As digital technologies continue to reshape industries and influence individual behaviors, understanding blockchain technology is an increasingly essential part of a business education. This semester, Alper Koparan and his FinTech course, which incorporates a hands-on blockchain simulation, won D'Amore-McKim's annual Teaching Innovation and Excellence (TIE) award. While cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and blockchain technologies dominate headlines and social media feeds, most students have limited opportunities to engage with these technologies firsthand. The course's simulation-based approach bridges this gap by providing students with practical blockchain experience in a risk-free environment, allowing them to experiment and be creative.
The problem with traditional blockchain education
Professor Koparan designed the simulation after noticing that few students had practical experience with blockchain, despite the widespread interest in the technology. “Students hear about cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and blockchain all the time—from news stories, social media, and the general hype around digital finance. But despite all the buzz, very few of them have the opportunity to actually engage with these technologies in a structured, risk-free environment,” explains Professor Koparan. This lack of practical experience, coupled with fears of making costly mistakes, often prevents students from exploring blockchain technologies despite their growing importance.
A classroom for the future
The impact of this approach shows in student feedback. At the course's start, over 70% of students reported unfamiliarity with blockchain or DeFi. By the end, nearly 80% indicated the module had significantly enhanced their understanding of blockchain applications.
Dennis Ho, a student who recently accepted a job offer at a fintech firm, came to the course with limited knowledge. “Before taking the course, my understanding on both blockchain and cryptocurrency was limited. Those are terms that I have heard of, but I had no clue how blockchain worked and only knew that cryptocurrency is just something that functions as an investment,” he explains. “After the course, I am a lot more comfortable with my understanding surrounding both of those topics. For blockchain, I now know how it works on a high and granular level, as well as how it supports the crypto ecosystem.”
Ho found the hands-on wallet creation surprisingly accessible. “My experience creating my first digital wallet was so much easier than I thought. After following the instructions provided by Professor Koparan, I was able to easily view and understand how to transact with cryptocurrencies through the simple, easy to use interface,” he says. “The ease of access and transaction was what's surprised me the most about this process.”
Another student, Rutvi Shah, echoes this sentiment. “While the lectures certainly helped build a foundational understanding of the underlying blockchain technology, it's difficult to really conceptualize what that means for an everyday investor,” she says. “Through the simulation, I was able to see how investors link their wallets to the platform, conduct transactions, and also how smart contracts work in practice. It made a complex concept much more tangible.”
Experiential learning fosters creativity
For the class's final project, students are asked to design and mint their own NFTs, challenging them to apply their knowledge creatively. Ho reflects, “During the NFT design competition, the most valuable insight that I gained was through strategically thinking about how to align digital ownership with real-world value. It taught me the importance of user experience and narrative when designing blockchain-based products that resonate with diverse audiences such as my classmates.”
For Shah, the competition revealed the breadth of possibilities in the NFT market. “The experience also demonstrated the speed at which the transactions can be conducted. I had to go through the simulation a couple of times just to fully grasp what steps I was taking and what that actually was doing on the platform.”
This experiential learning often leads to self-directed exploration. “Understanding how sophisticated the technologies are and then immediately experiencing how easy it is to get access to them inspired me to do additional research on areas of fintech that were not covered in class because of the interest that it sparked,” Ho adds.
Career impact and future applications
Perhaps most significantly, the course prepares students for future careers in an increasingly digital world. Ho sees direct applications to his new role in fintech: “I do see myself using blockchain/cryptocurrency knowledge in my future career as I recently applied to and accepted an offer from a fintech firm which offers an institutional investment management platform which has modules related to different asset classes like cryptocurrencies. I think it is impossible to escape the conversations surrounding cryptocurrency or blockchain after I start working in the fintech space.”
Shah takes a broader view of blockchain's relevance: “While I don't think I'll be trading cryptocurrency in the future or for my career, this class has certainly underscored the importance of blockchain. I see blockchain technology becoming increasingly important and relevant in various industries beyond just financial services.”
Professor Koparan has observed tangible professional benefits beyond his classroom: “I've had students include their NFT projects in job interviews and some have used their experience in this module as the foundation for blockchain-focused capstone projects or ideas submitted to startup competitions.”
The cross-disciplinary nature of the course, which attracts students from business, computer science, economics, and data science, fosters a collaborative learning environment where students teach and learn from one another.
Future-ready education
This TIE award-winning course helps prepare students to become future leaders who can navigate both technological and human challenges in an increasingly technology-enabled world. By moving beyond theoretical concepts to practical application, it builds not just blockchain literacy but also adaptability and confidence in navigating emerging technologies.
As Professor Koparan puts it, “That belief that ‘I can learn this' stays with them long after the semester ends”—a skill perhaps more valuable than any specific blockchain knowledge in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.