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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Blockchain: Foundations and Use Cases by ConsenSys Academy

4.7
stars
831 ratings

About the Course

This course is the definitive introduction to blockchain for both the developer and non-developer audience. Beyond the technology, this course will introduce you to some of the philosophy behind decentralization and why there is so much excitement around it. Join ConsenSys Academy and course instructor Nick Nelson in this rich-media introduction to the foundations of blockchain. During the first three modules, you'll be introduced to blockchain and the technology behind it. In module four, we'll go beyond bitcoin and delve deeper into a next-generation blockchain called Ethereum to introduce you to what modern blockchains can do. The use cases featured in the final module are drawn from among the businesses in ConsenSys portfolio. We believe we're uniquely positioned to present you with a valuable behind-the-scenes look at the people and companies working in this space to help give you a better understanding of the business side of blockchain. Together, we'll examine businesses use cases, hear from industry leaders, and give you the opportunity to develop and analyze a use case yourself. With this course, not only will you be the one who is able to explain blockchain to your colleagues, you'll be well on your way to making educated business decisions with your new, foundational understanding of the technology....

Top reviews

MR

Feb 24, 2021

A truly enlightening and useful course. The course is so nicely designed and is practical in nature. The course presented by those who matter in blockchain technology really makes it one of its kind.

NY

Nov 13, 2018

Course is very good start to enter into blockchain ecosystem understanding all concepts and things that decentralization can bring into upcoming digital transformations in every sector.

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26 - 50 of 253 Reviews for Blockchain: Foundations and Use Cases

By Abhishek Y

•

Jul 11, 2019

This course is very interesting.

By Kristen L

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Dec 29, 2021

PROS:

1. This course is EXTREMELY aesthetically pleasing. The visuals, audio quality, and information organization are incredible. This course is light on lecturing, preferring to convey information instead with interactive graphs, which is helpful for complete newbies to Blockchain technology to conceptualize how each component within the blockchain works (also, each video is so pretty, you never want to turn away). Videos are short and to-the-point, readings are manageable, and the pacing is beginner-friendly (as in, you do not need prior knowledge of CS or of Blockchain).

2. I have taken all the courses on Blockchain on Coursera. This is the only course that teaches you blockchain on a detailed level. Example: it teaches exactly how computation within Blockchain technology works, and thus why Crypto Mining takes such extensive resources. Other courses tend to give a more financial, birds-eye view of the entire process that explains the meat, but not the bones.

3. It explains a lot of the 'Smart Apps' developmental process: such as, what apps developers use to test their smart apps before broadcasting it onto the blockchain, which websites developers gather, etc. This is VERY helpful if you are an aspiring Smart App Developer but do not know where to turn.

CONS:

1. The course is biased. Consensys is a Blockchain Software Development company that builds on Ethereum. Consensys high stakes both in Blockchain Development, and in Ethereum. Therefore, the entire course is highly pro-Blockchain and pro-Ethereum: it only touches twice, and both times very vaguely, on the drawbacks of the Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies in general. In terms of Blockchain technology, for example, they don't mention 51% attacks, or how the nature of decentralization can sometimes paradoxically lead back to centralization. (For a course that explains this, consider University of Michigan's Introduction to Bitcoin, also on Coursera.) In terms of Ethereum, they focus deeply on Ethereum as a technology, rather than as the digital speculative gold it is more often known for; so, if you wanted to learn about Crypto finance, this course is perhaps not for you.

All in all, I highly enjoyed this course, and would definitely recommend anyone interesting in Blockchain technology to take it. However, note also keep in mind the potential biases.

By Sam R

•

Oct 18, 2018

Solid course! Gives a good high level overview of concepts & links to further reading materials if you want to deep dive into topic. As a software engineer casually following the crypto space for a couple years, I still learned a decent amount. I'm impressed with the breadth & depth covered.

Reason for 4 vs 5 stars — the videos were great but some of the articles they link to are (in my opinion) not the best resources out there. In a few places they sacrifice quality of content in order to promote Consensys content. I totally understand: it’s a free course built by a for-profit business but they would have gained more credibility in my eyes if they self-promoted less. Use authoritative references, not your company's blog posts.

By Siddharth T

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Sep 25, 2021

If you are starting in Blockchain Technology, This is Handsdown best course to start. You will learn all the basics about Blockchain. In the last week you will find several examples of blockchain. This was 5 week course but i was so excited i completed it within 4 week. So believe me and start now,,

By Gregory W

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Jul 8, 2021

Helpful foundational class. Have to take away one star because completion requires reviewing other individual's business plans. There are not too many people are taking the class right now leading to wait times to "complete" the course.

By Christos G

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Nov 10, 2019

Too expensive to buy a certificate given the fact that these guys mostly advertise their site/business. I can find all these pieces of information online. Lower the cost between 10usd and 30usd and you will have customers. And fix some of the videos...

By Nik A

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Mar 4, 2020

too much Ethereum

By Chan H D L

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Dec 31, 2018

Very informational, high level and more an introduction to Blockchain. For the steep price tag, money could have been better spent on other courses. Especially courses which have virtual labs and provide industry relevant certification. Also the final exercise to provide Consensys a Blockchain use case seems contrived.

By Abhay A

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May 27, 2020

Touches upon the concepts in a very lucid manner.

If you don't wanna get into the technical/coding aspects of blockchain but still want to expand your knowledge about the area eg: what is blockchain? why is it called a blockchain in the first place, the components, the process, and how different it is from the framework of the internet as we know it today? this course does a pretty good job helping with that. The fifth week is perhaps the best week of the course as the case studies do a great job giving you a feel of everything you've studied in the first four weeks. The week ends with you making your own use case using everything you learned from the case studies and the prior weeks. last but not the least, the instructor was fantastic, his narration was clear and precise. If you have no idea about blockchain and want to learn how it functions, what are the components and how can you judge whether a blockchain is needed or not for a particular business without getting too much in the mathematical and coding aspects behind it, look no further!

By Sergey G

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Oct 6, 2018

Very well explained and amazingly illustrated foundations of Blockchain Technology with necessary width and depth. Introduced practical ready to use design and evaluation methodology for business use cases: whether Blockchain can be used, for what, why, which architectural components and how. Provided grounded practice with logically structured templates for designing Blockchain business use cases.

I have truly enjoyed this course and found it practical, interesting and useful as one of the starting points towards becoming a Blockchain professional. Thank you both, Coursera and ConsenSys!

By Saied A

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May 28, 2020

This course offers one of the easiest methods to learn about the complex topic of blockchains. I believe it gives an excellent introduction to this area of technology. However, there is some level of advertisement for Ethereum and Consensys platforms, which is not necessarily bad. Still, if you pass a course offered by Google, you won't find such advertisements for Google. Anyway, I am thankful to the instructors who helped me understand this topic, which I found very difficult previously.

By Redwan M

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Oct 28, 2019

This course provide and excellent overview of the Blockchain technology and then dive into the specificity of Ethereum. The content is very well design and very practical. There is a little of theory that is incredibly well simplified.

At the end of this course you ll be able to use a decision tree to determine if your idea would make sens with a blockchain. You will also learn about real life Ethereum application in Law, Real Estate, privacy or supply chain.

By Aaron B

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Jan 21, 2019

Very solid breakdown of a constantly advancing field. Gives you a good idea of when a blockchain is necessary and when it is not. Might be difficult for people with no technical background, but they give you plenty of supplemental readings to help you understand the concepts. As someone who has been following the crypto/blockchain space for a while, I felt this gave me a much more thorough understanding of the underlying blockchain concepts.

By Anirban P

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Sep 7, 2020

Good course for beginners. All relevant topics and concepts have been explained crisply and concisely. Varied use-cases have been discussed in-depths, which give an idea of possible applications of Blockchain technology. However, there aren't any hands-on assignments to learn about the technical aspects of implementing a blockchain, which is what I felt was lacking.

By Ronald B

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Sep 20, 2019

I loved the course. The way they taught, with the end of every single lecture i felt that i should know more about this. This course is so inquisitive that after its completion it has made me want to work on blockchains. This course is abundant with knowledge and helps one understand the basics of what a blockchain is. Ethereum has been their main focus.

By Kasun S

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Jan 31, 2021

To be honest, This was one of the best courses i have enrolled with. It gives you the exact basics that you need to know , to deal with blockchain technology. The lecturers are very clear and understandable. And the reading materials are very good assist to understand the modules further. I really liked this course. Thank you!

By Kokou S S

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Dec 12, 2019

A wonderful course and an extraordinary captivating introduction to the world of blockchain. I give 5 stars to this course because I've found everything I wanted to know about blockchains, their function, their usefulness and about how and when to use them... and also may be how to involve myself in this movement :-)

By Srijan K

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Dec 21, 2023

This course is just what it promises! It gives a very good insight on Blockchain basics and its use cases. i got complete understanding of the fundamentals and whether is it something which I should pursue further or not. Thank you to the course creators, instructors and Coursera

By YAU S M

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Mar 27, 2020

Contemporary information presented in a very precise way and able to deliver clear understanding information for a classmate to get a very brief but not just for interest information with very easy to understand materials on such a very complicated knowledge. Thank you very much.

By Xiaofeng Z

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Jan 4, 2020

I did learn the fundamental and the most essential concepts in Blockchain technology. With the knowledge gained in this course, I am very confident to dive into more technical details. I would recommend this course of working professionals to get started with Blockchain.

By Abhijeet A H

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Dec 16, 2021

Brilliant course. From the foundational building blocks of blockchain (no pun intended) to real life use cases, this course was exactly what I was looking for as someone who had heard a lot about blockchain, but knew very little beyond the hype.

By Tracey T

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Jun 29, 2020

The Consensys Blockchain fundamentals course was very informative and interesting. It broke out the details of blockchain in ways that was very enlightening for me. I now have a clearer understanding about blockchain and how it is best used.

By Raiyan F

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Feb 18, 2019

The course is pretty good for anyone who is interested in Blockchain, whether as a technology, as a career path or as a Crypto investor. The course only touches the basics and should be enough to make you aware of the technology in general.

By Timothy L

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Dec 1, 2021

I initially got this course to better understand the future of blockchain as we move into Layer 2 of ethereum, and the foundations taught me enough to develop further insight on where we will be going next in this technology, great course!

By vikram b

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Sep 18, 2020

This is one of the best foundation courses on blockchain technologies that I had done. It is well structured, up to point, and has really great content. This is a must-do course for every beginner entering into the Blockchain World 😊