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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Blockchain

Sec. Blockchain for Science

DeSci EDU: Course Design and Self-Perceived Evaluation in Decentralized Science Education

Provisionally accepted
Suyen EspinozaSuyen Espinoza1Kishore KumarKishore Kumar1Fabio LaredoFabio Laredo1Karlin ComptonKarlin Compton1Cansu YanikCansu Yanik1Logan Bishop-CurreyLogan Bishop-Currey1Ella McCarthy-PageElla McCarthy-Page1Bence LukácsBence Lukács2Lukas WeidenerLukas Weidener3*
  • 1Molecule AG, Zug, Switzerland
  • 2Technische Hochschule Nurnberg Georg Simon Ohm Fakultat Betriebswirtschaft, Nuremberg, Germany
  • 3BIO.xyz, Zug, Switzerland

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Abstract. Decentralized science (DeSci) aims to address structural inefficiencies in traditional research yet lacks formal educational pathways. This exploratory case study evaluates an eight-week blended course, DeSci EDU, which combines theory-based seminars, scaffolded assignments, and alumni mentorship. Thirty-two participants completed pre-course self-assessments across ten blockchain and DeSci domains; twenty-two provided post-course data, and 11 supplied matched identifiers. Cohort means increased by 41% for blockchain and 53% for DeSci, with the largest relative gains in governance mechanisms and token-based incentives. Matched-pair analysis showed comparable improvements (+51% and +58%). The early career, highly educated sample, and reliance on self-report limit generalizability and causal attribution. Nonetheless, the results suggest that a structured practice-oriented curriculum can quickly enhance DeSci literacy. Future iterations should integrate objective performance tasks, transversal competencies, and automated participant tracking to enable scalable and rigorous evaluation.

Keywords: decentralized science (DeSci), Blockchain Technology Education, blended learning, Self-Assessment, Curriculum Design

Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Espinoza, Kumar, Laredo, Compton, Yanik, Bishop-Currey, McCarthy-Page, Lukács and Weidener. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Lukas Weidener

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material