Build Foundational Blockchain Knowledge In 4 Weeks

4 weeks • Online • Part-time • Certification ✅

PBA-X is a flexible, part-time online blockchain course designed for both developers and enthusiasts looking to build solid foundational knowledge of Web3 technology.

Taught by the people who built Polkadot!

Write your awesome label here.
Starting date

September 15

Price

$ 100

What is PBA-X?
Who is it for?

PBA-X is a flexible, part time, 4 week, cohort based, online blockchain course for anyone who wants to understand blockchain technology properly.

It is designed to help you to navigate your Web3 career and is taught by the people behind Polkadot, including Dr Gavin Wood.
PBA-X is brought to you by the Polkadot Blockchain Academy. 

Learn from the Builders 

Learn directly from the people building Polkadot via a mix of professionally recorded tutorials, live lectures, Q&A sessions, office hours and written materials.

Access the Web3 Community

Meet people both within Polkadot and the wider Web3 community, connect to build your career in blockchain.

Optional Coding 

This course has no programming entry requirements, it focuses on introducing essential concepts, however optional coding exercises are provided.

Quality Content

Learn the key concepts of blockchain technology through a purpose built curriculum, refined over previous waves of the Polkadot Blockchain Academy.

Accessible

PBA-X is an intensive program open to everyone. All you need to do is sign up and give up a few hours of your time per weeks. Join, learn, connect and accelerate. 

Hear from two of our instructors

Shawn Tabrizi

is a core developer and engineer at Parity Technologies, contributing significantly to the development of Polkadot and the Substrate blockchain framework. He is a key figure in the Polkadot ecosystem and has been heavily involved in designing, implementing, and improving the core protocols and runtime of the Polkadot network. Shawn is recognized for his expertise in blockchain architecture, governance mechanisms and the technical intricacies of building scalable, interoperable blockchains on Substrate. He often engages with the community through talks, technical documentation, and open discussions about the network’s future developments.
Write your awesome label here.
Write your awesome label here.

Kian Paimani

is a core developer and engineer at Parity Technologies, he is known for his contributions to the Polkadot ecosystem, particularly through his role as at Parity Technologies. He has been actively involved in the development and advancement of various core aspects of Polkadot and Substrate, the blockchain framework that underpins Polkadot. Kian's work often focuses on protocol development, improvement of blockchain runtime, and enhancements to the interoperability features of Polkadot. He is considered a significant contributor to Polkadot’s technical evolution and ecosystem growth.

Program Overview

Cryptography

Understand digital signatures, key derivation and entropy. Demonstrate competence in generating random keys and creating secure addresses. Build an awareness of secure communication methods, including hashing with Merkle trees and be able to apply both symmetric and asymmetric encryption techniques.

Economics

Learn key concepts such as supply and demand, market structures and the behavior of economic agents, game theory, including Nash equilibrium and incentive structures. Content also covers price-finding mechanisms in decentralized markets, providing a strong foundation for understanding how blockchain platforms manage value and maintain economic balance.

Blockchain

Explore the history and evolution of blockchain technology from Bitcoin to modern decentralised platforms. Gain solid understanding of core blockchain properties and key concepts, such as consensus mechanisms, state machines, forks and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks. An introduction to smart contracts, emphasising their role in automating trustless transactions and eliminating intermediaries across blockchain platforms, is also provided.

Governance

Learn about blockchain governance, focusing on how decentralised networks make decisions, implement changes and resolve disputes without central authority. The course will cover the historical evolution of governance models, challenges faced by blockchain communities and will dive into Polkadot's OpenGov system. This enables students to critically analyse governance structures and to actively engage in real-world problem-solving scenarios.

Polkadot SDK

Receive a comprehensive introduction to the Polkadot-SDK, focusing on key components like Substrate, FRAME and XCM for blockchain interoperability. The course will also cover the basics of Substrate’s architecture, the role of WebAssembly (WASM) and the Scale Codec for efficient data storage, equipping students with knowledge necessary to build scalable and interoperable blockchains within the Polkadot ecosystem.

Polkadot

Explore the core components of Polkadot, including the relay chain, parachains, collators, and validators to understand how Polkadot ensures security, consensus, and cross-chain interoperability. This module also covers the tokenomics of the DOT token, its role in governance, staking, bonding and network security. Lastly, it provides a foundation for deeper exploration of advanced topics like asynchronous backing and agile coretime which are taught during the in-person Polkadot Blockchain Academy.

What is your Commitment?

The fifth wave of PBA-X will be announced soon and will run for 4 weeks.
The program requires a time commitment of approximately 6 hours per week, some self paced and some scheduled live lectures which we encourage participants to join in real time.
Fill this form if you want to pay in DOT, a payment method we strongly encourage to start your Web3 Journey!

PBA-X course

Only $100

  • Video Tutorials
  • Live Lectures
  • Assistants
  • Community
  • Assessments
  • Resources 

Engaging learning experience & support

Video Tutorials

Pre-recorded video tutorials; clear, concise and designed for online learning.

Assistants 

Teaching assistants will support you during designated office hours. 

Assessments

Check your progress with quiz based assessment for each module. 

Q&A Sessions 

Opportunities to ask Teaching Assistants direct questions in real time.

Live Lectures 

Additional live lectures with subject matter experts.

Optional Coding 

Optional exercises for students with a software development background.

Showcase Your Expertise

Earn an official Polkadot Blockchain Academy certificate upon completion.

Your PBA-X certification serves as a powerful credential, demonstrating your blockchain proficiency to employers and collaborators.

It's your first step toward advanced roles in the Polkadot or PBA ecosystem!

Develop new career opportunities

Blockchain Developer

Build the next generation of decentralized applications or contribute to core protocol development.

Top employers: Parity Technologies, Web3 Foundation and many other Polkadot Ecosystem Teams

Blockchain Entrepreneur

Launch your own Web3 project or startup with a solid technical foundation and ecosystem connections

Understand how to build your business the Web3 way

Open-source Contribution

Find your way to productivity and also earning through open-source contribution to Polkadot related repos.

 A great way to build your skills, experience and profile in the ecosystem

FAQs

Check our list of frequently asked questions.