IFB452 Blockchain Technology
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | IFB452 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | IFB103 AND IFB104 AND IFB240 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $1,118 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,104 |
| International unit fee | $4,788 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal
| Unit code: | IFB452 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | IFB103 AND IFB104 AND IFB240 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | Computer Programming Networks Systems Design |
| Coordinators: | Alistair Barros | alistair.barros@qut.edu.au Raja Jurdak | r.jurdak@qut.edu.au |
Overview
The unit introduces students to blockchain technology, an emerging technology that underpins major cryptocurrencies and has applications in many industry sectors. It will provide you with a background of the different aspects of applications that can benefit from blockchain, such as supply chains, energy trading, and connected vehicles, and prominent blockchain platforms in use , including bitcoin, Ethereum and Hypeledger Fabric. Based on this background, you will learn how to design, develop and effectively utilise blockchain technology.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain the key principles and capabilities of blockchain technologies
- Evaluate blockchain platforms and make and justify recommendations to meet business needs
- Design distributed apps using blockchain principles and platforms
- Implement proof of concept blockchain applications to support business requirements
- Collaborate in a team environment to deliver an outcome for a client
Content
This unit exposes you to blockchain technology. The unit is designed around three core topics: blockchain applications; blockchain fundamentals; and blockchain platforms.
The first topic covers blockchain applications, providing an overview of the types of applications that have been used or that can benefit from the use of blockchain technology for decentralised operations. You will how to design applications involving multi-party collaborations, model business processes suitable for Blockchain integration, and segment process to scope which parts fall inside and outside the control of Blockchain coordination. Key aspects of this include modelling business processes and programming smart contracts.
The second topic covers blockchain fundamentals, including cryptographic basics that underpin blockchain technology, such as hash functions and digital signatures, and consensus mechanisms and algorithms in blockchain.
The third topic covers widely used blockchain platforms, such as bitcoin, ethereum and hyper ledger fabric, as well as smart contracts and decentralised Apps (dApps)
Learning Approaches
This unit is available for you to study in either on-campus or online mode. Learning in this unit includes weekly pre-recorded lectures, online activities, tutorials and a unit communications channel, designed to facilitate communication with your peers and teaching staff outside of scheduled classes. You can expect to spend 10 - 15 hours per week involving listening to lectures, attending all scheduled tutorials, completing assessment tasks, and undertaking study to consolidate your learning.
The pre-recorded lectures and online activities will provide you with the knowledge and skills for understanding blockchain technology, its application, its fundamental technologies, and its popular platforms and how they can be used to build real-world decentralised applications. Students will be guided through each of these phases involving exposition, analysis, design and hands-on activity.
Pre-recorded lectures will be provided through video recordings available for access one week before they are required for viewing.
Tutorials will be conducted in face-to-face collaborative learning spaces on-campus. They will be activity-based involving hands-on computer lab work to put into practice what you learn in the lectures, proposal design and development of a blockchain project which use the fundamental building blocks to build a decentralised applications. The tutorials build directly on the material presented in the pre-recorded lectures and will involve detailed instruction sheets for undertaking the required tasks. They are designed to support class instruction, group work, and class reflection.
In addition, students will practise the principles and techniques required to develop planning, communication, reflection and teamwork skills. This learning is facilitated by communicating the different levels of an enterprise system under consideration and keeping an online project tracking logbook. This will be used as part of the progressive assessment throughout the unit offering students multiple opportunities to demonstrate progress and receive feedback on learning.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You will receive feedback on your learning throughout the semester using the following mechanisms:
- Class and group based feedback on tutorial exercises
- Written feedback on the formative phase of assessment tasks
- Written feedback on summative phases of assessment tasks including a rubric
- General verbal feedback will be provided to the entire class on assessment tasks
- Written whole-of-class feedback will be available in the unit site
- You will receive feedback and results on each assessment task prior to the submission of the next assessment task
Assessment
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Design proposal
Students will develop a proposal for the design of a blockchain project, building on the tutorial content.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Assessment: Practical demonstration
Students will demonstrate basic functionality of a blockchain network building on the tutorial content.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Assessment: Blockchain project
The students will demonstrate the full functionality of their blockchain application project.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.
Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
This unit will rely on open source blockchain platforms for hands on practicals and project.
Resource Materials
Software
Open source blockchain platform
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no unusual health or safety risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.IN01 Bachelor of Information Technology
- Demonstrate well-developed IT discipline knowledge
Relates to: ULO1, Design proposal , Practical demonstration - Employ appropriate IT Methods
Relates to: ULO2, Design proposal , Practical demonstration - Critically apply design and problem solving skills
Relates to: ULO3, Design proposal , Blockchain project - Work independently and within effective teams
Relates to: ULO5, Blockchain project - Create considered and relevant IT solutions
Relates to: ULO4, Blockchain project