In an era when job market demands are becoming increasingly diverse, universities must find ways to encourage students’ creativity and innovate. By cultivating creativity, universities will be better equipped to function in a knowledge society where people are more creative than ever. Here are five ways to inspire creativity in your students:
Encourage students to do their best work and let their own ideas run free. They can engage in activities like doodles, which are simple line drawings, or “visual riddles” that stimulate divergent thinking. Students can also try concept cartooning to review material. Visual metaphors are helpful for capturing complex information. Taking a holistic view of students’ ideas and interests is also an important part of nurturing creativity. Incorporating creativity in education is essential for a better society.
University leaders must recognize the importance of diversity. Market logic is often associated with forms of control and subtle repression of factors that stimulate creativity. This new managerial university governance model often stands in the way of innovations and creativity. To foster creativity, university leaders must adopt long-term strategies that embrace uncertainty and randomness. It isn’t easy to change an established culture. But change requires courage. Despite the challenges, university leaders need to be willing to take on new challenges.
In the literature, the challenges of fostering creativity in higher education are widely acknowledged. The challenges include a lack of consensus about how to assess creativity, rigid management practices, and traditional forms of education. Furthermore, it is difficult to design effective assessment methods because the decisions depend on the educator’s personal view of creativity. These issues add to the complexity. In the end, there are three key components that foster creativity in higher education. The first is encouraging students to be curious and receptive to new ideas. The second is fostering an open culture in the university.
Finally, fostering creativity requires a critical approach to educating students. At the little-c level, creativity is a process of developing knowledge and skills. Parents may place a child’s painting on the fridge to show its value or provide a sketchbook to guide their creativity. Similarly, high school art electives involve explicit instruction and assessed feedback. By engaging students in creative processes, students develop a broader range of skills.
Active creativity fosters better ideas. And because ideas that come from active creativity are more likely to be implemented, it’s beneficial to foster this type of learning. Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% actions.” Picasso inventoried over 1,800 paintings, sculptures, and ceramics, and 12000 drawings. They were also able to innovate and design the entire world. And the list is endless.
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