Completing UMich's Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Course
I recently completed the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Explained course offered by the University of Michigan on Coursera (August 2025). This course provided a comprehensive introduction to blockchain technology, Bitcoin, and cryptocurrency fundamentals, with a focus on the economic and business perspectives rather than deep technical implementation details.
Course Overview
The course covered essential topics including:
- Blockchain fundamentals and distributed ledger technology
- Bitcoin's architecture and the proof-of-work consensus mechanism
- Cryptocurrency economics and market dynamics
- Smart contracts and their applications
- Regulatory considerations in the blockchain space
- Real-world use cases across various industries
Personal Reflection
While the course offered a solid foundation for understanding blockchain concepts, I found the material to be quite introductory compared to more advanced courses like MIT's Blockchain and Money. The UMich course excels at making complex concepts accessible to non-technical audiences, which is valuable for anyone looking to understand the business implications of blockchain technology.
The course's strength lies in its ability to bridge the gap between technical blockchain concepts and their practical business applications. It helped me develop clearer ways to explain blockchain fundamentals to stakeholders who may not have a technical background.
Key Takeaways
- Business Perspective: The course emphasized how blockchain can solve real business problems rather than focusing solely on technical implementation
- Economic Understanding: Gained insights into cryptocurrency economics and market dynamics
- Regulatory Awareness: Understanding the evolving regulatory landscape around blockchain and crypto
- Communication Skills: Learning to articulate blockchain concepts clearly for diverse audiences
Next Steps
This course serves as a good foundation for more advanced blockchain studies. I'm considering diving deeper into technical aspects through courses that cover smart contract development, consensus mechanisms, and blockchain architecture in more detail.
The completion of this course represents another step in my ongoing exploration of emerging technologies and their applications in the modern digital economy.