| Unit name | Introduction to Financial Technology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | COMSM0093 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Cartlidge |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
N/A |
| Co-requisites |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
This unit provides students with a broad overview of the algorithmics and economics of the internet and their role underpinning modern financial technology. The unit begins by introducing the economic principles necessary to understand and analyse how and why financial technologies succeed, before exploring a range of topics in financial technology including auctions and financial markets, automated trading, blockchain technologies, peer-to-peer lending, and the economics of crowds. Throughout the unit, the ethical, legal, and regulatory issues surrounding these technologies, and the societal impacts they have, are considered.
At the end of the course a successful student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate how the internet impacts the economics of enterprise and finance;
2. Explain the key design features of a number of internet and financial technology algorithms;
3. Implement, deploy, and/or assess key financial technologies using economic principles;
4. Identify and illustrate the legal, ethical, regulatory, and technical issues involved in financial technologies and the use of personal data.
Unit delivery will be blended. Unit content will be provided as a series of short pre-recorded online video lectures, organised into topics, for students to watch asynchronously. Each topic will have associated links for additional reading and formative online exercises. Each topic will also have associated synchronous flipped lecture sessions (either online or physical) with live streaming for remote participation. Flipped lectures will involve student participation in individual and group activities.
Continuous assessment (30%): Students take a series of short online tests at regular intervals throughout the unit. The mark for this component is formed from the best three tests out of a total of five. (ILO 1, 2, 3)
Coursework (70%): Students perform an empirical exploration of a specific issue in computational economics/finance/markets, such as exploring the behaviour of automated trading algorithms using a financial market simulator. Students will submit a 6-page conference-style paper reporting on real-world contextualisation of the work, experimental motivation and design, experimental method, results, analysis, and conclusions. (ILO 3, 4)
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. COMSM0093).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
