Impactful Creative Pedagogy to Enhance Learning about Innovation and Creativity: interview an innovator:

Abstract

The creative pedagogical practice presented in this paper is an innovate assessment that has been designed to encourage, support and develop transferable skills linked to the 4Cs; critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity in our students (Thornhill-Miller et al. 2023). This paper presents the lecturers’ perspective on delivery and the students’ perceptions of their learning gained. Module evaluations and reflective practice is utilized, underpinned by Rogers (2003) attributes of innovation diffusion as the lens by which the authors evaluate the effectiveness of the adoption of this innovative assessment instrument.   The paper presents the ‘interview an innovator’ assessment underpinned by innovation theories such as the Tidd and Bessant’s (2020) simplified Innovation Process Framework and Goffin and Mitchel’s (2016) Pentathlon Framework. The assessment enables students to relate these theories to practice, i.e. their chosen innovator. It is proposed that the creative design of this assessment could overcome some challenges associated with students utilizing generative AI beyond its use as supportive 'personal companion‘ for their assessments. Conclusions involve reflecting on a Venn diagram of how themodule utilizes creative pedagogy to teach creativity, engaging students in creativity skills to craft their assessment, whilst learning about creativity in action. The continued improvement and lessons learned from delivering this creative assessment is shared and will be useful to other academics to support their academic practice in delivering modules in related topic areas.