Plutus Project-Based Learning 2024 Launches Today

Plutus Project-Based Learning (PPBL) is the free, flagship course from Gimbalabs, for anyone who wants to learn to build applications on Cardano. PPBL 2024 is the 5th iteration of the course, and we are excited to share the latest product of our years of tinkering, reading documentation, reviewing Discord conversations, and most importantly, learning together.

We built PPBL because we are, as Hinson (Wong, SIDAN Lab co-founder and Gimbalabs contributor) says, “adoption maxis”. Our goal is to teach people how to build novel applications that solve real problems, and that will drive meaningful adoption of Cardano.

We provide PPBL for free because it’s the right thing to do — but also because it serves some of our other goals! Through PPBL, we create spaces where collaboration can flourish. By working through the course, people have the chance to meet each other, get help, and build trust that leads to more substantial partnerships. This is how Gimbalabs built a track-record of supporting new projects throughout the Cardano ecosystem.

Who is Plutus Project-Based Learning 2024 Built For?

https://plutuspbl.io/

PPBL 2024 is somewhere in between a technical course for non-technical people and a non-technical course for technical people.

If you’re a developer, PPBL 2024 will give you an overview of the architecture of Cardano applications, and provides a survey of options for each part of the Cardano development stack. Throughout the course, we provide links to deeper courses like the upcoming Mesh PBL, Cardano Go PBL, and Aiken PBL, our first entries in a growing list of specialized technical courses.

If you’re a founder or project manager, this course will help you build the most important mental models of how Cardano works. Even if you are “not a developer”, we want you to be able to reason about the design of a Cardano application, to know what’s easy, what’s hard, and what kinds of tooling is still in development, so that you can make realistic plans for bringing your ideas to life.

In all cases, we are here to learn by doing. We believe that this is the best way to learn anything. Every time we learn from hands-on experience, we develop practical skills alongside a deeper intuition of how new knowledge is connected. When we are actively participating in projects, we’re more likely to bump into other people who are doing the same — and this is where collaboration starts.

About PPBL Live Coding

To accompany the PPBL 2024 course, Gimbalabs hosts a weekly PPBL Live Coding session, on Wednesdays from 1430–1600 UTC. All are welcome to ask questions about PPBL lessons, get help on projects, and meet up with our highly-engaged + big-hearted community.

We also host dedicated sessions for Cardano Go and Mesh. You can find all weekly Gimbalabs meetings on this calendar: https://plutuspbl.io/calendar

Quick History of PPBL

This is the 5th iteration of Plutus PBL. The first iteration launched in late-2021. In 2022, we tested versions 2 and 3 of PPBL by delivering it in Canvas LMS. In 2023 we built a prototype of a Cardano-native course platform and used it to deliver the 4th iteration, “PPBL 2023”.

From last year’s prototype, there is now a full-scale platform called Andamio, and that’s where you’ll find PPBL 2024, the first of several courses that will roll out this year. The team building Andamio consists of alumni from all four prior iterations of PPBL. It’s our proof case that learning together is a good first step in building a strong organization. This is an idea that we’ll continue to explore in the months ahead.

As always, we recognize that Cardano development continues to evolve. This course will be updated continually, and will be outdated in time for the release of PPBL 2025!

Where to find PPBL 2024

https://www.andamio.io/course/ppbl2024

The first module of Plutus PBL 2024 is live at andamio.io/course/ppbl2024. Each week, a new course module will be released, with the whole course being live at the end of June.

A companion site is provided at plutuspbl.io, featuring live demos, lesson examples, and soon, student work.

How to participate in PPBL 2024

It’s free to get started at andamio.io/course/ppbl2024, and you can start today.

All are welcome to participate at weekly Live Coding sessions, on Zoom. Please find up-to-date registration links for all meetings at plutuspbl.io/calendar

Looking forward to learning with you!