MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PRACTICES: A NEED IN EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AREA

The paper presented has a twofold objective. On the one hand, it tries to provide an activity which can enhance student learning through his/her individualized work using new information technologies and on, the other hand, to allow first-year students of Economics to understand that the subjects of quantitative nature are necessary for the development of both generic and specific competencies. To develop these objectives we propose a joint activity involving the departments of Mathematics for Economics and Business and Applied Economics, area of Quantitative Methods for Economics and Business and it is taught in the second semester of the first year in the Economics degree. The practice is developed through a problem of portfolio selection. It is intended that the student, from the data on a set of titles contained in the book of Markowitz, Portfolio Selection, Diversification of Investments efficient may choose among all possible combinations, that which provides a higher return and lower risk, using for this the concepts of linear algebra studied in the subject Mathematics I, the concepts of Statistics I and the management of software. In addition, it seeks the promotion of interaction and coordination between subjects, the promotion of teamwork, the development of the ability of public speaking, the results of a working group and the promotion of the use of financial and economic language.