In this paper, we report on the results from a qualitative study of six exemplary engineering programs focusing on the ways and the extent of nurturing creativity in engineering students. The study (P360: Prototyping the Engineering of 2020) included data collection from students, faculty, and administrators at the six institutions. This data collection focused mainly on three student outcomes, including design and problem solving. Creativity and how creativity was nurtured, both inside the classroom and outside, often emerged as a major theme. We also support our qualitative findings with quantitative data. Overall, the results indicate that although students improve their creativity in design settings, this result is mostly a by-product of design teaching, and creativity is not taught per se. Quantitative results show that program emphasis on creativity and innovation significantly correlates to skill levels in design problem solving, interdisciplinarity, contextual awareness, and recognizing perspectives. Qualitative data provide supporting evidence for this.
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ASME 2011 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
August 28–31, 2011
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Design Engineering Division and Computers and Information in Engineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5484-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Nurturing Creativity and Design Teaching: Are We Doing All We Can?
Gu¨l E. Okudan,
Gu¨l E. Okudan
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
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Ann McKenna,
Ann McKenna
Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ
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Carolyn Plumb,
Carolyn Plumb
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
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Hyun K. Ro,
Hyun K. Ro
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
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Alexander Yin
Alexander Yin
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
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Gu¨l E. Okudan
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Ann McKenna
Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ
Carolyn Plumb
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Hyun K. Ro
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Alexander Yin
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Paper No:
DETC2011-47837, pp. 751-761; 11 pages
Published Online:
June 12, 2012
Citation
Okudan, GE, McKenna, A, Plumb, C, Ro, HK, & Yin, A. "Nurturing Creativity and Design Teaching: Are We Doing All We Can?." Proceedings of the ASME 2011 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. Volume 7: 5th International Conference on Micro- and Nanosystems; 8th International Conference on Design and Design Education; 21st Reliability, Stress Analysis, and Failure Prevention Conference. Washington, DC, USA. August 28–31, 2011. pp. 751-761. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2011-47837
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