Assessing the Impact of a “Futures & Options” Course on Finance Majors: Insights from a Futures & Options Course Study in China

Abstract

The “Futures & Options” (F&O) course is a major for financial students to learn to identify and recognize risks, master the skills and methods of risk management, and shape risk-oriented thinking. The purpose of the study is to identify the impact of the F&O course on the professional thinking, life and future work of students. This study used a survey on finance students (n = 534) of Tongling University of China who have studied F&O course over the past two years. Research questions: (1) How do students currently perceive the F&O course? (2) What factors influence the current perception of F&O students? (3) Does the impact of the F&O course on life/future employment and student development vary by gender? (4) Does the impact of the F&O course on life/future employment and student development vary depending on their knowledge of futures and options? (5) Does the impact of the F&O course on the life/future work and development of students vary depending on their participation in equity and fund investments? (6) Will the impact of the F&O course on the life/future employment and development of students vary depending on their participation in futures and options investments? The results of the study showed that the level of knowledge of male students was slightly higher than that of female students, and there were no gender differences in the impact of the F&O course on the life/future employment and development of students. Students who identified themselves with higher value of usefulness and ability of risk management did not participate in investing F&O. Students with higher knowledge level perform better than the others. It was concluded that, in general, the level of knowledge of students is better within the current educational model, the readiness of students to participate in practice is low, and the cultivation of risk awareness is not ideal.