Evaluating FINESSE: a case-study in group-based CAL

Evaluating FINESSE: a case study in group-based CAL The FINESSE project (Finance Education in a Scalable Software Environment) addresses problems associated with the teaching of finance courses in the U.K. Higher Education sector by constructing a networked, computer-based portfolio management game. The FINESSE consortium consists of finance lecturers at the Universities of Dundee, Strathclyde, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Glasgow Caledonian University, and members of the Computer Sciences division at the University of St Andrews. Subject-specific resources were developed to exploit access to real-time stock-market data thereby allowing students to explore portfolio management strategies in a new and exciting way. The development of FINESSE has produced generic resources to support student communication for group-based work and to facilitate staff monitoring of such work. This paper describes the various approaches employed to evaluate FINESSE throughout the first two years of its use.