Designing & Developing a CryptoByte Course

What goes into developing one of our CryptoBytes?

Designing and Developing a Web3 Course: Insights from the Process

Creating an educational course in in any field, let alone the rapidly evolving fields of Web3, blockchain, and DeFi, requires a dynamic approach. As an online Web3 educator, the challenge lies not only in keeping up with the latest advancements but also in presenting this complex information in an accessible and engaging manner.

In this article, I’ll share the design and development process behind developing one of our “CryptoByte” courses, hopefully giving an insight into some of the strategic, creative, and technical efforts involved.

Understanding the Audience

The first step in designing any course is understanding the target audience. Whether they are beginners, intermediate learners, or advanced professionals, their knowledge level significantly influences the course content and delivery style. Conducting surveys, analysing feedback from previous courses, and engaging with the community on social media platforms (for example our Block of Crypto community and Meet-up groups) really help in paint a clearer picture of the learners' needs, interests, and pain points.

Defining Clear Objectives

With the audience in mind, the next step is to define the course objectives. What should learners be able to achieve by the end of the course? For a Web3 course, objectives might include understanding blockchain fundamentals, exploring DeFi protocols, or how Smart Contracts work. These goals provide a roadmap for content creation, ensuring each module builds towards these endpoints.

Developing the Curriculum

The curriculum is the backbone of an educational course, and typically begins with foundational concepts before delving into more advanced topics. When we create courses or “CryptoBytes” for the Block of Crypto website, they are structured as introductory, intermediate, advanced, and if appropriate, expert courses.

Here’s a high-level breakdown of what such a curriculum might look like – this is taken from the recently released CryptoByte course “Artificial Intelligence – Essentials”:

Introduction

Introduction
Learning Objective

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Understanding Artificial Intelligence
The History and Evolution of AI
Applications of AI in Various Industries
The Types of AI
Do you know?

Machine Learning Basics

Machine Learning vs AI
The Mechanics of AI
Do you know?

Using AI in daily life

GPTs
AI Systems & GPTs
Do you know?

Prompt Engineering

RICCE Prompt technique
Good Prompts vs Bad Prompts
RICCE Template
Do you know?

Summary

Summary
Glossary of terms
Mission Unlocked

You’ll also notice the “Do you know?” at the end of each section – this is the knowledge check and comprises of a short quiz using either multiple choice, sequence or matching questions to ensure the user has understood what has been delivered. Finally, you’ll see the “Mission unlocked” at the end - we’ll come to that shortly.

Content Creation

With the curriculum outlined, the content creation phase begins. This involves researching, scripting, and producing various materials, including interactive quizzes and guides. Each piece of content should be clear, concise, and engaging. Utilising real-world examples, visual aids, and hands-on exercises can greatly enhance understanding and retention – as an example, the “RICCE template” section in the above curriculum involves engineering a prompt using the interactive RICCE (Role, Instructions, Content, Constraints and Example) template. This is then submitted for feedback.

Technical Production

High-quality production is essential for an engaging learning experience – with the CryptoBytes, we are creating a 20 minute bite size learning experience, but this still needs to be reviewed, tested and quality checked to ensure it meets our brand standards. The “Byte” courses focus on being accessible anywhere, so are primarily text and image based, rather than containing video content. However, this doesn’t mean a less work goes into editing content and ensuring clear visual presentation.

Interactive Elements - Missions

Incorporating interactive elements can significantly boost learner engagement. In the case of our “CryptoBytes” this is done through creating a task or series of tasks that require the user to apply the knowledge they have gained. For example, for the AI essentials course in the previous example, the mission is to create a prompt for an AI system (such as copilot of ChatGPT) and share the output. For our Financial Literacy course, it is to create a budget using the learning from the module. This helps apply the knowledge gained to the real world, rather than just being conceptual.

Iterative Review and Feedback

Once the course is developed, it undergoes a thorough review process. Firstly, a member of the team will review the content as a “second pair of eyes”, then we will Beta test the content with a small group of learners to provide feedback on content clarity, pacing, and overall effectiveness. This iterative process helps in refining the course, addressing any gaps or issues, and ensuring it meets the standards we set. Any feedback is taken on board and either implemented or used for future course creation.

Launch and Marketing

The final step is launching the course and marketing it to the target audience. Leveraging social media, email newsletters, community members and collaborations helps drive awareness and enrollment. All our courses are free for learners, meaning education is accessible to all, which helps attract a broader audience from around the globe. On a more technical level, we also need to carefully craft the SEO (search engine optimisation), meta description, and keywords. This ensures our website or courses show up higher in a search engine when certain keywords are entered, such as “Free online education”. Getting on the first page of a search dramatically increases the uptake of a course.

Continuous Improvement

Post-launch, the work doesn't stop. Continuously gathering feedback, monitoring learner progress, and updating content to reflect the latest developments are crucial for maintaining the course's relevance and effectiveness. Engaging with the learner community, addressing their queries, and incorporating their suggestions ensure the course evolves in line with their needs. So as our catalogue of training and education grows, so does the work involved in keeping it relevant and up to date.

Conclusion

Hopefully this has shown how designing and developing a course is a dynamic process that demands a deep understanding of both the subject matter and the learner's journey. By setting clear objectives, crafting a comprehensive curriculum, producing high-quality content, and continuously iterating based on feedback, we can create impactful and engaging learning experiences that empower individuals to upskill themselves.

This can be summed up in 3 words - Engage, educate, and inspire, which are the cornerstones of effective online education - in particular in the fast-paced realm of Web3.

So that’s, what goes into creating our “Crypto Byte” short courses, I hope you have found it useful to know what goes into each CryptoByte! If you found this useful and interesting, why not visit ablockofcrypto.com to see it in action?