Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success

Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success

Instructor: Peter Childs

What you'll learn

Understand what creative thinking techniques are
Comprehend their importance in tackling global challenges as well as in everyday problem-solving scenarios
Select and apply the appropriate technique based on the opportunity to seize or the problem to tackle

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

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Assessments

10 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 7 modules in this course

In today’s ever-growing and changing world, being able to think creatively and innovatively are essential skills. It can sometimes be challenging to step back and reflect in an environment which is fast paced or when you are required to assimilate large amounts of information. Making sense of or communicating new ideas in an innovative and engaging way, approaching problems from fresh angles, and producing novel solutions are all traits which are highly sought after by employers.

This course will equip you with a ‘tool-box’, introducing you to a selection of behaviours and techniques that will augment your innate creativity. Some of the tools are suited to use on your own and others work well for a group, enabling you to leverage the power of several minds. You can pick and choose which of these tools or techniques suit your needs and interests, focusing on some or all of the selected approaches and in the order that fits best for you. The practical approach of this course enables you to acquire an essential skill-set for generating ideas, with plenty of: - Fun e-tivities and exercises; - Practical lectures and tips; - Video representations of the techniques in action. By the end of this course you should be able to: - Pick a type of brainstorming you think will be useful to apply to a challenge - Use alphabet brainstorming in tackling a challenge - Use grid brainstorming in tackling a challenge - Use a morphological chart to synthesise a solution to a challenge - Use the TRIZ contradiction matrix to identify recommended inventive principles - Apply SCAMPER to a range of challenges The greatest innovators aren’t necessarily the people who have the most original idea. Often, they are people- or teams- that have harnessed their creativity to develop a new perspective or more effective way of communicating an idea. You can train your imagination to seize opportunities, break away from routine and habit, and tap into your natural creativity. Join this course and a community of practitioners in CREATIVITY!

In the first week, we focus on the basic principles of creativity and highlight its importance in tackling global challenges. Creativity is explored and applied at two different levels, lower and higher-level creativity.

What's included

4 videos8 readings6 discussion prompts2 plugins

4 videosTotal 7 minutes

Mother and Father of Innovation1 minutePreview module
Levels of Creativity3 minutes
Creative Environments1 minute
Creative Environments - Part 20 minutes

8 readingsTotal 85 minutes

Welcome to the course10 minutes
Course Structure and Syllabus10 minutes
Type of Assessments and Grading 15 minutes
About Imperial College London and the Team10 minutes
How to Be Successful in this Course10 minutes
Glossary and Helpful Resources10 minutes
Inspirational Reading10 minutes
Recycled plastic will soon be the only choice10 minutes

6 discussion promptsTotal 70 minutes

Nice to meet you!20 minutes
What is Creativity to You?10 minutes
Definitions of Creativity10 minutes
Small "c" creativity10 minutes
Big "C" Creativity10 minutes
When are you Creative?10 minutes

2 pluginsTotal 25 minutes

Pre-course Survey15 minutes
Creativity Values: Drag and Drop10 minutes

In this week, we will look at how we can augment our creativity using different methods of Brainstorming, a creativity approach that aids the generation of ideas in solving a stated problem. We particularly focus on the application of brainstorming tools in group activities, with the aim of enabling you to understand, evaluate and apply different types of brainstorming techniques in your own context.

What's included

2 videos8 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin

2 videosTotal 3 minutes

Creativity Tools1 minutePreview module
Brainstorming2 minutes

8 readingsTotal 80 minutes

Creativity Tools10 minutes
Top 6 Brainstorming Techniques10 minutes
The Principles of Brainstorming10 minutes
Flip chart10 minutes
Post-it10 minutes
Alphabet Brainstorming10 minutes
Brainwriting10 minutes
Grid Brainstorming10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 40 minutes

Knowledge Check: Creativity Tools20 minutes
Knowledge Check: Grid Brainstorming20 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 30 minutes

Application of Grid Brainstorming30 minutes

1 pluginTotal 15 minutes

Interactive Gallery: Examples on grid brainstorming15 minutes

There are many thinking styles which can be helpful in creativity. We will focus on the principles as well as application of a variety of thinking approaches that can be used at both at an individual level and in a group, under various professional and personal situations, allowing you to develop competency and accelerate proficiency in the use of some different thinking styles.

What's included

4 videos5 readings2 assignments1 peer review2 discussion prompts

4 videosTotal 11 minutes

The Value of Diversity1 minutePreview module
Principles of various thinking styles3 minutes
Design Thinking4 minutes
Different Thinking Styles in Practice1 minute

5 readingsTotal 50 minutes

Introduction10 minutes
Taking an Evidence Based Approach10 minutes
Design Thinking - Concrete Canvas10 minutes
Design Thinking - Omlet10 minutes
Design Thinking - Farewill10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 35 minutes

Taking an Evidence Based Approach20 minutes
Knowledge Check: Thinking Styles15 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 45 minutes

Thinking Styles in Practice45 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 25 minutes

Article on global warming and climate change15 minutes
Share your Creativity Style10 minutes

You will become familiar with the Principles of Morphological Analysis and learn how to apply it in various life scenarios, from design to developing movie plot-lines, whilst developing a more systematic approach to idea generation.

What's included

2 videos3 readings1 assignment2 peer reviews2 discussion prompts2 plugins

2 videosTotal 8 minutes

Principles of Morphological Analysis4 minutesPreview module
Group Application of Plot Line MA4 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Introduction10 minutes
Group Application10 minutes
Morphological Analysis applied to Plot Line10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Knowledge Check: Morphological Analysis20 minutes

2 peer reviewsTotal 150 minutes

Application of Morphological Analysis60 minutes
Plot Line Challenge90 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Morphological Chart20 minutes
Production of an Original Morphological Analysis Chart10 minutes

2 pluginsTotal 30 minutes

Interactive Gallery: Examples on Morphological Chart15 minutes
Interactive Gallery: Examples of Original Morphological Analysi Charts15 minutes

In week 5, we continue to enhance your fluency, flexibility and originality of idea generation by introducing you to another creativity tool called the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ). We will particularly focus on application of TRIZ and the TRIZ Contradiction Matrix and how it can be used in problem, both at an individual and in group level.

What's included

5 videos7 readings3 assignments1 discussion prompt2 plugins

5 videosTotal 21 minutes

Short Cut to Experience2 minutesPreview module
TRIZ: Principles and Description2 minutes
Contradiction Matrix4 minutes
Examples of Application: Contradiction Matrix5 minutes
Interview With the Expert: Oxford Creativity6 minutes

7 readingsTotal 80 minutes

Introduction10 minutes
Introduction to TRIZ and its Tools10 minutes
TRIZ: 39 Parameters10 minutes
TRIZ: 40 principles10 minutes
Contradiction Matrix Grid10 minutes
Contradiction Matrix: Examples of Application10 minutes
Inventive solutions to everyday problems20 minutes

3 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Application of TRIZ - 120 minutes
Application of TRIZ - 220 minutes
Knowledge Check: TRIZ Principles and Parameters20 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 20 minutes

Share Your Inventive Principles from Application of Triz - 220 minutes

2 pluginsTotal 10 minutes

Word cloud5 minutes
World Cloud - Results5 minutes

This week, we will introduce you to the final creativity tool in the course and its importance in generation of ideas and improvement of the existing ones; SCAMPER. You will become familiar with the concepts of SCAMPER and gain proficiency in its application in various unusual, personal or professional situations, whilst inspiring related ideas.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

2 videosTotal 8 minutes

SCAMPER for Architecture2 minutesPreview module
Team Innovation Using SCAMPER5 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Introduction to SCAMPER10 minutes
SCAMPER and use of different Thinking Styles 10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Knowledge Check: SCAMPER20 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Application of SCAMPER to the Ocean Plastic Crisis10 minutes
Using Scamper to Improve Wellbeing10 minutes

Now that you have mastered a wide range of creativity tools and developed competency in their application over a wide range of situations and domains, we will wrap up by asking you to use these tool in combinations and apply these in context and scenarios that are also related to your own discipline or context. This will help you reinforce the concepts that you have learnt so far and enable you to use the creativity tools freely in problem solving and idea generation.