Abstract:

The National Polytechnic School (EPN) is one of the most important engineering universities in Ecuador. Currently, a challenge for the university is to build students' capacities that allow them to fit into the economy of the predominant knowledge in the contemporary world. This transition must start with information that allows modifying the prevailing paradigms. One of them is to associate skills and abilities at high qualification levels. The findings found should lead to the permanence or change of the educational system used, understanding that skills such as creativity are essential in the current work world. Innovation in organizations is important in a changing world, and this in turn depends on the creative abilities of people. This research correlates the creative capacity of engineering students of the National Polytechnic School, measured by an abbreviated Torrence test, with the average of their grades during their career. A sample of 50 engineering students, chosen randomly, was used.The results show that there is no correlation between high grades and creative levels of a higher level. This finding invites to consider changes in the prevailing paradigms in the university, understanding that encouraging high levels of qualifications could be an incomplete objective, but considers the development of another type of skills, indispensable in the working world.

Keywords:

Creativity, academic level, university, EPN.