MeanVarLab: Enabling Active Learning in Undergraduate Finance through Interactive Portfolio Analytics
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Abstract
Financial education constitutes a core component of business school curricula. Despite its importance, instructional barriers persist due to the mathematical intensity and conceptual complexity of formal financial models. Against this backdrop, this manuscript presents initial findings from a pedagogical innovation based on the development and implementation of an R package, MeanVarLab, designed to support the teaching of modern portfolio theory through an active learning approach. The tool enables students to engage with complex mathematical models via interactive visualization, facilitating a more intuitive understanding of key concepts. Evidence from an initial intervention with undergraduate students at a Chilean university suggests that the software enhances students’ comprehension of underlying mathematical principles while simplifying the application of theoretical frameworks. Building on these findings, we outline practical implications for instructors seeking to integrate computational tools into finance education and identifies areas for further refinement of the intervention.
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Julian Andres Diaz Tautiva, Universidad Andrés Bello
Julian Andres Diaz Tautiva is a Research Assistant Professor at Universidad Católica de Temuco. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile. His research focuses on the dynamic interplay between environmental challenges, institutional influences, corporate governance, and organizational performance. In the field of management, he has published scholarly articles in international journals such as Management Review Quarterly, Management Research, Oeconomiam Copernicana, and the Journal of Open Innovation. Additionally, he has collaborated on applied research projects with multilateral institutions, including the Inter-American Development Bank.
Prof., Centro de Gestión y Economía Aplicada, Departamento de Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas, Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas, Económicas y Administrativas, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, Chile
Patricio Saavedra Espinosa is a Commercial Engineer and bachelor’s in administrative sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Public Accountant and Auditor, Universidad de La Frontera. Master’s in teaching and Pedagogical Innovation for Higher Education, Universidad Autónoma de Chile. Diploma for Business Development Center Operators in Chile under the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) model, Economic Development Institute, University of Texas – San Antonio, USA, and SERCOTEC. Diploma in Project Formulation, Preparation, and Evaluation, UNDP–ODEPLAN. He served as Head of Administration and Finance at the Provincial Government of Cautín, as well as Director of the Public Accountant and Auditor program at Universidad Católica de Temuco; he was also Project Manager for SERCOTEC’s Entrepreneurship Seed Capital at Universidad Santo Tomás. He has teaching experience at Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Universidad de Aconcagua, Universidad de Los Lagos, and IE G. Subercaseaux, in the areas of Short-term, Long-term, and Corporate Finance, Project Evaluation, Auditing, Accounting, Business Management, and Costing. Currently, he is the Director of the Department of Economic and Administrative Sciences at Universidad Católica de Temuco.
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