[Contracts] Evaluate module content & Outline for content development needs for Berkeley

[nuke-web3]

• [ ] Remove contracts pallet specific stuff (maybe frontier if any too?)
• [ ] Identify what if any content in the new sequencing (after blockchain) is missing or needs to be refactored as we now will not have substrate, FRAME, Polkadot, and XCM as prior knowledge.
  • TBD is existing staff or external PBA partners can help refine or add new "generic" contracts content that may be needed with the new sequencing after the blockchain module.
• [ ] Max 2.5 days of content, TBD if less is needed/warranted

Of note on decisions already made:

• We will not have the SME talent or bandwidth to craft an assignment & grade for it.
• TBD will be the SME(s) on site to help facilitate the module
• @laurenelee will be the primary instructor for the content

[nuke-web3]

Some more considerations here:

• This module will need to cater to both the hard-core engineering and high-level platform/product (founder track) level demographics. Though a stronger focus on founders is likely needed, as this is staged to be the module where the tracks start to diverge, and latter modules will be more focused explicitly on engineering demographic.
• We need to consider moving or cutting out (for now) any deeper contract engine / implementation materials that are not founder relevant.
  • But @gabriele-0201 and @pepyakin (and IIRC @JoshOrndorff ) have expressed interested in a new lower-level Wasm lesson and/or exercise that would be in this bucket of content. This could expand or replace what Alex had for contracts pallet and Wasm specific lesson content we have now. This also could be moving into exploring RISC-V, CosmWasm, Cardano UTXO contracts models and other platform specific details that might be framed to be useful for founders and/or engineers.

[JoshOrndorff]

I'll summarize the outcomes of the conversation I just had with @laurenelee, @aaronbassett , and @kianenigma.

This module will be prepared so that it can stand on its own, but, in practice will be taught holistically with module 4 - Blockchain fundamentals. Specifically Smart contracts will start the week and end it, with Blockchain fundamentals coming in the middle. If this content needs to be separated in the future, doing so will be easy, but this time around, we will make this optimization.

Smart Contract Fundamentals - First half of contracts module

80% new content, 20% re-used

• What is a smart contract and why are they useful
• State machine stuff previously from blockchain module
• Bitcoin, ATM, Vending Machine, etc as smart contracts
• "Smart contracting platform" and inception of smart contracts.
• Maybe some smart contract design activity
• Students left wondering where we actually run these contracts.

Blockchain Fundamentals - All of Blockchain Module

10% new content - 90% reused

• The blockchain module will execute roughly the same as it did in Buenos Aires.
• Some of the early content about state machines will have already been covered.
• This will ease the rush pace of lectures and allow re-introducing the "fees and ordering" lesson that was cut for time sake in BA.
• It also allows adding the content about rollups that was requested previously (cc @shawntabrizi @BradleyOlson64 if we have too much rollup content in the Polkadot module, some of it is on topic-here in blockchain module as well - but please don't hijack this issue which is mostly about smart contracts)

Smart Contracts Practical - Second half of contracts module

50% new content - 50% reused

This is one big activity. Instructors introducing 5ish key smart contract ideas (examples follow). Then instructors introduce 4ish key smart contracting languages (examples follow), writing "hello world" or "flipper" or something simple in each language.

Example Smart Contracts:

• DPoS
• TCR
• DAO
• Dex
• Quadratic Voting

Example Languages:

• Solidity
• Vyper
• Ink!
• Ask?
• Maybe someday: (cosmwasm, avalanche, cardano)

Each student is assigned a random smart contract and language pair from the lists. And their task is to implement it. They will naturally be able to collaborate and co-learn with their peers because some of them will have the same contract, and others will have the same language. However, they will scarcely be able to directly plagiarize because only one or two others in the class will have the exact same language-contract pair. This will naturally allow students to compare and contrast the different languages and gain exposure to the various contracts.

This activity could optionally evolve into or lead into the the week 2 assignment.

If there are guest experts available or interested in contributing, either in person or with reference implementations, this would be much appreciated. @notlesh I'm hoping you can be the expert on Solidity, Evm, Vyper here.

Ideally, we will also be able to use Kian's exercise idea here, but if it is not completed yet, no problem.

Start a Blockchain - Capstone activity

50% new content - 50% reused

This is the same "start a blockchain" activity from BA, but this time it will be extended. The chain we launch will have pallet-contracts and frontier already installed. Students will then deploy and interact with their contracts.