out of which 15 spaces are reserved for students
from disciplines other than computer science (e.g. industry
participants, students from business, mathematics, engineering,
etc.).
The number of seats may be reduced in the late registration period
Study board
- Study Board of Mathematics and Computer Science
Contracting department
- Department of Computer Science
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Boris Düdder (boris.d@di.ku.dk)
Lecturers
Boris Düdder
Fritz Henglein
Omri Ross