Introduction to Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) (FutureLearn)

You’ll discover how and why blockchain technologies can be used in business to improve processes and inform decision-making.

You’ll explore its Bitcoin beginnings and learn how blockchains can change how information and value is stored, transferred and coordinated.

You’ll also consider how DLT can be used to change current business models through the use of smart contracts and secure data coordination.

What topics will you cover?

- What are blockchains and distributed ledger technologies?

- How blockchains can be used as a means to decentralise processes, for example payments

- How blockchains can be applied to supply chains to improve transparency and better reconciliation of data

- How blockchains can be used as a means of establishing better provenance and how smart contracts can be used to automate processes that rely on trusted information

- Practical case study examples of blockchain and DLT use

- Hear from real world companies on deployments of this revolutionary technology

- Learn frameworks on how to apply DLT to your business or to a use case

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Explain what problems blockchains solve

- Describe what the properties of a blockchain system are

- Demonstrate knowledge of who the key stakeholders in the blockchain ecosystem

- Compare decentralised and centralised systems, what are the pros and cons of both are and why decentralisation is a key property of a blockchain

- Explain how blockchains could be used for payments

- Describe how cryptography and consensus mechanisms are used in blockchain systems

- Demonstrate knowledge of how blockchain can be used in supply chains

- Explain what are smart contracts and how they can be applied and how they differ from concentional contracts

- Apply the UCL Blockchain Framework to see if a business problem could be solved with the application of blockchain technology

- Reflect on how blockchain technology could lead to transformational business models and disruption in our conventional socio-economic systems

Who is the course for?

This course was created by the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, the oldest and largest academic blockchain centre in the world that has pioneered executive education for blockchain and DLT education.

The course is designed for anyone who wants to learn the basics of blockchain technology and how it can be applied to business problems.

It will be particularly useful for business executives exploring the use of blockchain at their companies.

This course is also suitable as an introductory course for those who want to explore the possibility of upskilling with blockchain knowledge.