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 our community of practitioners in CREATIVITY!

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

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Beginner Level

Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish

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 ThinkingProblem SolvingCreativityBrainstorming

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.77/5 (641 Ratings)

Peter Childs

Head of the School of Design Engineering

Dyson School of Design Engineering

124,004 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.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating96%(16,352 ratings)

Week

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Introduction to the Principles of 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.

3 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 7 min), 8 readings

4 videos

Mother and Father of Innovation1m

Levels of Creativity3m

Creative Environments1m

Creative Environments - Part 233s

8 readings

Welcome to the course10m

Course Structure and Syllabus10m

Type of Assessments and Grading Policy15m

About Imperial College London and the Team10m

How to Be Successful in this Course10m

Glossary and Helpful Resources10m

Inspirational Reading10m

Recycled plastic will soon be the only choice10m

Week

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

2 videos

Creativity Tools1m

Brainstorming2m

8 readings

Creativity Tools10m

Top 6 Brainstorming Techniques10m

The Principles of Brainstorming10m

Flip chart10m

Post-it10m

Alphabet Brainstorming10m

Brainwriting10m

Grid Brainstorming10m

2 practice exercises

Knowledge Check: Creativity Tools20m

Knowledge Check: Grid Brainstorming20m

Week

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Thinking Styles

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.

3 hours to complete

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

4 videos

The Value of Diversity1m

Principles of various thinking styles3m

Design Thinking4m

Different Thinking Styles in Practice1m

5 readings

Introduction10m

Taking an Evidence Based Approach10m

Design Thinking - Concrete Canvas10m

Design Thinking - Omlet10m

Design Thinking - Farewill10m

2 practice exercises

Taking an Evidence Based Approach20m

Knowledge Check: Thinking Styles15m

Week

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Morphological Analysis

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.

4 hours to complete

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

2 videos

Principles of Morphological Analysis4m

Group Application of Plot Line MA4m

3 readings

Introduction10m

Group Application10m

Morphological Analysis applied to Plot Line10m

1 practice exercise

Knowledge Check: Morphological Analysis20m

Week

Week 5

3 hours to complete

TRIZ - the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving

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.

3 hours to complete

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

5 videos

Short Cut to Experience2m

TRIZ: Principles and Description2m

Contradiction Matrix4m

Examples of Application: Contradiction Matrix5m

Interview With the Expert: Oxford Creativity6m

7 readings

Introduction10m

Introduction to TRIZ and its Tools10m

TRIZ: 39 Parameters10m

TRIZ: 40 principles10m

Contradiction Matrix Grid10m

Contradiction Matrix: Examples of Application10m

Inventive solutions to everyday problems20m

3 practice exercises

Knowledge Check: TRIZ Principles and Parameters20m

Application of TRIZ - 120m

Application of TRIZ - 220m

Week

Week 6

1 hour to complete

SCAMPER

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.

1 hour to complete

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

2 videos

SCAMPER for Architecture2m

Team Innovation Using SCAMPER5m

2 readings

Introduction to SCAMPER10m

SCAMPER and use of different Thinking Styles 10m

1 practice exercise

Knowledge Check: SCAMPER20m

Week

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

3 videos

Examples of Application: Circle Brainstorming1m

State of the Art Software: B-Link2m

Peter Childs on Creative Thinking1m

7 readings

Introduction10m

Creative Problem Solving10m

The Double Diamond Model10m

Circle Brainstorming Steps10m

E-tivity: B-Link10m

Course Wrap-up10m

CTT Newsletters10m

1 practice exercise

Knowledge-Check: Overview of Creative Thinking Techniques20m

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, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You’ll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. Learn more.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Course?
This Course doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Course Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more. Online Degrees and Mastertrack™ Certificates on Coursera provide the opportunity to earn university credit.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success

Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success