Creativity in

Engineering

Education

The National Academy of Engineers (NAE) suggests that the essence of engineering—the iterative process of designing, predicting ---performance, building, and testing —should be taught from the earliest stages of --the curriculum, including the first year.-- (National Academy of Engineers, 2005).

The educational role of faculty members is not to impart knowledge; it is to design learning environments that support the process of knowledge acquisition .

-- (Adams and Felder, 2008; National Research Council, 2000).

Competency in Educational Design requires

Domain-Specific (content) Knowledge Knowledge in Teaching and Learning

Reflective Educational Practice

Creativity

“Creativity as the production of something that is both new and truly valuable”

-- Rothenberg

“It would seem to be our responsibility to produce some creative engineers or at least not to extinguish the creative spark in our students.”

– Richard Felder

Professor Richard Felder’s Suggestion on Creative Teaching…

Techniques of Creative Thinking

+ Traditional Methods of Engineering Education

Methods intended to develop creativity and high-level thinking skills should not take too much class time

To be effective, these techniques must be

introduced throughout the curriculum(not as an elective)

New methods should also not take too much of the instructor’s time.

Richards (1998) recommends a series of activities to incite creativity when faced with an engineering problem:

• Immerse yourself in a domain or problem;• Be prolific—generate lots of ideas;• Use tools for representations and thoughts (e.g., brainstorming,notebooks &sketches);• Play with ideas;• Avoid premature closure;

• Don’t be afraid to be different;• Be open and receptive to new ideas;• Do it—practice your craft;• Maintain a product orientation;• Relax—indulge your diversions;• Reflect—review what you have done;• Have fun!

‘Creative thinking skills . . .enable students to suggest hypotheses, to generate and extend ideas, to apply imagination, and to look for alternative innovative outcomes.’

The National Curriculum Handbook included creativity within the section on thinking skills:

Generate & Extend

Ideas

Chair ? Four legs

Arms

Back rest

………

Chair Why Not like this?

Suggest Hypotheses

We don’t require vessel / tumbler/ container to drink water…

We drink water like this…

Apply Imagination

Miniature hard drive + head phones = ?

Look For Alternative Innovative Outcomes

Fan ?

The Dyson Air Multiplier introduced the amazing technology of a fan with no blades

video

Watermelon …. Shape?

‘Creativity is the application of knowledge and skills in new ways to achieve a valued goal.

To achieve this, learners must have four key qualities:

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The ability to identify new problems, rather than depending on others to define them

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2The ability to transfer knowledge gained in one context to another in order to solve a problem

A belief in learning as an incremental process, in which repeated attempts will eventually lead to success

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The capacity to focus attention in the pursuit of a goal, or set of goals.

(Seltzer & Bentley, 1999).

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Thank You

Prof.P.Madar ValliGIT,Gitam University

India