Polkadot Blockchain Academy

University of Buenos Aires, Argentina

January-February 2023

Instructors
Module 1: Cryptography
Instructor
Gavin Wood, Founder, Polkadot and Parity

Teaching Assistants
Dan Shields, DevEx Engineer, Parity
Florian Frazen, Polkadot Specification Lead, Web3 Foundation
Giulia Vieira, Core Rust Engineer, Parity

Module 2: Economics & Game Theory

Instructor
Gavin Wood, Founder, Polkadot and Parity
Alfonso Cevallos, Blockchain Researcher, Web3 Foundation

Teaching Assistants
Dan Shields, DevEx Engineer, Parity
Florian Frazen, Polkadot Specification Lead, Web3 Foundation

Module 3: Blockchain
Instructor
Joshy Orndorff, Blockchain Chef, Unaffiliated

Teaching Assistants
Andrew Burger, Technical Educator / Content Developer, Parity
Dan Shields, DevEx Engineer, Parity

Module 4: Substrate
Instructor
Kian Paimani, Frame/Staking Developer, Parity

Teaching Assistants
Andrew Burger, Technical Educator / Content Developer, Parity
Dan Shields, DevEx Engineer, Parity
Joshy Orndorff, Blockchain Chef, Unaffiliated
Shawn Tabrizi, Engineering Lead, Parity
Module 5: FRAME
Instructor
Shawn Tabrizi, Engineering Lead, Parity

Teaching Assistants
Hector Bulgarini, Polkadot Application Engineer, Parity
Dan Shields, DevEx Engineer, Parity
Alexander Theißen, Team Lead Pallet Contracts, Parity
Kian Paimani, Frame/Staking Developer, Parity

Module 6: Polkadot and Parachains

Instructor
Robert Habermeier, Founder, Polkadot
Andronik Ordiian, Polkadot Core Developer, Parity

Teaching Assistants
Bradley Olson, Rust Core Developer, Parity
Kian Paimani, Frame/Staking Developer, Parity
Shawn Tabrizi, Engineering Lead, Parity

Module 7: Cross-Consensus Messaging (XCM)

Instructor
Keith Yeung, XCM Core Developer, Parity
Gorka Irazoqui Apecechea, Research Developer, PureStake

Teaching Assistants
Andrew Burger, Technical Educator / Content Developer, Parity
Hector Bulgarini, Polkadot Application Engineer, Parity

Module 8: Smart Contracts

Instructor
Michael (Michi) Müller, Team Lead ink!, Parity
Alexander Theißen, Team Lead Pallet Contracts, Parity

Teaching Assistants
Hector Bulgarini, Polkadot Application Engineer, Parity
Ricardo Rius, Polkadot Ecosystem Tech Lead, Parity

Guest Instructors

Dr. Torsten Stuber, CTO, Pendulum

Gonzalo Montiel, Lead Blockchain Engineer, Pendulum
Javier Voila Villanueva, Simulation Network Lead, Parity
Course Description
The Polkadot Blockchain Academy is a comprehensive course covering both the conceptual
underpinnings and the hands-on application of Blockchain technology, using the Polkadot and
Substrate blockchain ecosystem as the foundation for blockchain development. Learners will be
introduced to core concepts in economics, government and computer science as they apply to
Blockchain development, and will build blockchains and parachains using the Substrate, Pallets
and FRAME frameworks.

Prerequisites

All learners have been selected to the Polkadot Blockchain Academy through a rigorous selection
process, which includes a review of each learner’s engineering history and systems engineering
experience and an entrance interview. Moreover, every learner must have demonstrated a baseline
understanding of the Rust programming language, by passing the Rust Entrance Exam.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the Polkadot Blockchain Academy, learners will be able to:

● Explain the conceptual underpinnings of blockchain technology

● Apply economic, political and computer science concepts to blockchain decisions
● Design blockchains and parachains using the Substrate framework
● Use pallets and FRAME to expedite Blockchain development
● Apply systems engineering principles to blockchain development
● Use XCM for cross-consensus messaging
● Work as a blockchain developer in the Polkadot ecosystem

Course Format

Each day of the Polkadot Blockchain Academy, there will be a morning and an afternoon session of
approximately 3 hours each.

These sessions will be a combination of lectures, seminars and demonstrations from top
Blockchain engineers as well as hands-on in-class application and practice activities.

Every Sunday, there will be an office hour session with teaching assistants to review the content
taught during the week and answer questions regarding the upcoming assignments. These sessions
are optional, but recommended.

There will also be regular guest lectures from highly knowledgeable experts.
Course Assignments and Grading
Success at the Academy may lead to a Certificate of Graduation. We assess candidates for
certificates based on the concrete, observable actions and deliverables of students.

Feedback Forms

Sharing feedback on your experience at the Academy helps us to improve our program. Please feel
free to comment directly to any member of the staff directly at any time. The sooner the better to
accommodate your needs better!

In addition, learners will also receive compulsory daily feedback forms, completion of which will
count towards your final grade. These will be used not only to give us an idea of attendance and
participation levels, but also to gauge whether learners understand the curriculum. These forms
are also an opportunity for learners to reflect on the day’s lectures and activities.

Assignments

There will be multiple take-home assignments over the course of the Polkadot Blockchain
Academy, including 4 compulsory assignments which make up the final grade and should therefore
be taken seriously. These are designed to sharpen learner’s skills and provide practice
opportunities to extend learning beyond the scope of the course. The Academy instructional staff
are here to support those that proactively reach out. Learners are encouraged to start as soon as
each is provided, and complete in time to get support if stuck well before deadlines.

Graduation Certificate Qualifications

Final grades will be assessed based on submission of daily feedback forms (pass/fail for
completion, for each day) and from assignments (four total, 20% of total grade each):

Final Grade (100%) = Feedback Forms Completion (20%) + Assignments (80%)

Exceptional class participation and positive contributions to the Academy will be recognised and
may earn extra credit towards your final grade, per the instruction staff’s discretion.

● A 90% and over grade will receive a certificate of graduation with distinction.
● A 70% grade or higher will receive a certificate of graduation.
● A 60% to 70% grade may be offered a certificate of graduation, at the Academy’s discretion.
● A grade of 60% or lower will not receive a certificate of graduation.

As well as setting high academic expectations of ourselves and our students, we also set high
behavioral standards for all the participants of the Academy. Whilst we hope that instances of this
will be very rare, the Academy reserves the right to withhold graduation certificates from learners
who fail to meet these standards.
Course Policies and Procedures
In order to graduate from the Academy you must behave in a respectful manner at all times to all
students, teaching staff and employees of The University of Buenos Aires, Adlib, the Academy and
Parity, and to represent Parity and the Academy to the best of your abilities.

Do Not Share Materials

We ask that you engage with the course material for your own learning only and do not distribute
the material, either in full or partially, externally.

Academic Integrity

In order to graduate from the Academy you must complete all course requirements and/or obtain
graded certification from the Academy; and only submit work that is your own, and that is not
plagiarized or copied from a third party in any way whatsoever.

Attendance

It is expected that learners attend all events throughout the Polkadot Blockchain Academy. Unless
the schedule explicitly mentions optional in the event titles and/or descriptions. The Academy has
invested a great deal of effort into creating this course, and the learners themselves are also
investing a lot of their time and resources to attend. The best way to get the most out of this
unique opportunity is to be at each event and to participate fully in the lectures, discussions and
feedback.

Failure to attend compulsory sessions will quite negatively affect your ability to succeed in
assignments.

Participation

Learners are expected to be engaged and actively participate during the course of the Academy
with the instructional team and their peers. Lessons will include discussions, activities, and
projects designed for individuals, pairs or small groups. These are not optional, and are critical to
help learners practice the application of core concepts and skills.

Videography Acknowledgement and Authorization

A photo crew will take pictures and record videos that might be used for our course audit and
internal education effort, and for marketing purposes in the future.

We have a list of students who have indicated that they do not wish to be filmed or photographed.
The crew will be informed about students who have opted out. We’ll also put up clear signs when
we’re recording so you can always step aside.
Seeking Support
The Academy team is here to support you throughout your journey, before, during and after the
Academy. Please do become familiar with the Academy Staff and reach out directly to the correct
person, if in doubt, any staff member can help connect you with the correct individuals.

Academic Support

The first line of academic support will be the on-site TAs (teaching assistants), who will be present
throughout the Academy. Learners should also feel free to ask questions of instructors in class, or
to follow up with them after class for additional support.

Learners will also be invited to participate in dedicated Q&A sessions with TAs and instructors
which will allow for extra time to ask questions.

There are also additional resources available - glossaries, resource lists, and documentation, to
support your academic journey.

Support with Housing/Food/Accommodations and other Activities

Our Campus team will be on hand to help with anything non-academic related. You can send your
questions, queries or requests to:

Campus Manager: Mela mela@adlibnet.com

Assistant Campus Manger: Gigi gigi.heleg@gmail.com +5493415053102

In Case of Illness or Other Emergencies

COVID-19: If you suspect that you may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been
exposed to someone who has been tested positive to COVID-19, please isolate yourself in your
room at the hotel and contact Mela and Gigi (details above). We will get you a test and/or
connected with medical services.

In case of other illnesses, please contact us so that we can assist you if needed.
Course Outline
The Academy is segmented into modules, with lessons covering topics listed below.
The topics are subject to change.

Module Lesson Topics

Cryptography - Crypto Introduction

- Digital Signatures Basic
- Digital Signatures Advanced
- Exotic Primitives
- Hashes
- Hash Based Data Structures

Economics & Game Theory - Economics Basics

- Game Theory
- Price Finding Mechanisms
- Collective Decision Making

Blockchain - Overview of Blockchains

- Blockchain Structure
- Accounts and UTXOs
- Consensus Authoring
- Consensus Systems
- Consensus Finality
- Resource Allocation Fees Ordering
- Light Clients and Bridges
- Unstoppable Applications

Substrate - Substrate Overview

- Block Concepts
- Runtime and Host Functions
- Transaction Queue and Block Builder
- SCALE
- DB and Merklized Storage
- Consensus Block Authoring and Finality
- Networking

FRAME and Pallets - Intro to FRAME

- Dispatchables
- Hooks and Inherent
- Exotic FRAME Methods
- Important Pallets to Know
- Connecting Pallets
- Weights and Benchmarking

Polkadot and Parachains - Polkadot Architecture and Governance

- Parachains
- Hashing in Polkadot
- Relay to Parachain Communication
- Cumulus
- Authority and Logic Selection

XCM (Cross-Consensus - Core Concepts of XCM

Messaging Format) - Writing Sending Executing XCM
- Parachain Config in XCM
- Testing and Troubleshooting XCM
- XCM in Polkadot

Smart Contracts - Contracts in Web3

- ink!
- Contracts Pallet
- Chain extensions
- Contracts in the Polkadot context