Recently, the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education announced the project approval results of the first batch of industry-university cooperative education projects for 2022. The industry-university cooperative education project "Exploration and Practice of the Training Mode of Quantitative Financial Talents under the Background of New Liberal Arts Concept and Fintech" developed by ECUST School of Business and Shenzhen Digquant Network Technology Co., Ltd. was approved.

The Finance program of ECUST School of Business was selected as the national first-class undergraduate program in 2021. Relying on the characteristic advantages of science and engineering of East China University of Science and Technology and the discipline advantages of the School of Business and the Department of Finance, the project aims to cultivate financial interdisciplinary talents who systematically grasp the theoretical knowledge and data science algorithms of finance, are proficient in application of quantitative analysis tools and fintech technology to solve complex problems such as financial investment, trading and decision analysis, have three-dimensional integrated "unity of knowledge and action" quantitative financial analysis ability of "financial big data mining + financial modeling and computer programming + financial technology" and the spirit of innovation.

In the project, practical teaching innovation is actively conducted through university-industry-research cooperation. This can be seen in the following aspects. Firstly, the collaborative education model based on project-based teaching is adopted. The faculty follow the latest trends of the financial industry, combine the teaching content with the practical cases of enterprises in the industry, improve the initiative and participation of students in learning, and continue to improve the training program and mode according to the follow-up and feedback of the industry development and teaching effect. Secondly, an industry-education integration community of "promoting teaching by research, booming the production by teaching and supporting teaching by production" is cultivated. The faculty develop academic research on the latest enterprise issues in the industry, and expand teaching contents based on forefront theories. Students effectively combine theoretical knowledge with practical application through the school-enterprise practice platform, improve the practical ability to solve problems, and become outstanding talents required by the enterprises in the industry. Thirdly, a digital practice teaching system is created. The experimental teaching system of fintech is comprehensively upgraded by introducing practice software, online training platform, financial database and other fintech course resources of Digquant. Students are provided with the world's advanced and industry-leading professional theoretical knowledge and equipped with high-quality practical skills to enhance their employment competitiveness with the help of the fintech competition, the analyst of quantitative finance (AQF) certification system, and the enterprise tutor system.

It is reported that the industry-university cooperative education project of the Ministry of Education is a new talent training project jointly launched by well-known enterprises at home and abroad and the Ministry of Education to implement the document spirit of Several Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Deepening the Integration of Industry and Education and explore a new mode of university-industry cooperation. In January 2021, the Implementation Plan for the Audit and Evaluation of Undergraduate Education and Teaching in Regular Institutions of Higher Learning (2021-2025) issued by the Ministry of Education included the industry-university cooperative education projects into the new round of audit and evaluation index system of undergraduate education and teaching in regular institutions of higher learning.

Project name:

Exploration and Practice of the Training Mode of Quantitative Financial Talents under the Background of New Liberal Arts Concept and Fintech

Project members:

Wang Donghua, Zheng Qinghuan, Zhou Weixing, Jiang Zhiqiang, Lin Li, Gu Gaofeng, Ye Zhiqiang, Hu Yue

Introduction to the cooperative enterprise:

Shenzhen Digquant Network Technology Co., Ltd. is an educational technology company positioned for "assisting universities to achieve interdisciplinary development". As a practitioner of fintech higher education in China, Digquant has cooperated with more than 200 domestic colleges and universities in curriculum development, teacher training, laboratory construction, micro-specialty development, "3+1" experimental class, collaborative education, and "2+1" professional master college-enterprise joint training base construction. As a pioneer of the new vocational education of fintech, Digquant provides re-education services for students and practitioners who aspire to developing in the fintech industry based on the online courses and fintech series authentication certificates of "Digquant Campus".

Written by: Li Minglu    Reviewed by: Hou Limin