Review of the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme (2022)
When I was looking into registering for the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme I didn't find many reviews online, so hopefully this overview is helpful to anyone considering doing this online course. For context, I paid for this course myself and was enrolled from March to May 2022.
Key aspects of the course:
The program is offered by the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and is a 6-week, fully online course. Esme Learning runs the interactive online teaching platform which uses AI-enabled technology.
The course directors were Meltem Demirors and Martin Schmalz - both of whom were excellent.
You do not need to have a background in crypto, finance, technology or computer science. The course does a great job of getting everyone up to speed, no matter their prior expertise. My background is in medical science so I needed to spend more time on the first few modules that covered banking and financial technology, but they were easy to understand.
The course coordinators recommend allowing between 7-10 hours each week to review all the course materials and complete the assignments but I think you should allow a bit more, especially in the first few weeks if you are very new to fintech and cryptocurrency.
Content is focused on the history of cryptocurrencies and the development of blockchain and how these new technologies are being used. It is not the right course if you want to become a blockchain developer.
All the material is well presented online (and available to download) and each module includes guest presenter videos that provide interesting insights as to how blockchain technology can be used across a wide range of sectors. I especially liked the presentations from Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation, highlighting how blockchain technology was being used to empower refugees.
One of the best aspects of the course was how fair and balanced it was. The content and assignments really forced you to consider if a blockchain solution was even appropriate, and if so, review what some of the legal, ESG, and regulatory challenges might be. I am sure many students came to the realization that their personal or company project was not going to be economically viable following this critical appraisal, which I think is a really important skill to possess when considering blockchain.
Group work was a key component of the course. Although the course attracts students from all over the world, your group will be comprised of people in the same, or a similar, timezone. I met virtually with my group of 5 colleagues at least once, and sometimes 2 or 3 times each week to ensure we completed the assignments. A really positive outcome is that we are all still in touch and a few of us have met up in person.
The online platform associated with the program worked well and allowed each person to see comments, questions and feedback from everyone enrolled in the course (around 300 individuals), in addition to providing a private group working collaboration site.
It is a pass/fail course and if you pass you receive an official certificate that is recorded on the blockchain via Creedly. Throughout the course, you need to complete multiple choice quizzes, and individual and group assignments - these all go towards your final grade.
Given the quality of the content and presenters, I think overall the course provided really good value but it is not cheap (£2,350 for the upcoming September enrolment). When I enrolled in February 2022, I took advantage of the early discount and saved several hundred pounds.
Overall I would recommend this course to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with blockchain, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and NFTs. Passing this course gave me the confidence to continue investing in blockchain projects, start posting more content online and expand my network of blockchain and web3 enthusiasts.
Do you have to do a paid course to understand blockchain? Absolutely not, there are some incredible free resources available, but if you want a fixed-time, community-driven, learning experience that has been accredited by a top university then I think this course is a great option. Even better if your employer is willing to cover the costs!
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