A New Model for Blockchain and Crypto Education
Mahidol University International College (MUIC) launched "Digital Assets: Blockchain Systems and Cryptocurrency Foundations," a pioneering bespoke course designed and led by Dr. Aman Saggu, Lecturer and Researcher in Cryptoeconomics at MUIC. The course equips Assumption College Thonburi (ACT) with hands-on experience in blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and financial technologies reshaping global finance, while advancing MUIC's mission to bring forth frontier financial education in Thai secondary schools through university-level digital literacy and interactive, practical, project-based learning.
Advancing Digital Finance Education: Learning Bitcoin by Building It
The program, held from October 2025 to January 2026, immersed ACT students in the technologies, markets, and economic forces transforming international finance. Integrating economics, finance, computer science, and applied mathematics, ACT students uncovered Bitcoin's journey from the Genesis Block through every step of the transaction lifecycle, decoding public-private key cryptography, experimenting with SHA-256 hashing, generating and validating digital signatures, and breaking down the UTXO transaction model. Beginning with raw transaction data, ACT students constructed Bitcoin block headers from first principles, by building Merkle trees, and piecing together every block field (version, previous block hash, Merkle root, timestamp, difficulty target, and nonce) to simulate proof-of-work and witness firsthand how blocks are created and secured on the network.
Practical Learning at MUIC: Students Launch Their Own Cryptocurrency Tokens
Using live blockchain explorers and cryptocurrency exchanges, ACT students generated market and limit orders, authenticated transactions, tracked mempool activity, interpreted financial candlestick charts, and assessed market capitalization and liquidity in real time. With a solid technical foundation, the course propelled ACT students into Ethereum, where they used Remix and MetaMask to deploy, interact with, and verify ERC-20 tokens on test networks. Every team created and deployed its own unique cryptocurrency tokens and presented defensible use cases grounded in token design, functionality, and market context.
Before Blockchain: Exploring Money at the Bank of Thailand
Having built a deep understanding of how cryptocurrencies and digital markets function today, ACT students visited the Bank of Thailand, where they traced the historical evolution of money and payment systems in Thailand, situating blockchain and cryptocurrencies within a broader monetary trajectory.
Industry Insight from Uniswap: DeFi with Gun Clawvuthinan
Reflecting the program’s close collaboration with industry practitioners, the course concluded with a deep dive into decentralized finance by Gun Clawvuthinan, Community Manager for APAC at Uniswap, the world's largest decentralized cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, and Founder of ApeX Crypto. Gun Clawvuthinan equipped students with practical insight into how DeFi systems operate in real-world environments and outlined potential next steps for learners entering the ecosystem.
Building on MUIC's Memorandums of Understanding: Bitazza Thailand and Tether Operations Ltd.
The program received strong industry support from cryptocurrency exchange Bitazza Thailand, led by CEO Tanawat Sutuntivorakoon and Vice President Sirada Traijakvanich, which enabled ACT students to access the exchange's environment, use live market data, and apply core concepts through real-world trading interfaces. In addition, Boonyavee Phlayphan (Ploy), Thailand/Indochina Country Manager at Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry, championed the curriculum review, sharpening conceptual clarity and ensuring practical relevance and alignment with evolving industry standards. Together, these industry leaders set a new milestone in MUIC's pursuit of educational innovation, building on its recent memorandums of understanding with Tether Operations Ltd. and Bitazza Thailand.
Dr. Saggu explained, "Our goal was to move beyond abstract explanations and enable students to actually build blockchain systems from the transaction level upward. They worked with live markets, professional tools, deployed their own tokens, and engaged directly with industry experts. By the end of the course, students were not guessing how crypto works; they were building it, testing it, and explaining it from the protocol layer all the way to the market.”
High Schools in Thailand: Partner with MUIC for University-Level Education
MUIC continues to lead blockchain and cryptocurrency education in Thailand by delivering exceptional university-level experiences to high school students while maintaining direct links to industry practice. The program prepares students for the digital future through early, hands-on exposure to financial technologies and real-world applications, creating a scalable pathway from secondary education to university study and the professional ecosystem.
The program was organized through the Academic Services Section under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chanida Hansawasdi, Associate Dean for Research and Academic Services, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Claus Dieter Schreier, Assistant Dean for Research and Academic Services, together with the Academic Services team. Schools interested in offering students university-level learning and credit opportunities may contact the MUIC IT Training Unit at ictraining@mahidol.ac.th for the course catalogue.
