25.10.20
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CALS Creative Confidence for Innovation

Swathi Nadendla

This digital badge is designed to provide a basic understanding of innovation and its processes and how individuals leverage their creative thinking for problem-solving, specifically in agriculture and life sciences fields. The “Creative Confidence for Innovation” digital badge consists of the completion of two workshops on innovation and self-reflection.

This badge is offered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University as part of a larger Innovation and Leadership pathway program intended for college students to develop career readiness and life-long skills and competencies for success. 

Skills / Knowledge

  • Innovation
  • Creative Confidence
  • Self-Reflection
  • Problem-Solving
  • Creativity
  • Divergent & Convergent Thinking
  • Creative Solutions

Issued on

May 5, 2025

Expires on

Does not expire

Earning Criteria

Required

experience

Participants attend two 50-minute workshops focused on innovation and creative confidence and complete reflection and hands-on activities to practice their creative thinking and problem-solving skills. The participants take the MyCreativeType assessment and reflect on their strengths and skills for facilitating innovative solutions. Using the Pathway Planner, the participants map innovation-specific learning opportunities that align with their career and self-development goals.  

Learning Outcomes:

  • Define some of the skills and knowledge innovators use

  • Identify strengths to engage in creative solutions 

  • Apply personal innovation strengths and experiences for a hypothetical situation 

Assessment:

Participants earning the digital badge must successfully complete the two workshops and the final assignment. The participants demonstrate proficiency in the following: 

  • Display awareness of how to use creative and innovative thinking

  • Identifying learning opportunities for innovation competency development

  • Application of personal strengths for a hypothetical situation

All completed and submitted student work is assessed by the CALS Pathways Creative Confidence for Innovation Badge Rubric developed by using the 8 NACE Career Ready Competency Standards, career and self-development rubric. Participants must display an “early application” level of proficiency and earn at least 80 percentile points. The rubric covers four levels of proficiency: emerging knowledge, understanding, early application, and advanced application.