2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Blockchain technology has evolved rapidly and is now applied in domains such as energy trading, finance, supply chain management, and healthcare. These applications rely on cryptographic mechanisms to ensure security, privacy, and data immutability, while features including decentralization, transparency, and distributed consensus extend into emerging areas like the Internet of Things, smart cities, cloud computing, and vehicular networks. In undergraduate education, blockchain strengthens cybersecurity training by introducing decentralized security models that differ from traditional centralized architectures. Through exposure to cryptographic primitives, tamper resistant data structures, decentralized identity frameworks, and transparent audit trails, students gain competencies in data integrity, authentication, and secure system design, supporting practical skill development and broadening career pathways in areas such as Web3 security and digital identity. Effective teaching can be enhanced by incorporating hands on coding, adversarial security thinking, and full stack decentralized application development spanning smart contracts, off chain services, and user interfaces. Real world case studies, cross chain technologies, and industry toolchains help students connect theory to practice, while hackathons, testnet deployments, and open source contributions provide experiential learning aligned with professional and research environments. This paper presents pedagogical strategies for integrating blockchain into undergraduate curricula that promote essential skills, authentic research experience, and sustained engagement. Through system level thinking, collaborative learning, and structured mentorship, students build confidence, explore solution paths, and address technical and research related challenges in modern decentralized systems.