Case Study Research: Design & Methods: Applied Social Research Methods Series

A Blockchain Course Is Now Part of USC Viterbi's Curriculum

A course on the blockchain technology is now available at USC. The university made the course available during the past semester. Students will be able to learn about infrastructure and how it can have repercussions on the society. The course is currently being taught by Nitin Kalé who is an associate professor in the Viterbi School of Engineering wing. Among the foremost digital currencies in the modern world is Bitcoin.

This currency is supported by the blockchain infrastructure, which is a database that facilitates transactions.

Blockchain Now a Relevant Subject

Kalé saw this infrastructure as a relevant subject that will shape the business world in the near future. Among the things that inspired the introduction of the course are:


The course has been largely successful over its first semester. Students were interested in the course and adjustments had to be made as the class size changed over time. Cryptocurrency news is not too uncommon nowadays.

It is thus understandable that other institutions of higher learning have introduced courses for the subject in recent years. 


Kalé is well-informed on the subject having spent over two years studying it. He has come up with blockchain guides that will act as the core material for students. The associate professor hopes that the course will be picked up in full after its trial phase is over. 

The associate professor hopes to see everything coming into place by the end of 2018. He first plans to start off with a specialization course for the subject which will then develop into a minor in blockchain technology by 2019. As per the schools Information Technology program course structure, the minor option is comprised of a total of five or six subjects. The specialization option, on the other hand, takes a total of three courses. 

High Sights Set for the Blockchain Course


Admittedly, Kalé reckons that while his first run was largely successful, he might have overreached with his curriculum goals. Over the first semester, most of the goals that he had set were met but there was not enough time to cover everything. This is why he wants to streamline the course and adopt efficiency and effectiveness in his delivery style for the spring semester. 


By doing that, the professor will hopefully cover more topics and finish the course material on time. Regarding the interest in the course from the student fraternity, there was always enthusiastic responses about the topic even before it was introduced. A junior student in the department of business even started a student organization that is specifically meant to bring together students interested in the blockchain technology.

Daniel Aghachi, the student behind the organization, refers to the lack of such an association as his central motivation for creating the organization. Now he and professor Kalé are at the forefront of championing the technology to the rest of the faculty. Kalé was even able to send his students some Bitcoin as part of classwork. Aghachi pointed out that the professor wanted to stress the importance of understanding the technology in full, hence sending all his students some Bitcoin to fully drive the point home.

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