Robert Kelly photo

Robert Wallace Kelly

PhD
Pronouns: he/him

Positions

Academic Coordinator - Collaborative Creativity for Social Innovation & Strategic Design Graduate Program

Werklund School of Education, Graduate Programs in Education

Contact information

Web presence

Phone number

Office: +1 (403) 220-4381

Location

Office: Art Parkade BuildingAB 723

Preferred method of communication

rkelly@ucalgary.ca

Background

Educational Background

Doctor of Philosophy Curriculum Specialization, University of Calgary, 2005

M.Ed. Art Education, University of Victoria, 1990

Biography

Author, educator, and artist Robert Kelly is an associate professor at the University of Calgary where he is academic coordinator of the Collaborative Creativity for Social Innovation & Strategic Design graduate program in the Werklund School of Education His pioneering work in the areas of collaborative creativity, creativity development, design thinking for innovation in education and educational transformation has been recognized nationally and internationally. Robert has been an invited visiting scholar at several postsecondary institutions nationally and internationally for his work in the field of collaborative creativity and creativity development. Most recently he has been invited lecturer at University College Dublin, Technical University Dublin, and Stockholm University of the Arts. As a changemaker, he is a fervent advocate of educational transformation to adapt to rapid sociocultural, economic, and technological change and to empower all to innovate and create positive change for the benefit of others through social innovation. 

Robert's current research is focused on two principle strands within the fields of creativity and innovation. The first is the application of creativity for the benefit of others through social educational innovation. This involves the design and development of new graduate and undergraduate programs focused on social and educational innovation that benefit from collaboration and interactivity with faculty and students from postsecondary institutions in the European Union. The second research strand involves a book project centred on the assessment of creativity development for both individuals and organizations through the development and application of a comprehensive analysis template to assess creativity capacities and trajectories for the purpose of educational design to enhance innovation potentials. 

His most recent volumes entitled Collaborative Creativity: Educating for Creative Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and its accompanying resource book The Collaborative Creativity Idea Book for EducatorsActivities, Tactics, and Strategies for Building a Collaborative Culture of Creativity make the case for the educational imperative of the development of collaborative cultures in education and across diverse organizations to maximize the innovation potentials of design and creative practice in both physical and virtual collaborative innovation networks. This work was preceded by his volume entitled Creativity Development: Transforming Education through Design Thinking, Innovation, and Invention that presents systematic creativity development as an essential pillar of educational practice to enable a culture of innovation and invention. He is currently working on two new book initiatives Assessing Creativity and Social Innovation: Creativity for the Benefit of Others

Robert has been profiled on the University of Calgary’s Great Teachers website and has received numerous teaching excellence awards. He has been a featured national and international keynote speaker on the topics of collaborative creativity, creativity development, social innovation, educational transformation across public and private sector organizations, and assessing creativity development.

rkelly@ucalgary.ca, www.robertkelly.ca

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
Art 411 Developing Creativity and Innovation Fall 2023
EDER 678.03 Research into Creativity, Collaboration, and Social Innovation Fall 2023
ART 342 LAB 01 B01 Art Educ Across Lifespan I Fall 2023
EDER 678.75 The Collaborative Culture of Creativity Summer 2023
EDER 67803 LEC 01 01 Research into Creativity, Social Innovation, & Design Thinking Fall 2022
EDER 678.75 The Collaborative Culture of Creativity Summer 2022
EDER 678.03 Research into Creativity, Social Innovation, & Design Thinking Fall 2021
EDER 678.75 The Collaborative Culture of Creativity Summer 2021
Art 342 Art Education Across the Lifespan 1 Fall 2022

Awards

  • Great Teachers at the University of Calgary, 2015
  • Student Council Teaching Excellence Award Nomination, 2015
  • Alberta Book Publishers Association Book of the Year Awards, 2013
  • Graduate Student Association Teaching Excellence Award Nomination, 2013
  • President of the University of Calgary Commendation Letter, 2013
  • UToday Article on Taylor Institute of Teaching and Learning Launch, 2013
  • UToday Headline and University Web Banner -, 2013
  • Book Review - Creativity Arts in Interdisicplinary Practice - Inquiries for Hope and Change Eds. C McLean - R. Kelly, 2011
  • Great Teachers at the University of Calgary, 2011
  • Review of Minutia Exhibition at Gallery 1C03 at the University of Winnipeg in the Manitoban, 2011
  • Review of Mniutia Exhibition - Alison Gilmor - Winnipeg Free Press, 2011
  • Review of Mniutia Exhibition in Winnipeg's Uptown Magazine by Sandee Moore, 2011
  • UToday Article on Participation in International Panel on Creativity, 2011
  • Book Review - Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 2009
  • Feature and Citation in Psychology Today, 2009
  • Students Union Teaching Excellence Award, 2007
  • Nomination for Student Council Teahcing Excelence Award, 2004

Publications

  • The Development and Evolution of Program Prototypes in Design Thinking, Creative Development and Collaboration in Teacher Education: A Case Study. Robert Kelly; Erin Quinn; Stephanie Bartlett. Chapter in Design Thinking in Higher Education; Gavin Melles - Editor; Springer International. 203-228. (2020)
  • Collaborative Creativity: Educating for Creative Development, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. Robert Kelly. Book - Brush Education. (2020)
  • Collaborative Creativity Idea Book for Educators: Activities, Tactics, and Strategies for Building a Collaborative Culture of Creativity . Robert Kelly; Stephanie Bartlett, Keith Christensen; Erin Quinn; Carla-Jayne Samuelson. Book - Brush Education. (2020)
  • Creativity and Critical Thinking in STEM Education. Robert Kelly; Peter Ellerton. Chapter in Education in the 21st Century: STEM, Creativity, and Critical Thinking; A. Berry, C. Buntting, D. Corrigan, R. Gunstone, & A. Jones Eds. Springer International. (2022)
  • Educating for Creativity Development. Robert Kelly. Chapter - Crushing Ice: Approaches to Imagination Creativity Education. Blaine Hatt - Editor, Friesen Press. (2023)
  • Creative Development:Transforming Education Through Design Thinking, Innovation, and Invention. Robert Kelly. Book - Brush Education. (2016)
  • Educating for Creativity: A Global Conversation. Robert Kelly. Book - Brush Education. (2012)