How to measure students’ innovation competences in higher education: Evaluation of an assessment tool in authentic learning environments

Abstract

In all sectors of the economy, the importance of innovation is underlined. Although education plays a central role in the development of human innovation skills, several studies suggest that higher education institutions cannot fulfill these demands. In such, there is a need to update pedagogical practices and develop assessment tools to measure and develop a person’s innovation capacity. The aim of this study is to test and evaluate the functioning of the earlier developed assessment tool to measure students’ innovation competences in the authentic learning environments of Finnish higher education institutions. The electronic self-assessment questionnaire was distributed to students (n = 495) from four Finnish universities of applied sciences. The results showed that the questionnaire statements formed a functional innovation competence barometer for self-assessment, including creative problem-solving, systems thinking, goal orientation, teamwork, and networking competences. The assessment tool facilitates the development of teaching, assessing, and curriculum design in higher education.