4.7
stars
3,784 ratings

Peter Childs

271,836 already enrolled

Offered By

Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success

Imperial College London

About this Course

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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!

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

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What you will 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 will gain

Creative Thinking
Problem Solving
Creativity
Brainstorming

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.76/5 (1,328 Ratings)

Peter Childs

Head of the School of Design Engineering

Dyson School of Design Engineering

271,836 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

Imperial College London

Imperial College London is a world top ten university with an international reputation for excellence in science, engineering, medicine and business. located in the heart of London. Imperial is a multidisciplinary space for education, research, translation and commercialisation, harnessing science and innovation to tackle global challenges.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(35,604 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Introduction to the Principles of Creativity

3 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 7 min), 8 readings

4 videos

Mother and Father of Innovation1mLevels of Creativity3mCreative Environments1mCreative Environments - Part 233s

8 readings

Welcome to the course10mCourse Structure and Syllabus10mType of Assessments and Grading 15mAbout Imperial College London and the Team10mHow to Be Successful in this Course10mGlossary and Helpful Resources10mInspirational Reading10mRecycled plastic will soon be the only choice10m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Creativity Tools

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.

3 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 4 min), 8 readings, 2 quizzes

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Thinking Styles

3 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 11 min), 5 readings, 3 quizzes

Week4

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Morphological Analysis

4 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 9 min), 3 readings, 3 quizzes

Week5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

TRIZ - the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving

3 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 21 min), 7 readings, 3 quizzes

5 videos

Short Cut to Experience2mTRIZ: Principles and Description2mContradiction Matrix4mExamples of Application: Contradiction Matrix5mInterview With the Expert: Oxford Creativity6m

7 readings

Introduction10mIntroduction to TRIZ and its Tools10mTRIZ: 39 Parameters10mTRIZ: 40 principles10mContradiction Matrix Grid10mContradiction Matrix: Examples of Application10mInventive solutions to everyday problems20m

3 practice exercises

Knowledge Check: TRIZ Principles and Parameters20mApplication of TRIZ - 120mApplication of TRIZ - 220m

Week6

Week 6

1 hour to complete

SCAMPER

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 8 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week7

Week 7

2 hours to complete

Using the Tools in Combination

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.

2 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 6 min), 7 readings, 1 quiz

Reviews

4.7

1109 reviews

5 stars
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3 stars
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2 stars
0.87%
1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM CREATIVE THINKING: TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

by NWMay 2, 2020

Really enjoyed this. I've completed some Creativity courses before, however I learnt lots of new tools and techniques that I will actually be able to use both at home and at work. Thank you.

by OEMay 29, 2020

I enjoyed this course right from the start. The videos are relatable and exciting as so were the reading exercises to get a better knowledge of how to think and easy, fast steps to get to those ideas.

by PTApr 29, 2020

Very interesting course! I especially liked the different e-tivities that allowed me to put the theory into practice. Great tools to stimulate thinking, association and creativity. Recommended!

by RAMay 23, 2020

The content and syllabus is absolutely amazing. The professors instructions are clearly conveyed and very easy to understand. Overall there is a lot to take and learn from this course.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success

Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain