Creative practice applied in a higher education class

Abstract: In a society where information is widely available, being able to filter and under-stand facts is paramount to envision, devise and design practical solutions concerning a particular problem, and further consider its implications. In a higher education context, skills such as creativity and rational thinking are trained through-out a course, encouraging understanding and problem-solving skills, essential aptitudes in an everchanging world.Creativity can transform an idea of an existing domain into a new one, it is all about being curious, examining, connecting, experimenting, and playing with the surroundings, and thus incubating an entire new version or set of ideas, adding value to the process. It is the ability to reason and create connections with previously acquired knowledge that generate new ideas. The interest in creativity as a scientific area began in the 1960’s, with advertising result of interaction between the individual thoughts and sociocultural context, creativity is a systemic and non-individual process (Getzels et al., 1966), involving a cognitive and emotional dimensions.The purpose of any training is to stimulate awareness, develop skills, foster challenges, motivate, and attain accomplishments. In higher education institutions, students are encouraged to ask difficult questions, identifying the state-of-the-art, learning specific tools, applying methodologies, indulging in research and practice, developing soft skills, building character, and ultimately improving individual social-economic status.To face global challenges, it is necessary to understand its purposes to develop a global awareness, essential for present and future developments. The first step towards any (design) solution is to outline the problem, amongst all involved, correlating behavior, technology, and business in a reasonable manner. Most de-sign output depends on creativity, and reasoning, which can be trained to generate ideas and solve specific issues.This research, in a higher education context, regarding applied creativity in a classroom, aims to further develop the creative process design students, using creative methods such as brainstorming, registering ideas and thoughts, using visual references and metaphors from an array of circumstances, in a project-based learning environment, fostering a creative output.

Keywords: Design Education, Creativity, Brainstorming, Pedagogy

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1001500

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