Week 4 — Web3 industry, research and contribution
About 574 wordsAbout 2 min
Foundation Pilot · Sep–Oct 2026
The current Foundation Pilot ends after Week 4. The Week 4 Track Selection Card is the final pilot output; the Builder and Researcher Deep Dive is the next stage of the full Academy and is in development for Cohort 1 · January 2027.
Core question — what does the Web3 world actually look like, and how do I investigate something I do not understand?
Weeks 1–3 built the machine: state, consensus, incentives, assets, wallets, contracts. This week is about the industry built around it, and about the one skill that outlasts every specific fact in this handbook — knowing how to find out.
| Part | Page | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Web3 industry map | 25 min |
| 2 | Who is who, and what kind of thing is it | 25 min |
| 3 | Which tool answers which question | 25 min |
| 4 | GitHub in practice | 30 min |
| 5 | AI-native building | 20 min |
| 6 | Track selection card | 25 min |
Anchor Mission: Week 4 mission · 100 points
The arc
What this week is for
Week 4 has two jobs, and they meet in the Anchor Mission.
Recognition. By the end you should be able to hear an unfamiliar protocol named and place it — what sector, what kind of entity, what problem it claims to solve — without knowing anything specific about it.
Track selection. Part 6 and the mission help you choose Builder or Researcher, record the domains that interest you and identify your gaps. Once selected, the track remains your Academy path through W5–W8. For Foundation Pilot learners, the Track Selection Card is the final required Foundation output. In the full programme, it starts the selected W5–W6 Deep Dive; the domain, question and final Proof of Work idea may evolve until W7.
The most transferable page in the handbook
Part 3 teaches which source answers which kind of question. Every fact in this handbook will age. That skill will not.
Changelog
5a3b0-refactor(academy): finalize two-track curriculum architectureonff0f4-feat(academy): finalize Foundation learning experienceon8fbd1-docs(foundation): bridge core concepts and collaborationona931f-docs(foundation): finalize beginner learning path and handbook UXon80d94-feat(foundation): complete Weeks 3-4 and add the visual layeronaed71-Bootstrap Blockchain@NTU Academy Handbookon