Cebu Institute of Technology – University

College of Engineering and Architecture

Department of Industrial Engineering

COURSEWARE
SSP031
CREATIVE THINKING TOOLS, TRENDS & TECHNIQUES

Prepared by:

Engr. Cheradee Ann M. Cabanlit

Instructor – SSP031

Adopted by:

Engr. Kristan Ian D. Cabaña

Instructor – SSP031

WEEK 1
 About the Course
Course Number SSP031
Descriptive Title
CREATIVE THINKING TOOLS, TRENDS &
TECHNIQUES
Number of Units 3 units lecture
Number of Hours 54 lecture hours
Pre-requisites None
Co-requisite None
Course This course introduces tools, trends and techniques in
Description creative thinking towards critically analyzing
independently sourced complex information and ideas,
and generating solutions taking into account a range of
perspectives. The students are expected to reflect on
their thought process and present their findings
considering reasons to support and rationally oppose
their own viewpoints using logical and abstract thinking
to evaluate the effectiveness of ideas, products and
performances to achieve desired outcomes.

Course Learning Outcomes:

CLO 1. Discuss the creative thinking tools, its methodology, & application areas
CLO 2. Discuss the different trends and techniques, its application and process
CLO 3. Formulate and solve different quantitative creative thinking tools
CLO 4. Apply appropriate these creative thinking tools/ techniques in design

TOPICS FOR WEEK 1 OUTCOME

EXPECTED
Topic 1: Introduction to Creative Thinking Tools,
Trends and Techniques
LO1: Discuss the definition of Creative Thinking Tools,
Trends and Techniques
Summary Report
LO2: Discuss its purpose, relevance and uses for
– 5%
future courses
LO3: Create the mindset that overlays design thinking
to ensure that the products are actually relevant and
beneficial in the long run

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 Contents
About the Course ..........................................................................................2
Contents .......................................................................................................3
Topic 1: Introduction to Creative Thinking Tools, Trends & Techniques ......5
Video 1: Mother and Father of Innovation ....................................................6
1.1. What is Creativity to You? .................................................................6
1.2. Definitions of Creativity .....................................................................7
Video 2: Levels of creativity ..........................................................................7
1.3. Small "c" creativity .............................................................................8
1.4. Big "C" Creativity ...............................................................................9
1.5. Examples of creativity .....................................................................10
Video 3: Creative Environments part 1 .......................................................11
Video 4: Creative Environments part 2 .......................................................12
Helpful Resources ...................................................................................13
SUMMARY REPORT: INTRODUCTION ....................................................14

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Brené Brown

Here’s week one.

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Topic 1: Introduction to Creative Thinking Tools, Trends &
Techniques

Hello! I welcome you to this course of exploring creativity using a wide range
of creativity tools.

You do not need to be an artist to be a creative thinker and vice versa.

Indeed, many jobs require a lot of creative thinking, despite having nothing
to do with the arts.

The aim of this course is to explore our innate abilities and enhance our
creative skills to become more creative and imaginative. No previous
knowledge or background is necessary, all that is required is an open mind.

Tips for Studying Online

Having the freedom to study online can be convenient, but this might
make it difficult to focus and start studying. When learning online, you
should become a self-directed learner!

Here are some great tips for you:

• Read the course guide. All the important information can be found
here.
• Plan weekly study time ang if possible email or upload output on time.
• Spare time for the class at least 3 times a week.
• Ask questions to your instructor.
• Make connections with your fellow classmates (check groupchat)

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 Supplementary Video:
“Introduction to Creative Thinking” by IveyDesign

Video 1: Mother and Father of Innovation

(Streaming the video is optional)
Video transcript:
Welcome to this course on creativity, my name is Peter Childs and I work at
Imperial College London, as well as running a few companies. We can all be
highly creative and the aim of this course is to explore our innate abilities and
to see if we can enhance these. You have probably heard the well-known
phrase, that necessity is the mother of invention. From many personal
experiences, we know that this saying has a lot of validity. If you have a
problem, then you need creative ideas to solve it. I have spent many years
running businesses, doing design and engineering, teaching creative
approaches and supervising research on creativity. And there I was reading
a magazine with an article with the classic title, necessity is the mother of
invention. The article was interesting and everything there made sense. But
I sat there stunned, not by what it said, but by what was missing. If necessity
is the mother of invention, who is the father?
Well a few tens of minutes later, the answer emerged. And this one, I was
happy with. If necessity is the mother of invention, then opportunity is
the father. This course is about creativity, whether you have a problem,
requirement, or issue that you need to tackle, or some wonderful opportunity
and you want lots of creative ideas. We will be exploring the fundamentals
of creativity and the series of creativity tools. Enabling you to build a tool box
of skills that you can roll out whenever there's a need or opportunity to
tackle. The combination of the toolbox, along with a fundamental
understanding of creativity, will we hope help you to be more creative
and more effective in both your work and personal life.

1.1. What is Creativity to You?

Creativity is not bound by a single definition. We can each express our own
meaning of creativity as we describe what we experience when new ideas
are formed. In the discussion prompt below, we invite you to share your
definition of creativity.
By the academic code of honor, ensure that your definition is unique,
inventive and innovative. Refer only to your thoughts at this very moment.

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 1.2. Definitions of Creativity
Creativity can be found in your simple daily tasks through to ground-breaking
scientific discoveries. There have been many definitions of creativity in
literature and academia to define sudden bursts of brilliance.

Here is a list of well-respected definitions:

• "Creativity is the process of change, of development, of evolution, in
the organization of subjective life (Ghiselin,1952)"
• "Creativity is the forming of associative elements into new
combinations which either meet requirements or are in some way
useful (Mednick, 1962)"
• "Creativity denotes a person’s capacity to produce new or original
ideas, insights, inventions, or artistic products, which are accepted by
experts as being of scientific, aesthetic, social or technical value
(Vernon, 1989)"
• "Creativity is imagination with responsibility (Sae Ra Kung, 2009)"

The study of creativity reveals patterns behind a creative burst. These

patterns become the various tools we can learn to inspire our innate ability.

From the list above, which is your favorite definition of creativity and why?

Video 2: Levels of creativity

(Streaming the video is optional)

Video transcript:
So what is creativity? Is it working on a new variant of the Romeo and Juliet
story, but this time with AI meets AI? Is it spending years working on a drug
to cure a longstanding disease and after huge efforts coming up with
something that does the job?
Well, it can be each of these. There is evidence of creativity for as long as
our history records extend back. There have been many definitions
of creativity in literature and academia. For example, creativity is the forming
of associative elements into new combinations which either meet
requirements or are in some way useful. Creativity denotes a person's
capacity to produce new or original ideas, insights, inventions or artistic
products which are accepted by experts as being of scientific,
aesthetic, social or technical value, and one I particularly like with a modern
twist on values that creativity is imagination with responsibility. We are

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familiar with the years of toil that in the case of some individuals can lead
to a burst of new knowledge that sets a domain the tablets then occupy for
a while. The study of creativity reveals patterns to this type of creative
burst. Creativity is often thought to exist on at least two levels, big C versus
little c, eminent versus every day. We can view creativity in terms of
brilliance, personal creativity, paradigm or domain creativity, forced or
industrial creativity. There are various historical periods associated
with significant creative activity and development of our understanding. In
ancient history, creativity was considered to be the prerogative of supreme
beings. The Renaissance with an explosion of ideas associated with the
interactions of diverse disciplines and investment. The Industrial Revolution
leveraging the advantages of production and concentration of resource. The
20th century with increased understanding emerging from domains such as
psychology and neuroscience, and of course the 21st century where we
have seen great strides in automated and augmented creativity and data
mining and AI. A repeated insight from the study of creativity is the value of
patronage, investing in and supporting an activity. Patronage enables
attention. It releases us from from varied tasks such as cleaning, childcare
and teaching. Although of course, these tasks are valuable and enjoyable in
some cases. So key times we're able to concentrate and develop our skills
with a night domain experiment and then apply them. Patronage pays for
costly rigs, experiments, research and support teams. It enables innovation
and the realization of an idea. So now back to our definition we will use
repeatedly in this course for creativity. Creativity is the ability to imagine or
invent something new or value where the value may be personal, societal,
financial or some combination of these. Creativity is not the ability to create
something out of nothing, but the ability to generate new ideas by
combining, changing or reapplying existing ideas. Some creative ideas
are astonishing and brilliant while others are just simple good practical
ideas that no one seems to have thought of yet.

1.3. Small "c" creativity

Small "c" creativity describes the small ideas that add to our everyday lives.
This can include cooking dinner or rearranging your cupboards, enhanced in
some manner. They are not things that will make you rich or famous, but
they are every day, small accomplishments, which enrich and enhance
our lives.

Therefore, creativity is not just found in an engaging picture hanging on the

wall, it can be found in actions and objects. When you woke up this morning
to get ready for your day, you used many objects that embody creativity,
which in turn made your day a little easier.

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 1.4. Big "C" Creativity
Big "C" creativity goes beyond the everyday problem solving, where
humankind has made giant leaps in, for example, literature and academia
where evidence of grand creativity can be found. These milestones can be
embodied or represented by objects, be it the spaceship that took the first
person to the moon, or a painting that provoked a new movement of thoughts
and techniques.

Small “c”
Tell me about an example of creativity that you encounter in your daily
life and explain why it embodies creativity for you. If you wish, you could
even include a photo.

Big “c”
Tell me about an example of grand creativity that you have been
inspired by and explain its significance in terms of scientific, aesthetic,
social or technical values.

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 1.5. Examples of creativity
Below you are presented with 3 images which embody different examples of
creativity.

The Garage
Sir Stanley Spencer (1891-1959) would represent everyday life from unique
perspectives. The Garage gives a rare insight into the times during the war,
as both men and woman are at work fixing cars.

Ege's Chair
Ege's Pyramid chair of power balances and destruction includes a 4-sided
pyramid which is the strongest under compression and is the symbol of "non-
destruction". This is challenged by the "feminine" female who beats the steel
pyramid into her own sitting place.

Ohoo!
This little bubble is water you can eat. The spherical flexible packaging is
made with natural materials extracted from plants and seaweed, to create
packaging with low environmental impact.

Select the "creativity value" which best represents the object/ image and
choose one per value only. Put one “x” per row per column.

Creativity Value The Garage Ege’s Chair Ohoo!

Social Value
Aesthetic Value
Scientific Value

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 Video 3: Creative Environments part 1
(Streaming the video is optional)
Video transcript:
In the consideration of creativity, it's important to think about both body and
mind. Attention and stress are intertwined. While stress arousal is useful for
real emergency, as an ongoing state, it can be a disaster. If you want people
to be able to consider novel ideas, you need to take care of the potential
stress response.

A stress response can, through the release of endorphins, prevent people

from being able to think about new ideas. So we need to create a low stress
environment, to encourage creative thinking. Physical and mental
environments need to be considered. This can be achieved by protecting
participants from the consequences of considering new ideas.

Reassurance should be given that if a new idea is followed, then the whole
group will provide support. And will try and solve any problems that
arise. Generating high trust is essential. So when do you get ideas?

When are you Creative?

Have you recognized that there are particular moments when you feel more
creative than others? Or in contrast, is your creativity suffocated when you
are forcing yourself to be or place the expectation upon yourself to be
creative on demand?

Your mental focus (or lack of focus) and environment can have a significant
influence on your ability to be more creative. Recognizing these factors
generates more time in your day for creative thoughts to flow.

List five factors that you think may influence your creativity. Is it a place, an
object or a time of day?

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 Video 4: Creative Environments part 2
(Streaming the video is optional)
Video transcript:
Typical responses are in the bar, in the bath, in boring meeting or lectures,
on the bus, in bed, on the beach. Things are known as the B's of creativity.
The common feature of these is that you are relaxed. And your subconscious
is highly active. This aids communication between your consciousness and
subconscious. And hence the production and realizations of ideas.

Inspirational Reading:
The B's of creativity are examples of places and spaces where your mind is
at ease and free creative thought can flow. Fiction books with stories and
tales could be considered as a B of creativity too. Books are tools which
transport you to a new place in your imagination where you animate the story
in your mind.

Take 10 minutes to read an extract from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's

Adventures in Wonderland" (1865). Enjoy a time to reflect on a beloved
childhood story that has inspired creative thoughts over generations.

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Helpful Resources
Below you will find a selection of additional material for you that may be
helpful to keep alongside the course. This course has been developed
based on what the team considered essential and useful for online
learners. It does not necessarily follow the structure and content of a
specific textbook.
• Please note that this material is optional and not intended as
integral part of the course. These readings also cover additional
topics not discussed within this course.
1. Childs, Peter., Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools, Imperial College London,
https://www.coursera.org/learn/creative-thinking-techniques-and-tools-for-
success/home/welcome
2. Boden, M.A. (2004) The creative mind, myths and mechanisms, 2nd ed. London and
New York: Routledge.
3. Cook, J., Oreskes, N., Doran, P., Anderegg, W., Verheggen, B., Maibach, E., Carlton,
J., Lewandowsky, S., Skuce, A., Green, S., Nuccitelli, D., Jacobs, P., Richardson, M.,
Winkler, B., Painting, R. and Rice, K. (2016). Consensus on consensus: a synthesis
of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming. Environmental Research
Letters, 11(4), p.048002.
4. IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups
I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva,
Switzerland, 151 pp.
5. Jones, M. (1995). The thinker's toolkit. New York: Three Rivers Press (edition? Page
number - students do not have access to all pages).
6. MacKay, D. (2008). Sustainable Energy-without the hot air. UIT Cambridge Ltd.
7. Michalko, M. (2011). Cracking creativity. New York: Random House US.
8. Nordhaus, W. (2008). A question of balance. New Haven: Yale University
Press.
9. Osborn, A.F. Applied imagination: Principles and procedures of creative problem
solving. 3rd ed. Scribner’s, 1963.
10. Treffinger, D.J., Isaksen, S.G., and Stead-Dorval, K.B. Creative problem solving: An
introduction. 4th ed. Prufrock Press, 2006.
11. Brain Pickings. (2018).The Art of Thought: A Pioneering 1926 Model of the Four
Stages of Creativity.
12. Wang, P., Peng, D., Li, L., Chen, L., Wu, C., Wang, X., . . . Guo, Y. (2019). Human-
in-the-Loop Design with Machine Learning. Proceedings of the Design Society:
International Conference on Engineering Design, 1(1), 2577-2586.
doi:10.1017/dsi.2019.26
13. Childs, P. (2018) Mechanical design engineering handbook. 2nd ed. Elsevier
Butterworth Heinemann.
14. Childs, P. and Fountain, R. (2011). Commercivity. In: 13th International Conference
on Engineering and Product Design Education. London: Design Society, pp.3-8.
15. Childs, P. and Garvey, B. (2015). Using Morphological Analysis to Tackle Uncertainty
at the Design Phase for a Safety Critical Application. Propulsion and Power Research,
4(1), pp.1-8.

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 SUMMARY REPORT: INTRODUCTION
1. This is done individually.
2. Those parts with highlighted yellow boxes require answers.
Create a separate file for your answers. You can use word/pdf or ppt,
else written if no resources available. If your answers are hardcopy
or written, take a clear photo or better use camscanner app.
3. Use this filename:
Filename: CTT-SECTION-WEEK1-FAMILYNAME,FIRSTNAME
4. Submit on or before 11:59PM of Friday, July 1, 2022.
5. Submission link: https://forms.gle/dKCbEoCoLntvajNw9

END OF MODULE 1

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