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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 Felders 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 instructors 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 prolificgenerate lots of ideas; Use tools for representations and thoughts (e.g., brainstorming,notebooks &sketches); Play with ideas; Avoid premature closure;

Dont be afraid to be different; Be open and receptive to new ideas; Do itpractice your craft; Maintain a product orientation; Relaxindulge your diversions; Reflectreview what you have done; Have fun!

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

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

Generate & Extend Ideas

Chair ?

Four legs
Arms

Back rest

Chair
Why Not like this?

Suggest Hypotheses

We dont 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:

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

The 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

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


(Seltzer & Bentley, 1999).

Thank You
Prof.P.Madar Valli GIT,Gitam University India

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