New Hybrid Course in Finance - offered Spring 2007

"Exploring Finance with Fingame", taught by Professor Arthur Wilson, is a hybrid course that enables students to learn about finance by playing FINGAME, a web-based simulation of the management of a virtual company.  

In the simulation, each student is given control of a virtual company where they must identify emergent financial problems, perform appropriate analysis, develop solutions, and implement, by submitting appropriate instructions. The firm then evolves in response to the decisions submitted by each student. The firm's stock price also evolves in response to each student's decisions. This process is repeated for 20  to 24 rounds, typically two or three times a week.  

Depending on parameters set by the instructor, the firm can take on any of a wide variety of characteristics, consistent with firms in a variety of industries. The process of identifying and addressing the firm's financial problems becomes a very good way to reinforce students' knowledge of the tools and concepts taught in more conventional finance courses.