The evaluation of creativity from the perspective of subject matter and training in higher education: Issues, constraints and limitations

• Interdisciplinary dialogue on creativity is necessary to understand its functioning and evaluation.
• The main limits of creativity research result from its methodologies and an absence of contextualization.
• Creativity may be evaluated through three invariants that comprise the relationship to rules of individuals, a group and a context (social, cultural and discipline-related).
• The learning process for creativity in engineering students begins through their own portrayals of the creative process.
• The depictions of creativity by teachers and researchers participate at the limits and to the extent that it is possible to support creativity among engineering students.

Creativity in organizations is presented as a phase of innovation and is a crucial issue at the core of the economic system. In the area of economics and management, it is acknowledged that auditing the creative process ensures the longevity and competitiveness of companies. Research indicates how creativity could be evaluated and controlled, but debate is intensive and many critiques have been formulated. In this article, we invite readers to consider an interdisciplinary approach emphasizing the importance of contextualizing research on the evaluation of creativity and the perspectives of training in higher education. From a discipline-oriented posture, evaluating creativity in research requires taking into account methodology frameworks and prudence with regard to social and cultural contexts. Creativity is addressed critically, primarily questioning its very definition and the aims of the evaluation. With regard to work on the subject, we explore the evaluation dimension of creativity and identify three potential invariants that could enter into interdisciplinary dialogue on the creative process. In the discussion, we address crucial points stemming from the learning process of creativity among engineering students in higher education where the challenge is to develop one’s creative potential.