By Mala Mukunda: The University of Nicosia in Cyprus announced its Massive Open Online Course (MOOC Bitcoin Course) in April this year. The course is free and is planned to be held several times a year. The demographic survey of 615 students who completed the first cohort of the course reveals interesting insights about the growth in interest of digital currencies across countries and age groups.
Nearly 90% were men, between ages 25 to 44 with over half of them holding above post graduate degrees. Over 55% plan to complete the paid Master of Science degree in digital currencies offered by the university. Surprisingly, those who took the introductory course had already experimented with digital currency transactions and over 80% had used a digital currency wallet.
As digital currencies garner more media attention, daily, these statistics clearly show that including Bitcoin education as a requirement in curricula worldwide is the way forward. Children and young adults are growing up in a world more connected than ever, and educating them about borderless currencies that let them exchange value over the network will assume importance in the coming years.
Antonis Polemitis, a faculty member of the university has a humorous take on how cash might be described in the press if it was introduced today, which might well be how future generations view it.
According to a university press release, Polemitis said:
As far back as November 2013, the University of Nicosia announced its willingness to accepting bitcoin as payment for tuition, becoming the first accredited university in the world to do so. They are now issuing academic certificates on the block chain.
The free MOOC course ‘Introduction to Digital Currencies’ is open to students from around the world and includes both technical and non-technical topics.
With the exception of proficiency in the English language (the course is taught only in English), there is no other admission requirement. Participating in the courses, completing exercises and assessments are required for successful completion and students receive a course credit should they opt to move on to the masters program. The faculty constantly monitors changes in the digital currency landscape and will be making the necessary updates to the MOOC course.
The course is taught by experts who are no strangers on the Bitcoin scene. The star faculty comprises Andreas Antonopoulos, Antonis Polemitis and Dmitry Apraksin.
Andreas Antonopoulos’ expertise includes Bitcoin evangelism, crypto-currencies, Information Security, Cryptography, Cloud Computing, Data Centers, Linux, Open Source and robotics software development. Andreas serves on the advisory boards of several bitcoin startups and served as the Chief Security Officer of Blockchain.info, a popular wallet company that recently raised $30 million in venture capital.
Antonis Polemitis holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School where he graduated with highest distinction as a Baker Scholar, and a B.S. from Indiana University in Accounting, Computer Information Systems, and International Studies where he graduated with highest distinction as a Wells and Chancellor’s Scholar. Polemitis is the managing partner of Ledra Capital and has led investment and operational responsibility at the firm. He is responsible for investment and portfolio management of all Ledra investments in the areas of higher education, technology, and financial services. Over the course of his career, he has been a principal or advisor for transactions in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and India, ranging from multi-billion dollar industrial buyouts to early stage venture capital.
Dr. Dmitry Apraksin holds an MSc in Management Information Systems from the State University of Management, Moscow, Russia and a PhD in Economy. Apraksin has been publishing in international refereed journals and conferences in the following areas which constitute his research interests: online teaching technologies, networking and internet, database applications, and intelligent text processing.
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Nearly 90% were men, between ages 25 to 44 with over half of them holding above post graduate degrees. Over 55% plan to complete the paid Master of Science degree in digital currencies offered by the university. Surprisingly, those who took the introductory course had already experimented with digital currency transactions and over 80% had used a digital currency wallet.As digital currencies garner more media attention, daily, these statistics clearly show that including Bitcoin education as a requirement in curricula worldwide is the way forward. Children and young adults are growing up in a world more connected than ever, and educating them about borderless currencies that let them exchange value over the network will assume importance in the coming years.
Antonis Polemitis, a faculty member of the university has a humorous take on how cash might be described in the press if it was introduced today, which might well be how future generations view it.
According to a university press release, Polemitis said:
“This is a truly unique program, linking computer science, finance and banking, to understand emerging electronic payment systems and their impact on business and financial markets. It will allow students from around the world to contextualize developments in digital currency within computer science, money and banking, regulatory regimes and financial institutions infrastructure.”
For Cypriots, Bitcoin was used a preferred method to get around strict capital controls as the banking crisis in the country loomed large. As far back as November 2013, the University of Nicosia announced its willingness to accepting bitcoin as payment for tuition, becoming the first accredited university in the world to do so. They are now issuing academic certificates on the block chain.
The free MOOC course ‘Introduction to Digital Currencies’ is open to students from around the world and includes both technical and non-technical topics.
With the exception of proficiency in the English language (the course is taught only in English), there is no other admission requirement. Participating in the courses, completing exercises and assessments are required for successful completion and students receive a course credit should they opt to move on to the masters program. The faculty constantly monitors changes in the digital currency landscape and will be making the necessary updates to the MOOC course.
The course is taught by experts who are no strangers on the Bitcoin scene. The star faculty comprises Andreas Antonopoulos, Antonis Polemitis and Dmitry Apraksin.
Andreas Antonopoulos’ expertise includes Bitcoin evangelism, crypto-currencies, Information Security, Cryptography, Cloud Computing, Data Centers, Linux, Open Source and robotics software development. Andreas serves on the advisory boards of several bitcoin startups and served as the Chief Security Officer of Blockchain.info, a popular wallet company that recently raised $30 million in venture capital.
Antonis Polemitis holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School where he graduated with highest distinction as a Baker Scholar, and a B.S. from Indiana University in Accounting, Computer Information Systems, and International Studies where he graduated with highest distinction as a Wells and Chancellor’s Scholar. Polemitis is the managing partner of Ledra Capital and has led investment and operational responsibility at the firm. He is responsible for investment and portfolio management of all Ledra investments in the areas of higher education, technology, and financial services. Over the course of his career, he has been a principal or advisor for transactions in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and India, ranging from multi-billion dollar industrial buyouts to early stage venture capital.
Dr. Dmitry Apraksin holds an MSc in Management Information Systems from the State University of Management, Moscow, Russia and a PhD in Economy. Apraksin has been publishing in international refereed journals and conferences in the following areas which constitute his research interests: online teaching technologies, networking and internet, database applications, and intelligent text processing.
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