Blockchain for Autonomous Systems

An eight-week applied curriculum in blockchain fundamentals, DeFi and decentralised exchange engineering. Learners set up a self-custody wallet, make a swap, bridge an asset between chains and finish with a capstone.

See the eight weeks View the capstone

Duration: 8 weeks
Live sessions: 2 per week
Each session: 2 hours

Programme overview

The programme takes participants from first blockchain principles through tokenomics and DeFi design to careers in Web3. Every practical exercise, from wallet setup to cross-chain bridging, runs on the TowerDex testnet.

Format

70% Web3 education
30% Hands-on practical application
Duration 8 weeks and 16 live sessions, plus a capstone submission window
Sessions 2 live weekend sessions per week
Length 2 hours per session

About the syllabus

The syllabus was prepared by Tower Exchange (TowerDex Inc.). TowerDex is Tower Exchange's native meta-DEX aggregator, cross-chain bridge and AI-assisted trading terminal, built on Circle's Arc Blockchain. It serves as the main practical and testnet environment.

The curriculum also stands on its own as a Web3 course, because the education side follows industry-standard topics.

How learners are assessed

Weekly hands-on deliverables build cumulatively toward a final capstone, following a theory-first, practice-always philosophy. On top of the weekly work, every learner completes a comparative analysis, described under Labs and assignments below.

Curriculum at a glance

Pick a week to jump straight to its full plan.

1
Foundations and CustodyBlockchain fundamentals, history, cryptography and wallets.
2
Consensus, Solana and EthereumConsensus mechanisms, Solana and Ethereum.
3
Smart Contracts and Token StandardsSmart contracts and token standards.
4
Stablecoins and DeFi/DEX DesignStablecoins, DeFi and DEX design.
5
NFTs, DAOs and Layer 2NFTs, DAOs and Layer 2.
6
Cross-Chain, Oracles and SecurityCross-chain interoperability, oracles and security.
7
Tokenomics and AI in TradingTokenomics and AI in trading.
8
Real-World Uses, Careers, Ethics and CapstoneReal-world use cases, careers, ethics, regulation and the capstone showcase.

The eight weeks

Each week lists what is studied, the practical lab, and what learners hand in. Weeks 4 and 6 are the TowerDex deep dives.

Week 1

Foundations and Custody

Blockchain fundamentals, history, cryptography and wallets.

Practical lab

Set up and secure a self-custody testnet wallet, generate wallet credentials, and practise backup and recovery.

What is being studied

The first week covers the basics that everything else builds on. Students learn how blockchain technology developed from Bitcoin to today's ecosystems and get comfortable with decentralisation, trustless systems, public and private key cryptography, hashing, wallet architecture and self-custody.

From Bitcoin to today's ecosystems
Decentralisation and trustless systems
Public and private key cryptography
Hashing
Wallet architecture
Self-custody

Assignment

Write a short explanation titled "How a Transaction Actually Gets Signed" that shows a clear understanding of the signing process. Submit it with your wallet address as proof that the wallet setup worked.

Deliverable

Self-custody testnet wallet set up and secured.

Week 2

Consensus, Solana and Ethereum

Consensus mechanisms, Solana and Ethereum.

Practical lab

Use public blockchain explorers to trace one transaction on Solana and one on Ethereum, see how each network processes and confirms activity, and discuss how Proof of Stake secures both compared with Bitcoin's Proof of Work.

What is being studied

This week looks at how blockchain networks reach agreement on what is true. Students compare Proof of Work and Proof of Stake and weigh their trade-offs, with Bitcoin as the classic Proof of Work example. They also see how Solana and Ethereum, both Proof of Stake networks, differ in design and performance, and meet the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

Proof of Work and Proof of Stake
Bitcoin as the Proof of Work example
Solana and Ethereum compared on design and performance
The Ethereum Virtual Machine

Assignment

Submit a short comparison of Proof of Work and Proof of Stake covering strengths, weaknesses and trade-offs, backed by what you saw on the Solana and Ethereum explorers.

Deliverable

Comparative notes on consensus trade-offs.

Week 3

Smart Contracts and Token Standards

Smart contracts and token standards.

Practical lab

Study the design of a router-contract pattern and work out how the contracts interact during a token swap. The focus is on understanding the design, not on security auditing.

What is being studied

Students learn how smart contracts are structured, meet common token standards such as ERC-20, and see how router and fee-collector contracts work inside a decentralised exchange.

Smart contract structure
Token standards such as ERC-20
Router contracts
Fee-collector contracts

Assignment

Create an annotated diagram that explains what each contract does and how they work together during a decentralised token swap.

Deliverable

Annotated walkthrough of a router-contract design pattern.

Week 4TowerDex deep dive

Stablecoins and DeFi/DEX Design

Stablecoins, DeFi and DEX design.

Practical lab

Make a first testnet stablecoin swap on TowerDex, then read the activity log, the routing path and the execution details.

What is being studied

This week is about decentralised finance: fiat-backed and algorithmic stablecoins, how pegs are maintained, automated market makers, liquidity pools, and how a DEX aggregator brings these together.

Fiat-backed and algorithmic stablecoins
How pegs are maintained
Automated market makers
Liquidity pools
DEX aggregators

Assignment

Write up the transaction: which liquidity pools were used, why the route was chosen, and why that path was the most efficient option.

Deliverable

First testnet swap executed via TowerDex, transaction log reviewed.

Week 5

NFTs, DAOs and Layer 2

NFTs, DAOs and Layer 2.

Practical lab

Compare the governance setups of two established DAOs, looking at how each is structured and how decisions actually get made.

What is being studied

Students explore NFTs, DAOs and how they are governed, and Layer 2 scaling approaches such as rollups.

NFTs
DAOs and how they are governed
Layer 2 scaling
Rollups

Assignment

Write a short memo comparing the two DAOs' governance models, including what each does well and where it falls short.

Deliverable

Governance-model comparison exercise.

Week 6TowerDex deep dive

Cross-Chain, Oracles and Security

Cross-chain interoperability, oracles and security.

Practical lab

Using TowerDex's integration with Circle's CCTP V2 infrastructure, bridge a testnet asset from Arc to Solana with gasless forwarding.

What is being studied

This module covers how blockchains talk to each other: cross-chain bridges, oracle networks and security best practices. Students also study real security incidents from the industry to see what tends to go wrong and how to guard against it.

Cross-chain bridges
Oracle networks
Security best practices
Real industry security incidents

Assignment

Document the full bridging process: the transaction logs, what you observed, and a plain explanation of how the interoperability works.

Deliverable

Testnet bridge to Solana executed and documented.

Week 7

Tokenomics and AI in Trading

Tokenomics and AI in trading.

Practical lab

Place a trade through the Tower AI Assistant using plain-language prompts and compare the experience with making the same trade manually.

What is being studied

Students look at tokenomics and incentive design, at how AI is used in trading systems, and at how conversational interfaces are changing the way people use blockchain applications.

Tokenomics
Incentive design
AI in trading systems
Conversational interfaces for blockchain apps

Assignment

Write a short reflection comparing the manual swap from Week 4 with this week's AI-assisted trade, covering what was faster, easier or less clear in each case.

Deliverable

Trade executed via the Tower AI Assistant and compared with a manual swap.

Week 8

Real-World Uses, Careers, Ethics and Capstone

Real-world use cases, careers, ethics, regulation and the capstone showcase.

Practical lab

Join a guest session with a member of the TowerDex team on engineering culture, team structure and career paths in Web3. The rest of the week is set aside for capstone work.

What is being studied

The final week looks at real-world uses of blockchain, including cross-border payments and remittances, career paths in Web3, ethical considerations, and regulatory frameworks such as MiCA, FATF/AML and broker-dealer rules.

Cross-border payments and remittances
Career paths in Web3
Ethical considerations
Regulation: MiCA, FATF/AML and broker-dealer rules

Assignment

Submit your finished capstone project and present it publicly, showing what you learned and built across the programme.

Deliverable

Capstone submission and public presentation.

Labs and assignments

Hands-on exercises run across the programme, mostly inside the TowerDex product suite.

Wallet setup and connection to the TowerDex web application
A stablecoin swap through the standard web interface
The same swap through natural-language prompts to the Tower AI Assistant, compared with the first flow
An automated recurring (DCA) order
A testnet bridge from Arc to Solana using CCTP V2 and gasless forwarders
Reading and interpreting the activity log and route visualiser for a completed trade

The comparative analysis

Every learner also completes a comparative analysis. Using TowerDex's own public competitive-benchmarking framework (cost per swap, AI trading support, gasless bridging and mobile distribution) as the analytical model, learners compare TowerDex against Jupiter, 1inch Network and Curve Finance, then present their findings.

Capstone project

Learners choose one of three capstone tracks. Each stays simple, because the real goal is to help people get comfortable using TowerDex and Web3 tools, with a few learners going further into building.

Every capstone ends with a short write-up, a short video, or a small piece of code shared with the rest of the cohort.

Option A: Testnet Activity Report

A short write-up of what you did on testnet across the programme: your wallet setup, your first swap and your cross-chain bridge. Explain what each transaction did and what you learned from it. This is the simplest option and leaves you with a clear personal record of your work.

Option B: Beginner's Guide to TowerDex

A short recorded walkthrough that teaches someone completely new to crypto how to set up a wallet, make a swap and bridge assets across chains using TowerDex. It is built for a non-technical audience and can double as onboarding content for future users.

Option C: Minimal Smart Contract in Solidity

Write and deploy a very small smart contract on testnet, for example a contract with one function that stores and updates a balance, or a counter that goes up each time it is called. No complex logic is needed. This option gives a first taste of writing and deploying real contract code.

Student journey

The programme follows a fixed timeline from enrolment to certification.

1
Enrolment
2
Eight weeks of live weekend classes with weekly hands-on deliverables
3
Ongoing testnet activity throughout the programme
4
Capstone submission and public presentation
5
Certification
6
Top performers surfaced as candidates for contributor roles or internships

Tools and platforms

TowerDex testnet suiteThe main practical environment: a meta-DEX aggregator, cross-chain bridge and AI-assisted trading terminal built on Circle's Arc Blockchain.
Self-custody testnet walletSet up and secured in Week 1 and used in every lab after it.
Public blockchain explorersUsed in Week 2 to trace transactions on Solana and Ethereum.
Tower AI AssistantPlain-language trading in Week 7, compared with a manual swap.
Circle CCTP V2Cross-chain transfers with gasless forwarding in Week 6.
Arc and SolanaThe source and destination chains for the Week 6 bridge.
SolidityFor capstone Option C: a minimal smart contract deployed on testnet.