Introductory Blockchain MOOC PT-BR

A comprehensive PT-BR introduction to blockchain and Cardano MOOC explaining their main technological and social aspects, available for free

Team with a background in producing educational material (including blockchain and Cardano) and teaching both physical and virtual classes.

ABOUT EVERYBLOCK STUDIO

EveryBlock Studio (EBS) is a Brazilian blockchain startup building on Cardano. We seek to explore new ways to deliver digital products and services for decentralized communities, using blockchain technology to build more autonomous and reliable systems.

We are a self-funded startup that is not owned, managed, or directed by any company or fund. Since 2019, EBS has been developing projects seeking to understand the Cardano ecosystem and generate valuable products for the community.

In this journey, we have operated a stake pool since the early Shelley era, built a Telegram information bot for Cardano, created an educational project to explain the mechanisms of Cardano, developed a prototype of an NFT explorer for Cardano, and other projects that have not yet been published. Now we want to grow and we need Catalyst's help to fund more ambitious projects and expand our work even more!

Below you can find all our proposals for Fund7, as well as a detailed description of our team involved:

• https://catalyst.everyblock.studio/

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INTRODUCTION

Brazil is one of the top countries moving crypto assets in Latin America, with Brazilians acquiring over $4bn in cryptocurrencies in 2021 according to the Central Bank of Brazil BCB a recent report [1]. The Global Digital Report 2019 report estimated that 8.2% of Brazilian internet users owned some form of cryptocurrency, with Brazil being fifth in the world in terms of cryptocurrency owners, reinforcing the strong adoption of the technology in the country [2].

On the other hand, the financial bias of Brazilians' interest is remarkable. For some years now the country has been experiencing a wave of cryptocurrency-related scams [3], and the most recent federal police operation to curb these actions has seen more than $28m in assets confiscated [4].

We believe that the root cause of these scams lies in the lack of knowledge about the fundamentals of blockchain technology and what it actually proposes to solve in society. Currently, the educational materials available for free in Portuguese are usually focused on presenting financial aspects of cryptocurrencies, and are often created by financial institutions and exchanges that wish to attract new investor clients, rather than the end-users of a decentralized system.

Furthermore, we are not aware of any material in a full course format, available in Portuguese, that presents Cardano as a potential solution to the problems presented in second-generation blockchains. This historical perspective on blockchain fundamentals and the presentation of Cardano as a solution is the basis for Charles Hoskinson's famous "Cardano whiteboard" video [5].

SOLUTION

Our proposal is to extend this line of reasoning by explaining the story more fully through the production of a free online course (MOOC), contextualizing new users and connecting them to the practical use of blockchain. The main goal is to help new users integrate into the ecosystem, making them able not only to understand the basics and fundamentals of blockchain, but also to manipulate wallets and interact with Cardano applications on their own, actively participating in the ecosystem.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online courses available for anyone interested to enroll, which can reach an unlimited number of participants with open access. MOOCs provide an affordable and flexible way to deliver quality educational experiences at scale.

TARGET AUDIENCE

• 15-45 years old;
• Little or no contact with the terms of the field, who wants to solidly understand how blockchain works and its applications, without sticking so much to the technical details;
• Potential Cardano user that has not yet entered the ecosystem.

ABOUT THE COURSE

Given the format of the course, once the content is finished, it will be made available on a MOOC platform (to be defined) for free. In this way, the course does not have a set start and end date, making it a self-paced course that the student can join at any time, progressing as fast as they want.

The course will be divided into 6 modules, each with a recommended duration of 1 week to complete the content and activities. The course content will be presented in 3 ways:

Video lessons

• 5-10 min videos covering different concepts in each topic;
• 12h of video content in total, 2h for each module;
• Transcript of video content + subtitles.

Supplementary Material

• Curated supplementary material (website articles, videos) for each module.

Activities

• Auto-graded quizzes: quizzes that are automatically graded upon submission, such as multiple-choice questions.
• Peer-feedback assignments: assignments that are graded by other learners.

COURSE STRUCTURE

Module 1: Introduction to blockchain, crypto, and web3

A brief introduction on what blockchain is, trying to make it explicit as a socio-economic revolution for a more decentralized world that can change organizational structures. The principles of how a blockchain works are also presented, ending with a practical approach focused on explaining the basics about wallets and how to acquire cryptocurrencies, always using Cardano as an example.

Topics: First contact with blockchain; overview of first to third-generation blockchains; principles of a blockchain network; how a blockchain network works; public vs. private blockchain; stakeholders in blockchain networks; acquiring tokens/cryptocurrencies.

Module 2: 1st generation - From money to Bitcoin

Background on the emergence of Bitcoin as a solution to an intermediary-free electronic payment problem. It aims to introduce Bitcoin as a first-generation blockchain, showing its basic functioning and introducing the main blockchain-related terms.

Topics: history of money; trust in the digital age and reliance on intermediaries; digital money before Bitcoin; Bitcoin as a solution; history of bitcoin; open-source and Bitcoin forks; UTxO transaction model; steps of a transaction in the Bitcoin network; mining algorithm: Proof of Work; Bitcoin wallets and key security; deflationary monetary policy, incentive mechanism, and bitcoin halving; participating in the Bitcoin network; performing transactions (theory and practical example).

Module 3: 2nd generation - Ethereum, smart contracts, NFTs and other tokens, DAOs

It presents the emergence of the Ethereum network and the new possibilities that arise with smart contracts, going from the first applications and NFTs to the most recent innovations.

Topics: introduction to smart contracts; tokenization and standards; stablecoins; non-fungible tokens (NFTs); dApps: the era of decentralized applications; DAOs: decentralized autonomous organizations; DeFi.

Module 4: 3rd generation - Limitations, scalability, environmental impact

It introduces the main limitations of second-generation blockchains, briefly presenting which networks are currently trying to solve such problems.

Topics: scalability limitations; cost and environmental impact of consensus based on Proof of Work; forks the socio-economic impacts of splits in blockchain networks; sustainability of blockchain networks in the medium and long term; hacks and errors in contracts; (supposedly) 3rd generation networks, similarities, differences, and applications.

Module 5: Cardano approach and ecosystem

It presents Cardano's approach to solving second-generation problems. The main components and stakeholders of the ecosystem will also be detailed.

Topics: introduction to Cardano; history of its inception; principles and values; scientific approach and formal verification; roadmap and the delivery based on eras; consensus based on proof of stake; Ouroborus, stake pools and the rewards in Cardano; monetary policy, reserves of value, transaction fees and treasury and Catalyst; native tokens and minting policies without contracts; EUTxO transaction model; introduction to smart contracts as transaction validators; interacting with Cardano: transactions and dApps in practice.

Module 6: Future of blockchain technology and open issues

To conclude the course, the last module brings reflections on the inherent limitations of blockchain, not necessarily technical ones. Future paths and challenges are also discussed, as well as introducing how Cardano is already preparing for the future of the technology.

Topics: new business models through new ways of creating value; the need for on-chain governance; tokens as a representation of digital object ownership and metaverse; identity verification on blockchain; voting systems and liquid democracy; autonomous intelligent systems and the future of work; disruptive tripod: blockchain, AI and 5G; how Cardano is positioning itself for the future.

What the course is NOT / does NOT cover

• Techniques of trading, futures markets, etc;
• Detailing how DeFi protocols work;
• Smart contract programming.

ROADMAP

Month 1-2

• Definition of the platform to make the course available;
• Selection and curation of supplementary material;
• Definition and structuring of the videos that will be part of the course content;
• Script writing for the videos.

Month 3

• Recording of the video material;
• Creation of graphic material to be used in the videos;
• Editing the recorded material.

Month 4

• Transcription of all the material and subtitle synchronization of the videos;
• Formatting the content and integrating it into the MOOC platform;
• Publication of the content.

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS

• 3 months: All course content defined and videos recorded.
• 6 months: Course available for free on a MOOC platform.
• 12 months: Target KPI values for 6 months achieved.

KPIs

We set the following targets to be achieved for the key indicators, assessed within 3 and 6 months of the course being published respectively:

• Total number of enrollees: ≥ 400; ≥2500
• Course completion rate: ≥60%; ≥70%
• Number of certificates awarded: ≥150; ≥ 500
• Dropout rate (people who started but didn't finish the course): ≤ 15%; ≤ 20%

BUDGET

• About 200h of work for literature research, content production and scripting, at a cost of $20/hour: $4000
• Rental of professional audiovisual equipment for video recording, estimated for 1 week: $1000
• Studio rental for video recording: $750
• Labor costs for recording the content in the studio: $1000
• Budget for production of graphic material for videos: $1000
• Video editing costs: $400
• Costs of marketing campaigns to promote the course: $1000

Total costs: $ 9150

TEAM

Lincon Vidal

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lincon-vidal-a81110182

• Founder & CEO EveryBlock Studio
• BSc in Biotechnology (UFRJ - Brazil)
• MSc student in Computational Modeling and Artificial Intelligence (LNCC - Brazil), working on deep learning applications
• Python developer with more than 6 years of experience, including works in genetic algorithms and machine learning during his academic career.
• Previously worked on the back-end development of third-party NFT projects (NFTsurf, CardanoBeans), having great knowledge of the technical basics and general operation of Cardano.
• For nearly 2 years now he has been working as the director of technology in an analytical chemistry company (NanoBusiness), coordinating teams and executing digital transformation projects.
• Stake Pool Operator since epoch 208, having already received IOG delegation for 3 months in the first round of delegation.
• Experience in teaching in-person having worked for over 2 years on tutoring and other educational projects involving programming education, as well as online classes and webinars on technology topics.
• Organized small events for up to 400 people during the undergraduate course (I EcoSemana do Polo Xerém, I Simpósio de Biotecnologia da UFRJ).
• Since 2020 he has been participating in local meetups and disseminating technical knowledge about Cardano in Brazil.
• Also writes and produces text and video content in Portuguese and English about Cardano, blockchain, and technology in general.
• He has already worked briefly as a photographer and has experience with audiovisual production, having produced audiovisual material for events and for companies.

Aline Cardoso

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aline-cardoso-0554ab20a/

• Head of communications at EveryBlock Studio;
• Experience in organizing e as mediator in-person and online events (e.g. academic symposia such as Symposium of Neuropharmacology of Rio de Janeiro, interviews and debates for the Diversity Committee of the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior and for Diversity Committee of Biophysics Institute Carlos Chagas Filho - UFRJ);
• Worked with digital marketing, social media management and designer (for the Diversity Committee of the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior and for Valejo);
• Experience teaching in free preparation courses for college admittance/booster classes for high school students from the periphery of Rio de Janeiro and for undergraduate students (some neuroscience topics) at UFRJ (in-person and online classes);
• Creator of NeuroBreak, a publication for scientific dissemination about neuroscience and human behavior at Medium;
• MSc student in Neuroscience/Physiology (emphasis on human behavior and neurobiology of emotions) (UFRJ - Brazil);
• BSc in Biophysics (emphasis on psychophysiology and psychopharmacology) (UFRJ - Brazil).

Thulany Christiny

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thulany-christiny-642b8b1a9/

• Designer at EveryBlock Studio;
• BSc in Design (UERJ - Brazil);
• Experience in creating educational graphic material about Blockchain and Cardano (Infoblock project);
• Already worked as a graphic designer in the media team for e-sports athletics and ESDI's Design Business Incubator;
• Worked in several UX/UI projects at Ably Design, a studio specializing in design for digital products;
• Interest in graphic design, communication and layout.

IP

All the material produced for the course will be licensed under Creative Commons.

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REFERENCES

[1] Brazilians own cryptocurrencies worth $50 billion: Central Bank of Brazil - Times of India

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/cryptocurrency/blockchain/brazilians-own-cryptocurrencies-worth-50-billion-central-bank-of-brazil/articleshow/87154818.cms

[2] Why is Brazil, a country of contrasts, where the poorest use crypto the most?

https://news.electroneum.com/brazil-a-huge-business-opportunity-where-crypto-is-on-the-rise-among-a-median-population-of-32

[3] The Largest Crypto Seizure in Brazil: Nearly $29M Worth of Digital Assets Seized

https://cryptopotato.com/the-largest-crypto-seizure-in-brazil-nearly-29m-worth-of-digital-assets/

[4] Brazil under attack from multiple cryptocurrency scams

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brazil-under-attack-multiple-cryptocurrency-110021154.html

[5] IOHK | Cardano whiteboard; overview with Charles Hoskinson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja9D0kpksxw