Assessing Innovation-related Competences in the MaRIHE Program: Teacher and Student Perceptions

The paper aims at expanding the body of research on innovation pedagogy and competence assessment by exploring the teaching and learning of innovation-related competences in an Erasmus Mundus Master program in Research and Innovation in Higher Education (MaRIHE). It does so by comparing the results of two quantitative case studies on MARIHE teachers’ and students’ self-assessment of innovation-related competences. Results reveal that teachers’ perceptions of facilitating innovation-related competences and learners’ perceptions of acquiring them are generally favorable and complement each other. Nevertheless, there is considerable incongruity between the two stakeholder groups with respect to specific innovation-related competences. Furthermore, overall student satisfaction with their competence level is lower than teacher satisfaction with their contribution to its development. The study offers a practical approach to the assessment of innovation-related competences that brings together the perspectives of different stakeholders, highlights possible gaps in teaching and learning, and advances innovation pedagogy in higher education.