A student-managed investment fund course design structure

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed framework of goals, processes and solutions that can serve as a starting point for instructors in designing their own student-managed investment fund (SMIF) course experience that is relevant for all undergraduate business majors.Design/methodology/approachThe design is suitable for a wide audience without prior equity investment expertise, lead to equity portfolio management competency and concentrate heavily on the understanding of the elements of a competitive business model. One noteworthy aspect of the proposed pedagogy is that it does not require a text, uses only real-world resources and is flexible in its execution.FindingsThe proposed pedagogy has achieved long-term success by consistently exceeding performance expectations.Originality/valueAccording to the extant literature, many SMIFs are restricted to only a few students, develop skills unevenly across class participants, or are not formally organized or executed. There is a lack of in-depth and specific resources available in the extant literature to assist course designers in an SMIF design and execution. This manuscript fills this void by providing a detailed framework of goals, processes and solutions that can serve as a starting point for instructors in designing their own SMIF course experience.