General

Edward de Bono on Creative Thinking (video 4:18)

De Bono asserts that creativity is a learnable skill, not just something innate. He also claims that creativity adds value; it is not simply prizing difference for its own sake, but developing ideas that are useful. He emphasizes that creativity requires thinking differently, a process which requires change, sometimes uncomfortably so.

Erica McWilliam and others, What is Creativity? (video 9:03)

Creativity is the defeat of habit by originality
McWilliam claims that part of creativity is "unlearning" certain habits. She explains that "Big-C creativity" – the idea of an individual artist who changes culture – is giving way to the idea of "little-c creativity," the idea that creativity is a process, more social, open to risk-taking, which drives economic development.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Creativity, Fulfillment and Flow (video 18:56)

Csikszentmihalyi is a leading figure on creative thinking and pioneered the concept of "flow," a state in which work seems almost effortless.

 

Jeff Stamp, expert in entrepreneurship Speaks at ISU [video to come]

At Iowa State University

Creative Teachers on Campus

Among Iowa State's most well-known creative teachers is Bill Boon, Emeritus Professor of Landscape Architecture. For many years Bill taught Design Studies 129, Introduction to Creativity, which focused on "creativity and humor in the problem solving process" and the "use of lateral thinking for developing new ideas."

The creativity course was taught in 2003 by Dan Rice, Administrative Adviser in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Here Dan shares his syllabus.

A lecturer in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, John Thomas, has shared his love of creativity with students in JL MC 497, Special Topics in Communication. Here are his syllabus for JL MC 497, and a sample activity.

Elena Karpova and Sara Marcketti have been teaching and researching on creativity in their field of Textiles and Clothing. They received a grant from the Pappajohn Center on "Learning to Think Like an Entrepreneur: Development of Creativity Modules for Experiential Classrooms." Elena and Sara also presented their findings at a CELT workshop.

Among other professors whose work in creativity has been supported by the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, Carol Faber, Assistant Professor of Integrated Studio Arts, used a grant to re-develop a course, Art-Interior Design 201, Foundations of Visual Literacy. This course explores the nature of visual perception through the Word Wide Web. The course re-design involved creating an updated website for the course and updating its WebCT GOLD components. Carol worked with Xiaoyang Gu, site programmer, Seung Yeon Ha, graphic designer, and Juan Ruiz, who earned an MFA from Iowa State in 2008, on the project.

Professors in quantitative and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) are also using creative techniques in their teaching at ISU.  For example, Leigh Tesfatsion, Professor of Economics, Mathematics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, requires creative thinking from her students in Economics 308, Agent-Based Computational Economics (ACE): Growing Economies from the Bottom Up. Here is the syllabus and further explanation, including a demonstration of the "Schelling Tipping Game."

In the sciences, Suzanne Hendrich, Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition, includes creative thinking in her large introductory class, FSHN 167, Introduction to Human Nutrition. Here she shares samples of her mind map exercises, mind map 3 and mind map 11.

Craig Ogilvie, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, also requires creative thinking in a large class, Physics 222, Introduction to Classical Physics, by means of a group project.

[To come here, later in the summer: Syllabus etc. for Mech E 423, Creativity and Imagination for Engineering and Design, from new Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Erin MacDonald]

Creative Teaching Elsewhere

Course outlines for classes on creativity and entrepreneurship at other schools

Creativity and Entrepreneurship
Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University

Humor, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship
Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University

Imagination, Creativity and Entrepreneurship
Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, Martin J. Whitman School of Management - Syracuse University

Opportunity Recognition and Ideation
Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, Martin J. Whitman School of Management - Syracuse University