What are the best ways to design assessments that measure creativity and innovation in higher education?

1 Why assess creativity and innovation?

Creativity and innovation are not only desirable for personal and professional development, but also for social and economic progress. According to the World Economic Forum, creativity is one of the top three skills that employers will need in 2020 and beyond. Moreover, innovation is crucial for addressing the global challenges and opportunities that we face today and in the future. Therefore, higher education institutions have a responsibility to foster and evaluate these skills among their students.

3 How to design assessments that measure creativity and innovation?

Assessing creativity and innovation is complex and multi-dimensional, varying across domains, tasks, and situations. Nevertheless, there are some general principles to guide the design of assessments in higher education. These principles include aligning the assessment with learning outcomes and the curriculum, using authentic and meaningful tasks, employing multiple and diverse methods, providing clear and specific criteria and feedback, and encouraging collaboration and reflection. To capture the different aspects of creativity and innovation, assessments may include portfolios, presentations, rubrics, peer feedback, self-assessment, and reflection. Moreover, constructive feedback should be given to students to communicate expectations and standards for creativity and innovation. Ultimately, these assessments should foster a culture of collaboration among students, teachers, and other stakeholders to enhance learning.

4 What are the benefits and challenges of assessing creativity and innovation?

Assessing creativity and innovation can have many benefits for students, teachers, and higher education institutions, such as motivating and engaging students in their learning, developing and demonstrating skills, providing feedback and guidance, and informing and improving the curriculum and pedagogy. However, it can also pose some challenges, including being subjective and inconsistent, time-consuming and resource-intensive, and risky and uncertain. Different people may have different opinions on what constitutes creativity and innovation, while the assessment may require more planning, preparation, implementation, and evaluation than traditional assessments. Additionally, it can involve more stakeholders and data sources, as well as ambiguity, complexity, unpredictability, criticism, and failure.

5 How to overcome the challenges of assessing creativity and innovation?

Despite the challenges of assessing creativity and innovation, there are some strategies that can help students, teachers, and higher education institutions to overcome them and make the most of the assessment process and outcomes. To start, it's important to establish a shared vision and language for creativity and innovation that everyone can agree on. Evidence-based and transparent methods and tools should be used to collect and analyze data on creativity and innovation, with results and rationale shared with the wider audience. Additionally, students and teachers should receive adequate support and recognition for their efforts and achievements, such as feedback, mentoring, resources, incentives, or awards. Finally, everyone should respect different perspectives on creativity and innovation, while viewing failure as an opportunity to learn.