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
• cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology
• smart contracts on Ethereum blockchain

How to study for this course

This course is different from the majority of courses you are used to. This course is much more technical than theoretical and it is strictly sequential. This means that you have to adapt your study strategy:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 extensive study, however, it is only with practice that you become skilled enough and know immediately what to do without wasting time.

Exam

The exam is split into three parts. The grade is the weighted average of the three parts, based on how many lessons were dedicated to each of them. 

1. open books practical test on Financial applications with Python, exercises similar to what we did in class (in A.Y. 2023/24 worth 50%)
2. open books practical test on Smart contracts on Ethereum blockchain, modifications of contracts done in class or a new contract to write (in A.Y. 2023/24 worth 25%)
3. closed books written questions on Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology and decentralised finance (in A.Y. 2023/24 worth 25%)

Before the exam:

1. if you do not use your own notebook, borrow a computer from the library well before the exam and configure it before the exam
2. make sure that Anaconda is installed and that you can use Jupyter for Python;
3. make sure Metamask is installed, that you have some Sepolia ethers on its accounts and that it interacts correctly with Remix;
4. if you are paranoid and are afraid that your notebook crashes the night before, some days before the exam borrow a computer from the library and check that you are able to log in on your unibz account and that you have, or are able to install, everything you need

Coursework

Students have the opportunity to skip part 1 of the exam with assignments. You must submit all the home exercises that are assigned after each lesson. You can do them alone or in a group of two, but your partner may not be the same as the previous homework. If they are not done properly or contain severe mistakes, you will receive immediate feedback from dr. Coletti. You are allowed to skip ONE assignment getting 0 in the exercises, but at the second missing one you are excluded. The assignments' grade will be your grade at the exam for this part. If you believe that the grade is too low for you, write an email to dr. Coletti at least 7 days before the exam and you will be able to do that part at the regular exam. This part is completely independent of the others. 

Students have the opportunity to skip part 2 of the exam with a mid-term, which will be your grade for this part of the exam. If you believe that the grade is too low for you, write an email to dr. Coletti at least 7 days before the exam and you will be able to do this part at the exam. In order to be allowed to participate in the mid-term, you must submit all the home exercises that are assigned after each lesson by email within the deadline. You do them in groups of 1,2,3,4 people and they may not be exactly the same ones as in the previous assignment. If they are not done properly or contain severe mistakes, you will receive immediate feedback from dr. Coletti. Assignments will be evaluated and you need to do them in a decent way to be allowed to participate in the mid-term, even though the assignments' grade will not be considered for your exam's grade. You are allowed to skip ONE assignment getting 0 in the exercises, but at the second missing one you are excluded. 

Do not:

• Search with Google and come up with a solution that uses techniques and tools not explained in class. All exercises are designed to be solved with what is explained in class and you cannot use other tools to make your job easier, it is not useful for you;
• copy the assignment from your colleagues (excluding obviously the colleagues with whom you are officially working as a group). I will have to inform the Dean if this happens (yes, in the past it happened...);
• send your code to your colleagues. It is fine to help other students and even to work together in more than two, but each group has its own code. If you send your code around, for sure somebody will send it to me very similar and I will inform the Dean (yes, in the past it happened...);
• send the assignment to me without specifying that you worked in a group other people. It is not possible to attach a person after you have submitted (yes, in the past somebody tried it...)

Note that all students have these possibilities, regardless of whether they attend or not. However, at the beginning of each lesson we will discuss together the home exercises and your problems and thus being present has its advantages for your comprehension and you can get extra points for course's improvements and good suggestions.