Exam code 25418
Big Data and Blockchain
Lecturer: Dr. Paolo Coletti Paolo.Coletti@unibz.it .
Website: www.paolocoletti.com/bigdata
Course
Prerequisites
In order to correctly follow this course each student is required previous knowledge on these topics:
- English understanding and reading: you must be able to read and understand spoken English at level B2. If, for example, you have problems reading this website, you will not follow the course correctly.
- Microsoft Windows or Mac: you must already know how to use an operating system in its basic aspects
- File handling: you must have very good practice on how to move, delete, rename, copy, compress, uncompress files and directories. These are activities with which some students have severe problems.
- Internet: you must be able to navigate, send and read email, use basic UNIBZ network features and download files.
- Data management: experience with data organization with Excel or any statistical program is helpful.
Course content
- financial applications with Python written with LLM help
- cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology
How to study for this course
This course is different from the majority of courses you are used to. This course is only technical and not theoretical, it is sequential and made mostly of exercise lessons. This means that you have to adapt your study strategy:
- First of all, you either attend all the lessons (or compensate for missing lessons watching immediately the corresponding videos) or it is really not worth coming to the next one, since you will have a hard life understanding the next topic.
- After each lesson you must repeat slowly on your own everything done in class in order to be sure to have fully grasped the explained concepts before the next lesson.
- Needless to say, do the assigned exercises without copying them from your colleagues.
For the exam, the main difference with respect to other courses is that you have to train much more than study. The content of this course is easy and does not need study, however, it is only with practice that you become skilled enough and know what to do without wasting time or trying randomly.
Exam
The exam is split into two parts. The grade is the weighted average of the two parts, based on how many lessons were dedicated to each of them.
- open books practical test on Financial applications with Python with LLM help, exercises similar to what we did in class (approximately worth 85%)
- closed books written questions on Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology (approximately worth 15%)
Before the exam:
- if you do not use your own notebook, borrow a computer from the library well before the exam and configure it before the exam
- make sure that you have access to Colab.
Files used in class
| Filename / Link | Size |
|---|---|
| still to arrive!.txt |
Videos of lessons
Playlist in Italian is here: TO BE INSERTED ON 20 FEB 2026
FAQs
Q: Which software do I need for Python on my notebook?
A: Colab and Gemini, both fully web based. You just need a Google account.
Q: How can I type backslash, square bracket, straight vertical, curly braces on the German keyboard of a Mac?
A: Did you buy a Mac with a German keyboard? For programming it is lacking some fundamental keys. Here the shortcuts:
- backslash \ is obtained with ALT+SHIFT+7
- square brackets [ and ] are obtained with ALT+5 and ALT+6
- straight vertical | is obtained with ALT+7
- curly braces { and } are obtained with ALT+8 and ALT+9
Q: When will the next exam be? Can you give me a hint on the exam's date because I have to catch a plane? Can you move the exam's date? Can you fix the exam's date on the week I suggest?
A: Please stop writing me emails on this topic. Exam's date appears on your timetable as soon as it is official. If you have something to say about it, contact your students' speaker who is the only one who can submit requests on students' behalf.
Q: I may not enrol online for technical or administrative reasons or I forgot to enrol or it is my third attempt and I cannot enrol. Can I do the exam anyway?
A: No, I may not let non-enrolled students take part of the exam. Do not ask me to do illegal things! Ask the secretary whether there is something they can do.
Q: May I use the operating system in a different language?
A: Yes, sure. Your business. But Python is English only.
Q: I lost a file during the practical exam because I did not save it correctly. What may you do?
A: Absolutely nothing. With time spent on exercises you should know the unreliability level of your programs, and how often you have to save.
Q: My files were not copied correctly at the end of the practical exam. What may I do?
A: Checking that the copy is correct, and practicing file copy even during the exam, is your task and is official prerequisite for this course.

