Online education provider Coursera has teamed up with the Indian School of Business (ISB)to provide of a new series of four courses called a Specialization on ‘Financial Markets and Investment Strategy’.
Aimed at addressing the lack of personal finance skills among the people in India, the program that also includes a capstone project is open to anyone with or without a finance background, an ISB release said.
This is the second programme being offered by ISB on Coursera’s MOOCs platform after the course on happiness in November 2014.
Sound financial planning and investment management are essential for any individual. However, several studies have shown that individuals do commit mistakes while choosing their personal investment portfolios.
In 2015, the S&P’s Ratings Services Global Financial Literacy Survey found that close to 76% of Indian adults do not adequately understand key financial concepts – lower than the worldwide average of financial literacy.
Speaking at the launch of the program, ISB faculty member Dr. Vaidya Nathan said, “In India, direct equity investments account for only 2% of household savings, which are dominated by other asset classes such as fixed deposits, gold and real estate.
In 2015, the S&P’s Ratings Services Global Financial Literacy Survey found that close to 76% of Indian adults do not adequately understand key financial concepts – lower than the worldwide average of financial literacy.
“Surprisingly, the number has not changed significantly over the last two decades despite the economy going through structural transformation. Therefore, we developed this course with Coursera to address the lack of financial knowledge and educate the average person about financial markets and financial instruments,” he added.
Rick Levin, CEO, Coursera, brought in an international angle, he said ISB’s new specialisation would appeal to a mass audience not only in India but also to Coursera’s 19 million plus learners around the world – from aspiring to working professionals in finance to anyone who would like to learn the basics of financial planning for personal or professional use.
ISB faculty members Vaidya Nathan, Vikram Kuriyan and Ramabhadran Thirumalai would be involved in teaching the four course Specialization: Introduction to Financial Markets; Portfolio and Risk Management; Behavioral Investing and Investment Strategy, Philosophy, Client Management and Current Trends.
In order to earn a specialisation Certificate, learners are required to complete a final Capstone Project that involves managing assets and securities for a person or a company using portfolio management and behavioral aspects.
The partnership with Coursera puts ISB among the ranks of 140 other top universities and schools such as Stanford University, Yale University, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. These institutions have produced more than 1900 online courses and specialisations on Coursera.
The online educational platform offers courses and learning experiences from the world’s top universities and education institutions including Peking University and the University of London. It has more than 19 million registered learners worldwide. Anyone, anywhere can access over 1,900 courses and Specializations in dozens of topics including business, technology, social sciences, health, and art.
The ISB, with two campuses in is a global Business school offering management education across its two campuses in Hyderabad and Mohali has grown at a rapid pace over the 15 years since its inception. It is the first institution in South Asia to receive the prestigious AACSB accreditation.