TOI-1 Creativity: Design, Expression, Innovation

In any discipline, creativity is a process that turns novel ideas into reality. Courses in this topic require higher-order thought processes that imagine new possibilities. Through the application of innovative thought and activity, students will conceive and/or produce new forms of expression, ideas, mechanisms, and products.

Courses within this Topic of Inquiry category must meet two or more of the TOI-1 Learning Objectives:

TOI-1 Learning Objective 1: Students will be able to assess the importance of creativity, ideation, innovation, and/or technical design output to individuals, organizations, society, and/or various fields of study.

Sample Course Objectives

  • Demonstrate how design, innovation, and creative expression are impacted by historical, societal, or cultural influences and vice versa
  • Investigate the process that leads to the creation of new ideas, mechanisms, artistic works, and products through the application of innovative thought and activity
  • Create new ideas, mechanisms, artistic works, and products through the application of innovative thought and activity
  • Apply arguments, ideas, and opinions about forms of human expression and design to emerging technologies through the development of a technology-based medium
  • Compare and contrast the importance of creativity, innovation, and ideation to individuals, organizations, society, or a field of study
  • Describe the role that one's creative capacity plays in problem-solving, communication, representation, and knowledge construction
  • Interpret historical and contemporary forms of expression as they relate to individual and social needs and values
  • Analyze approaches for resolving scientific challenges facing society, including, but not limited to, environmental and health issues

TOI-1 Learning Objective 2: Students will be able to demonstrate skill with evaluating, adjusting, and adapting the creative process to address particular challenges, needs, or conditions.

Sample Course Objectives

  • Frame and respond to criticism and other external review to generate meaningful, defensible revisions
  • Formulate multi-stage developmental processes or output as an individual or as a member of a creative team
  • Interpret divergent perspectives in designing approaches to social, technical, or artistic challenges
  • Examine design thinking and creative problem solving to resolve challenges in a variety of settings
  • Demonstrate creative problem solving to approach issues and problems of various kinds
  • Demonstrate design approaches to avoid common mistakes of human biases in the search for solutions

TOI-1 Learning Objective 3:  Students will be able to design or create new ideas, mechanisms, methodologies, artistic works, and/or products.

Sample Course Objectives

  • Create new ideas, mechanisms, artistic works, or products through the application of innovative thought and activity