Skip to main content
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Search

Full Article

Visit Apply Give

UCARE Provides Undergraduate Research Opportunities for Business Students

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences (UCARE) program gives students the opportunity to learn the practice of research by undertaking a project for up-to-two years under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Christine Ochsner, junior accounting and economics major from Geneva, Neb., shared her economics education research with a poster presentation at the Spring UNL Undergraduate Research Fair on April 10.
 
Ochsner’s project was titled, “Economic Education and Online Learning,” and her faculty sponsor was Dr. Carlos Asarta, assistant professor of practice of economics. She had three major research topics including defining economic education, reviewing state educational mandates and summarizing the strengths and opportunities of online education.
 
“With only about half of high school students answering questions concerning financial literacy correctly, there is a great need to advance economic education,” said Ochsner. “Many organizations, scholars and teachers are working to eliminate these deficiencies.”
 
Ochsner did extensive research utilizing multiple sources including publications by her faculty advisor and other CBA professors. When researching online education, she concluded, “Online and hybrid courses are attractive for many reasons, but refined research is needed to make these formats have a more positive outcome in performance.”
 
Her research also examined state educational mandates and their impact on economic education.
 
Christine Ochsner

Christine Ochsner explains her research

“The challenge with mandates is their implementation. Scholars encourage legislative bodies, who are writing the mandates, to strongly consider their effects on students and teachers,” Ochsner said.
 
Dr. Asarta affirmed Ochsner’s research and the benefits of her UCARE experience.
 
“Working with Christine was a great experience,” said Dr. Asarta. “She has supported my research endeavors, and I believe she has been able to learn more about the world of economic education and be critical of the research that we do.”
 
Although Oschner hopes to continue her UCARE research and graduate in December, her future plans to intern at KPMG in Omaha and then work towards her MPA in accountancy make this experience all the more worthwhile.
 
“This experience has helped me examine literature and educational practices and effectively communicate technical information,” Oschner said. “These skills will help me in my future studies and career. I encourage undergraduate business students to consider doing research because it is a great opportunity to learn and build relationships with professors.”


UNL College of Business UCARE Projects for 2012-13:

Economics
Christine Ochsner (Year 1)
Research in Economic Education Database (REED) and the level of financial literacy in U.S. High Schools
Faculty sponsor: Carlos Asarta

Finance
Xue Bai (Year 1)
Reinsurance Alliances in the US Market
Faculty sponsor: Yijia Lin

Adeline Boey Nee Yan (Year 2)
Utilitarian versus Hedonic Factors of Social Networking in Facebook
Faculty sponsor: Fiona Nah

Yuen Sue Chin (Year 1)
Risk Management Tools and Techniques
Faculty sponsor: Yijia Lin

Hanji Li (Year 2)
A Structural Analysis of Affiliated Insurance Firms
Faculty sponsor: Yijia Lin

Jing Lim (Year 2)
Pension plans and Capital Structure Adjustments
Faculty sponsor: Yijia Lin

Amanda Chwee Pui Mun (Year 2)
Smarter Education
Faculty sponsor: Yijia Lin

Kyle C. Schnack (Year 1)
Examination of Returns Earned by ETF Investors
Faculty sponsor: Geoffrey Friesen

Yunjie Zhou (Year 2)
Understanding Engagement in Educational Games
Faculty sponsor: Fiona Nah

Management
Wie Lim (Year 1)
Leadership prototype matching: An empirical approach
Faculty sponsor: Peter Harms

Thing Yan Tiw (Year 2)
Pedagogical Strategies for Three-Dimensional Virtual World Education
Faculty sponsor: Fiona Nah

Siting Wang (Year 2)
Positive Mindsets and Community Involvement
Faculty sponsor: Peter Harms
Published: April 16, 2013