Creativity is an essential skill for the 21st Century that is innate in all people and can be nurtured. We constantly need new and better ideas for almost every aspect of our professional and personal lives. The goal of this course is to help you recognize, develop and act upon the creativity that you already possess. We will accomplish this using three methods: b aware, b inspired, and b creative.

Upon completion of this course participants will:

Recognize the inherent creativity in yourself and others.
Identify characteristics of a creative person that relate to yourself.
Develop creative problem solving skills using the basic elements of the creative process.
Examine qualities of a creative environment in real world settings.
Evaluate an idea using the creative product criteria.

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Approx. 22 hours to complete

Suggested: 3 hours/week...

English

Subtitles: English, Ukrainian...

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 22 hours to complete

Suggested: 3 hours/week...

English

Subtitles: English, Ukrainian...

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

1

2 hours to complete

What is Creativity?

In this module, we will be featuring the skill “Look at it Another Way”. This skill is about becoming aware of what ideas, challenges, and solutions feel like from multiple perspectives, views, or mindsets. These ideas may manifest as spoken words or internal thoughts. For example, take a moment to picture a tree. What does it look like? Does it have leaves? What season are you in? Did you picture the tree from straight on? If so, try picturing the tree from a birds-eye view, or from an ant's perspective. If your tree was in full bloom, picture the same tree in winter. It probably looks much different! That's what this module is all about looking at things from different perspectives in order to gain new insights! As you go through this module's lessons, we would like you to consider the following things: * What might be all of the different ways to look at these lessons and assignments? * How does changing your perspective spark your imagination? * When deliberately employing this skill, do you feel more creative? We encourage you to keep this description handy, as we will be asking you to apply this skill throughout the module. Ready? Let's get started! * Skill taken from Torrance, E.P., & Safter, H.T. (1999). Making the creative leap beyond... Hadley, MA: Creative Education Foundation Press.**...

12 videos (Total 52 min), 9 readings

12 videos

Course Introduction5m

Everyday Creativity Assignment2m

Magic Wand Wishes2m

Definition of Creativity2m

Myths of Creativity2m

Deferring Judgement3m

Developmental Trajectory of Creativity6m

History of International Center for Studies in Creativity4m

The Four Ps4m

Brendan Bannon7m

Katherine Conway-Turner6m

Brian Nesline4m

9 readings

Course Overview10m

Assignments10m

#bAware10m

Week

2

5 hours to complete

The Creative Person

In this module, we will be featuring the skill, “Visualize it Richly and Colorfully”. This skill is about using the five senses to paint a vivid picture of what you're trying to explain or understand.This module will require you to use your imagination during the lessons and the subsequent assignments. We will ask you to picture the many aspects of certain objects -- such as apples -- or to remember something as vividly as possible. Let's give it a shot: picture a flower. It doesn't matter what kind of flower it is -- it doesn't even have to be one that is known to humankind! What does the flower look like? What colors make up the petals? How many petals are there? Does the stem have thorns? Do the thorns hurt? Are the petals soft? Are they damp from a recent dew? How does the flower smell? What do you hear? Is there a bee buzzing around the flower? Are you brave enough to taste the flower? I know that sounds like a lot of questions, but you should incorporate all five senses into the lessons within this module. As you go through this module's lessons, we would like you to consider the following questions: * How does visualization make your memories come alive?* How does visualization spark your imagination?* When deliberately employing this skill, do you feel more creative? We encourage you to keep this description handy, as we will be asking you to apply this skill throughout the module.Ready? Let's get started!* Skill taken from Torrance, E.P., & Safter, H.T. (1999). Making the creative leap beyond... Hadley, MA: Creative Education Foundation Press. ...

13 videos (Total 56 min), 12 readings, 1 quiz

13 videos

Characteristics of the Creative Person1m

Light Switch Plate Assignment2m

The Big Three Affective Skills3m

Playfulness7m

TRYCycle5m

The Four Components of Divergent Thinking5m

Cognitive Style: FourSight8m

Neuroscience of Creativity3m

Failure and Making Mistakes3m

Mindfulness3m

Progress3m

Ismet Mamnoon4m

Benjamin Streeter3m

12 readings

Assignments10m

#bAware10m

Week

3

1 hour to complete

The Creative Press

In this module, we will be featuring the skill Enjoy and Use Fantasy. This skill is about imagination, and it is an integral part of creativity and learning. The ability to enjoy and use fantasy is a skill that can be applied to many facets in life. Though it is often misconstrued as inconvenient or inappropriate (especially as we get older), fantasy has been shown to motivate learning while providing a non-threatening environment. The employment of the skill Enjoy and Use Fantasy improves thinking, logic, and communication skills! For example, imagine you’ve been given access to the world’s first time machine. As of right now, it only has one setting: to take you on a journey 1000 years forward in time. Just think! You will be the first person from the present to see what the future looks like: what people will be wearing, what businesses will be in place, what governments will be standing, and the effects of the human race on the entire planet. With 100% assurance that the time machine is 100% safe, you hop in and press the One Button: GO! How do you feel? Is your mind racing with ideas of what you might see? Are you excited to be a part of an unknown future? Are you nervous about running into a future relative? Good – that’s the point! As you go through this module’s lessons, we would like you to consider the following things: Are you fully experiencing the joy and child-like nature of fantasy? How does the deliberate use of fantasy spark your imagination? When deliberately employing this skill, do you feel more creative? Ready? Let’s get started!...

9 videos (Total 29 min), 6 readings

9 videos

Dimensions of a Creative Climate2m

Physical vs. Psychological Press3m

Culture3m

Ten Dimensions of a Creative Climate: Idea Time, Idea Support, and Risk-Taking3m

Ten Dimensions of a Creative Climate: Freedom, Dynamism, & Playfulness and Humor2m

Ten Dimensions of a Creative Climate: Challenges, Debates and Conflict3m

Ten Dimensions of a Creative Climate: Trust and Openness2m

Overcoming Barriers3m

Todd Benzin4m

6 readings

Research Study Opportunity10m

Assignments10m

#bAware10m

Week

4

5 hours to complete

The Creative Process

In this module, we will be featuring the skill Break Through and Extend the Boundaries. This skill is about thinking outside of the prescribed requirements. You may know it better by the phrase “think outside the box” – but we want you to think of it as more than that. Expanding the boundaries is a skill that everyone possesses (though it can be developed and honed through practice), and is integral to creativity and problem solving. For example, have you ever had a child, student, or colleague who was perfectly content to give run-of-the-mill answers to intriguing questions? Sure, the answers were applicable and solved the problem at hand, but they lacked the innovation and excitement that you were after. Then one day, in frustration, you told that person to “think outside the box” – and he astounded you with an answer that was completely out of left field! As you go through this module’s lessons, we would like you to consider the following things: • Are you thinking beyond the prescribed requirements? • How does extending the boundaries spark your imagination? • When deliberately employing this skill, do you feel more creative? We encourage you to keep this description handy, as we will be asking you to apply this skill throughout the module. Ready? Let’s get started! *Skill taken from Torrance, E.P., & Safter, H.T. (1999). Making the creative leap beyond… Hadley, MA: Creative Education Foundation Press....

15 videos (Total 61 min), 11 readings, 1 quiz

15 videos

Introduction to the Creative Process1m

Annoyances3m

Creative Process3m

Brainstorming3m

Divergent Thinking9m

Convergent Thinking2m

Incubation2m

Clarifying Problems3m

Ideation3m

PPCo3m

WISMDI… and How/How3m

Tim Switalski5m

Paul Harris5m

Amy Hartman4m

Mike Fox4m

11 readings

Assignments10m

#bAware10m

Instructors

Dr. Cyndi Burnett

Associate Professor

Creative Studies

Dr. John F Cabra

Associate Professor

Creative Studies

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
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.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Ignite Your Everyday Creativity