Teaching Students to be Innovators: Examining Competencies and Approaches Across Disciplines

Abstract

Universities are increasingly promoting programs and courses that focus on innovation to prepare students across disciplines for work in a competitive global economy. Information about program outcomes, target competencies, or best practices is limited given their early stages of development. This exploratory study examined eight academic programs offering an educational credential focused on innovation available to students in a variety of majors. The analyses of program descriptions and curricular requirements provide an understanding of their structure, content, and value they propose to students. This paper explores what teaching innovation means at a program-level and identifies where a curriculum is situated along the spectrum of topics that characterize innovation education. The results can be useful in developing and articulating core competencies related to innovation and understanding approaches to teaching it.

Citation

Duval-Couetil, N. and Dyrenfurth, M. (2012), "Teaching Students to be Innovators: Examining Competencies and Approaches Across Disciplines", International Journal of Innovation Science, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 143-154. https://doi.org/10.1260/1757-2223.4.3.143