Using a portfolio management game (Finesse) to teach finance

Finesse is a computer-based game that has been developed by a number of UK universities with funding provided by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). It aims to support student learning in finance, encourage group work, save staff time in monitoring student performance and aid in the assessment of students’ understanding of financial issues. The game was used for the first time in 1998/1999. This paper demonstrates the features of the game, discusses the results of a questionnaire survey of the students’ assessment of the game and evaluates the use of the game in assessing students’ performance at one of the universities involved.