Blockchain Internship Youth Program (BIYP)

Partners

Background

• Technical and vocational education and training are essential for improving the well-being of adolescents and communities. It increases productivity, empowers people, and stimulates entrepreneurship. A community with a strong human resources foundation is more likely to attract businesses.

• According to the World Bank, "the COVID-19 epidemic has created major challenges for technical education, similar to those experienced by the basic education and higher education sectors." This is because most technical education focuses on practical skills, necessitating access to hands-on learning in workplaces and workshops.

• As a result, ICORBP and Blockchain Breeders collaborated to create the Blockchain Internship Youth Program (BIYP), which is technically focused and relevant to the needs of globalizing communities around the world while requiring little to no physical space. All the learner need is an internet connection and a mobile device or laptop.

• BYIP will investigate blockchain and smart contract concepts in order to gain a better understanding of how value is moved between the many stakeholders in the blockchain ecosystem. The use case, which mostly consisted of decentralized applications, or Dapps, addressed the crucial challenge of motivating young people to acquire necessary skills in order to address development challenges in their communities. The project also aims to put blockchain technology to the test in order to address some of the internet economy's most critical concerns.

• We anticipate that by offering blockchain studies programs to high school students, we will be able to provide them with educational opportunities to acquire life-long learning, which is a necessary skill for competing and prospering in this digital age.

Sponsors

Announcements

See Syllabus Batch 2 starts in TBA

Program Description

This is a youth program housed by Alt+U's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) in a consortium with the International Council of Registered Blockchain Professionals (ICORBP) and Blockchain Breeders of Africa.

This program is ladderized and microcredential-based.

Blockchain technology is a distributed database that records transactions between participants without requiring a central authority to keep track of them. Due to the decentralized nature of the technology, it is not subject to the whims of any man or organization. The blockchain's popularity has resulted in its broad adoption across a variety of industries, including finance, healthcare, and supply chain management. While these are all excellent applications, one of the most critical uses of blockchain technology is in adolescent education. Blockchain technology has the potential to change a wide variety of businesses and may have a profound effect on society as a whole. Consider the following persuasive reasons why blockchain education is critical for youth:

• It can help students learn about computer programming and how digital systems work.

• It gives a general history of money and banking, which can help students understand how economies work.

• It teaches students about the importance of digital security and how to keep their personal information safe when they are online.

• It can make students more aware of important issues like global warming, sustainability, and the environment.

• It teaches students how to utilize computers, hence expanding future opportunities.

• It can help students improve their critical thinking skills, which are important for both success in life and school.

By providing them with access to this cutting-edge technology, we can help students become more informed citizens and future leaders. Additionally, by educating students on how blockchain technology works, we may urge them to exercise critical thinking and to call into question established procedures. This form of education is critical if we want our children to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

Learning Objectives

• Understand blockchain theory and practice in real-world use cases.

• Explore blockchain-enabled businesses and industries.

• Analyze cryptography methods used in blockchain transactions.

• Investigate the usage of the hash function in decentralized systems.

• Recognize consensus processes as methods for establishing trust and security in a decentralized computer network.

• Understand decentralized and hybrid application theory and practice in real-world use cases.

• Assess the state of diversity and inclusion in the technology sector today.

• Explore the functions of various wallets used by users in the blockchain ecosystem.

• Creating a token in a smartcontract online in a few clicks

• Explore cryptocurrency transactions online by sending and receiving tokens.

Abridge Learning Objectives: Examine a blockchain-enabled application; Investigate blockchain theory and applications; Examine the blockchain's cryptographic methods; Demonstrate how the hash function operates in decentralized systems; Explore consensus processes for establishing trust and security in a decentralized ledger; Understand the theory and practice of decentralized and hybrid applications; Examine today's tech industry's diversity and inclusion; Investigate the characteristics of popular blockchain wallets; Create a digital asset; and Send and receive cryptocurrency.

Ladderized Curriculum

• This program's coursework is structured in such a way that students can advance to the next level once they have mastered the topic at their current level of knowledge. It benefits students by allowing them to progress at their own pace and by instilling a sense of accomplishment as they climb the educational ladder. There are several advantages to implementing this method with students. To begin, it enables students to focus on a particular action at a time, which enables them to develop a stronger comprehension and mastery of the subject matter. The second benefit is that students get a sense of accomplishment as they progress through the curriculum. Additionally, it helps pupils prepare for future education and professions by regularly exposing them to increasingly difficult topics.

• In a typical curriculum, students are frequently asked to master difficult material before they have had a chance to establish a firm foundation in the fundamentals of the subject. Using a laddered curriculum, students may build on their fundamental understanding before progressing to more complicated content. This can assist students in comprehending complicated topics more readily and in improving their academic achievement as a result of the experience.

• A ladderized curriculum is a terrific approach to guarantee that students are getting the most out of their education while also keeping costs down. For more information about ladderized curriculum, see here.

Microcredential

• As is the case with the majority of programs at Althash University, the curriculum is credential-based. This implies that upon completion of each course, lecture unit or module, students will obtain a microcredential. Microcredentials are often referred to as badges at other educational institutions. They enable learners to demonstrate their abilities and accomplishments online. The learning routes are comprised of a set of badges that may be achieved in any order or concurrently. They enable students to create a customized learning path that is tailored to their own requirements and interests. Microcredentials are gaining popularity as an alternative to standard degrees and certifications among both students and businesses.

• Microcredentials are rapidly gaining traction in higher education, since they enable students to acquire new skills and knowledge in a specialized field without committing to a complete degree program.

• Microcredentials have the advantage of being done at your own speed, which makes them an attractive alternative for students who wish to continue working while pursuing their education. For more information about ladderized curriculum, see here.

Certificates & Timeline

This program award deserving students who completed all the academic requirements with a certificate purposely developed to gauge the competency skills of the learner in 4 weeks of instruction.

Program Name

Certificate in Blockchain Internship Youth Program

Program Abbreviation

• BIYP

Program Type

• Youth Education

Credit

• 0 Semester Credit Hours (SCH)

• Approximately 10 sessions

Location

• Online or Hybrid

General Requirements

• Grade 8 to 12.

Length of Program

• 4 weeks

Core Course Requirements

• Complete all courses in the area of specialization (10 lectures/sessions).

Area of Specialization

Week 1

BLKN 105 Blockchain Theory & Practice - Aragonez

DAPP 100 Introduction to Decentralized Applications & Use Cases - Hoffmann

Week 2

BLKN 215 Applied Cryptography: Private & Public Keys and Digital Signature - Slyvester

BLKN 216 Applied Cryptography: Hash Functions, Blockchain Anatomy, Nodes, & Networks - Slyvester

BLKN 120 Consensus Mechanisms - Prado

Week 3

DAPP 103 Decentralized and Hybrid Application in Theory & Practice - Aragonez

BLKN 140 Diversity and Inclusion in the Technology Industry - Dr. Francis

Week 4

DAPP 108 Tools: Explorer, Wallets, Faucet, & Bot - Bright

DAPP 130 Cryptocurrency Creation - Hoffmann

DAPP 132 Cryptocurrency Transaction - Bright