The first course taught in the Trading Lab was Corporate Finance I during the summer of 2011.  Since then,  several courses and individual class sessions have been taught in the Lab, utilizing the resources available in the Lab.  The Trading Lab has been well received by both professors and students.

Dr. Stephen Larson, Associate Professor of Finance, believes that the Trading Lab provides a great real-time learning experience.  Here are some of his observations on how the Trading Lab contributed to his Securities and Investments course.

“The Trading Lab provides hands-on training.  Students execute trades and follow their portfolios via the FTS software.”

“The resources in the Lab provide students instant access to information from news to stock prices to volume data.”

“Each student holds a portfolio during the semester.  During the class period, I demonstrate various items, such as candle stick charts.”

“The Lab prepares students for their careers.  Students can say that they actually managed a portfolio and tracked securities at Ramapo College.”

Dr. Juan Cabrera, Assistant Professor of Finance, believes that the Trading Lab is a tremendous asset to students.  Here are some of his observations on how the Trading Lab enhanced his Equity Markets Trading course.

“In my Equity Trading Markets course, I use the Trading Lab resources more comprehensively.  Besides the traditional teaching tools, I have access to simulated trading platforms where my students are able to simulate an entire market, buying and selling securities, under different market structures such as a call auction, dealer markets.  My students can perform a variety of roles such as market making, buy-side trading, and block trading, among others.”

“The Trading Lab creates a more dynamic, interactive and experiential environment than a traditional classroom setting would.  It allows me to combine interactive and experiential teaching tools with the more traditional lecture-based discussions.  This dynamic environment keeps my students alert, motivated, and engaged.”

“Being exposed to such a dynamic and “live” environment gives students a sense of our rapidly changing markets. It makes them aware of the immense amount of information available and the need for up-to-date technology in order to gather, process, and analyze this information.  This exposure will help them prepare for the job market once they graduate.”