518 research outputs found
Fostering Creative Problem Solvers in Higher Education:A Response to Complexity of Societies
No full textRecent studies have emphasized issues of social emergence based on thinking of societies as complex systems. The complexity of professional practice has been recognized as the root of challenges for higher education. To foster creative problem solvers is a key response of higher education in order to meet such challenges. This chapter aims to illustrate how to understand: 1) complexity as the nature of professional practice; 2) creative problem solving as the core skill in professional practice; 3) creativity as interplay between persons and their environment; 4) higher education as the context of fostering creative problem solvers; and 5) some innovative strategies such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and building a learning environment by Information Communication Technology (ICT) as potential strategies of creativitydevelopment. Accordingly, this chapter contributes to bridge the complexity of societies, creative problem solving skills, and higher education development in one theoretical framework
Going towards Adaption, Integration, and Co-creation:A Conclusion of Developing Creative Problem Solving Skills in Higher Education
No full textAs a response to the growing challenges brought about by complexity in professional practice, the collection of chapters in this volume guides an intellectual journey through the various theoretical perspectives, research methods and pedagogical models with a focus on developing creative problem solving skills in higher education. Based on an overview of topics in this volume, this chapter aims to draw a conclusion about future research directions from present contributions. It could be an extended journey with the intention of helping the audience to locate the ideas presented in this volume within a framework constructed by the three main themes of adaption, integration and co-creation. This lays a stepping-stone in paving the way of pedagogical development and research prospects
Developing Engineering Creativity in STEM Programmes in Chinese Universities
No full textThis chapter aims to formulate a proposal of developing engineering creativity by problem- and project-based pedagogies in STEM programs in university education in China. It will introduce the increasing needs of engineering creativity in China, deepen understanding of the concept of creativity and engineering creativity, and provide a review of diverse models of problem- and project-based pedagogies in STEM programs. This further brings a discussion on how to develop engineering creativity in STEM programs in Chinese universities in order to overcome the barriers caused by traditional education system and culture. A series of strategies will be proposed including supporting student group work, designing interdisciplinary project, facilitating staff development, and developing creative communities, etc. Briefly, this chapter has the significance of developing engineering creativity in China both theoretically and practically, and also implies how to develop problem- and project-based pedagogies in STEM programs in other cultures around the world
Artefacts and Creative Learning in Mathematics Education
No full textThis chapter bridges studies on artefact design, creative learning, and mathematics education by exploring a concrete case on a booklet design process adhering to the principles of Creative Pragmatics. The interpretation of the case is based on the first author’s autoethnographic account of her iterative, reflective, collaborative, and creative learning process surrounding the design. The three rounds of user tests gave insights into the further design of the booklet, and more broadly into the design of artefact-mediated creative learning environments in mathematics education and STEM education. Based on this, we recognize the affordance of an artefact as a complex phenomenon; we also reflect on the importance of artefacts in mediating creative learning environments associated with playful learning; and by discussing values of art, we bring inspiration to future mathematics and STEM education.</p
Creative Pragmatics—Situated Performances of Knowing
No full textThis chapter explores the concept of Creative Pragmatics, highlighting its role in fostering situated performances of knowing and dynamic sensemaking. By integrating theoretical perspectives from pragmatism, science and technology studies (STS), and social theory, Creative Pragmatics offers a framework for understanding knowledge as an active, performative and evolving process. The chapter highlights the importance of agency and creativity as iterative elements of learning, encouraging practical engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration and the active construction of knowledge. It examines how art and design practices inform Creative Pragmatics, particularly in developing adaptability, flexible problem-solving and innovation through creative approaches. By drawing connections between interdisciplinarity and performative knowledge-making, pedagogy in Creative Pragmatics prepares learners to become “wicked scientists,” individuals capable of navigating complex challenges and fostering sustainable solutions in an ever-changing world.</p
A Call to Action for Embedding Creative Pragmatics in STEM Education
No full textThis final chapter provides a call to action for STEM educators, policymakers, and educational institutions to adopt a Creative Pragmatics approach to enhance existing models of learning with more participatory, hands-on, and student-directed features. Based on the wide range of case studies and methodologies presented in our book, this chapter presents multiple implications of Creative Pragmatics for educational policy, funding models, and pedagogical practice. By bolstering STEM education through Creative Pragmatics, all stakeholder groups involved in the educational ecosystem can ensure a healthy pipeline of scientific and technical talent and foster future generations of adaptive thinkers who can navigate the intricate landscape of real-world complexity.</p
Creative Pragmatics—Knowing and Competence in a Complex World
No full textThis chapter provides the theoretical and philosophical foundations for Creative Pragmatics, exploring the nature of complexity and its implications for knowledge, skills, and competence development. It explains what complexity is, highlights the limits of reductive and predictive models of knowing, and clarifies that complexity is neither chaos nor mere complication. The chapter contrasts representational approaches to science and knowledge with performative understandings, where knowledge is actively constructed through engagement with the world. These shifts have significant implications for educational practice and policy, particularly the growing global focus on competence-based learning frameworks like the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). Emphasising transversal competencies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and autonomy in navigating complex and unpredictable environments, the chapter introduces the concept of wicked scientists—professionals equipped to address ‘wicked problems’ in a rapidly changing world. The chapter situates Creative Pragmatics as a guiding framework for competence-based education, preparing students to think critically, collaborate across boundaries, and engage with complexity and uncertainty in real-world contexts.</p
Distributed Problem-Solving:How Artists’ Participatory Strategies Can Inspire Creativity in Higher Education
No full textThis chapter aims to deconstruct some persistent myths about creativity: the myth of individualism and of the genius. By looking at literature that approaches creativity as a participatory and distributed phenomenon and by bringing empirical evidence from artists’ studios, the author presents a perspectivethat is relevant to higher education. The focus here is on how artists solve problems in distributed paths, and on the elements of creative collaboration. Creative problem-solving will be looked at as an ongoing dialogue that artists engage with themselves, with others, with recipients and with materials, in asynchronous or synchronous relationships. The empirical background draws on qualitative narratives collected in 2011-2014 and based on interviews with recognized artists. The questions guiding the present chapter are: If creativity does not arise from talent but from exercise and hard work, what caneducators at higher education learn from the ways creative groups solve problems? How can artists contribute to inspiring higher education
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