News

Rise Display simulation lets SMU students prowl Wall Street trading floor

April 15, 2013

Southern Methodist University business students have a good idea of what it's like to work on the Wall Street trading floor long before they graduate, thanks to a simulated real-world trading environment that leverages digital signage technology from Rise Display.

The Finance Lab classroom at SMU's Cox School of Business in Dallas features 2x2 market wall of 46-inch displays with an interactive touchscreen, two 2x2 video walls with 55-inch displays and four 15-inch analog world clocks, Rise Display said in a news release. A 136-foot LED ticker wraps around the inside of the Finance Lab, posting the latest stock updates and news headlines.

Kumar Venkataraman, chairman of the Cox School's finance department, said Rise Display's digital signage has prompted the school to develop new courses that take advantage of the technology.

"We have developed many new projects and assignments that require the students to use the technology in the trading room," he said in the release. "Students love being in the trading room. The technology allows a way for professors to better relate the academic framework to the applied framework, which allows students to understand where theory meets practice."

Venkataraman said the video walls and digital signage provide additional value beyond the teaching experience.

"The displays are very flexible and easy to set up, so during non-classroom hours, we use the displays for information purposes, including making announcements on events and other items related to the trading room or the business information center."

Technology from Kansas-based Rise Display is increasingly finding its way onto college campuses for a wide range of functions, company spokesman Ryan Cahoy said.

"SMU's finance lab is a perfect example of using digital signage in a variety of ways to enhance a student's learning experience," he said. "Other digital signage displays are also in use at schools for donor recognition and campus communications."

Learn more about the use of digital signage in education.