Overview

Blockchain has been called everything from a passing fad to the future of the internet. This practical, jargon-free course helps complete beginners see it clearly: what a blockchain is and how it works, where it genuinely helps in business (with modern case studies and honest failures) and the real story of cryptocurrency, its value, risks and regulation. Four short units and no hype.

Target Audience

All staff and teams, at any level and in any function, who want a clear, practical understanding of blockchain and cryptocurrency. No technical background required.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, learners will gain a full and clear understanding of:

• What a blockchain is and how it works, in plain language
• How blockchain changes data management and why decentralisation matters
• Real business uses of blockchain and how to tell genuine value from hype
• Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, the wider crypto landscape and what gives it value
• The risks and the emerging regulation around cryptocurrency
• How to talk about blockchain and crypto confidently with colleagues and clients

Features and Benefits

• Written for complete beginners: practical, jargon-free and easy to follow.
• Current and fact-checked: researched against up-to-date 2026 sources, including the latest case studies and regulation.
• Four short, focused units with gated progression; each unit unlocks once the previous one is passed.
• Light, formative interactions running through every unit (click-to-reveal, quick knowledge checks and estimate-and-reveal sliders), never scored.
• An end-of-unit quiz that finishes with a marking screen showing which answers were right or wrong, with a short explanation for each.
• Easy retakes: a failed quiz drops the learner straight back into freshly shuffled questions, with no need to click through the unit again.
• Optional audio narration on every screen (the learner chooses to listen), plus narrated motion-graphic video introductions, with captions throughout for accessibility.
• Responsive layout, suitable for PC, tablet and mobile.
• SCORM 1.2 conformant (single SCO); reports completion and an averaged score to any compliant LMS.

Course Contents

Unit 1: The Foundations of Blockchain

• What a blockchain is and why it is not the same as cryptocurrency
• The role of ledgers and the problem with a single keeper
• How a blockchain works and why it is so hard to tamper with
• The real business benefits and a clear-eyed view of the hype

Unit 2: How Blockchain Works and Where It’s Used

• What a block contains and how the chain holds together
• Reaching agreement: proof of work and proof of stake
• Public, private and consortium blockchains and smart contracts
• Real business case studies, the successes and the failures

Unit 3: Decentralised Data Management

• How ordinary, centralised databases work and their weaknesses
• The move to a decentralised model and its advantages and trade-offs
• Trustless data and the rising duties around data protection
• Web3 and decentralised finance, the more speculative frontier

Unit 4: Cryptocurrency in the Real World

• What a cryptocurrency is and what Bitcoin is
• How Bitcoin works, how it is stored and how mining works
• Stablecoins, Ethereum, NFTs and the wider landscape
• The risks and the regulation now shaping crypto