Welcome to Creative Problem Solving.

I'm Brad Hokanson, a faculty member in the

College of Design at the University of
Minnesota.
>> And I'm Marit McCluske.
I'm a graphic design MFA.
I'm your co-instructor for this class.
>> The origins of this class are from a
fall, small seminar that began in the year
2000.
We've been teaching the class for about 15
years.
It's been at a large format since 2007.
We've got large lectures and
we've got small discussion groups that
make up the course.
Creativity's a complex trait, and it does
have many different characteristics.
It's generally defined as the ability to
generate ideas that are both new and
useful.
What is new and novel and what is
useful or applicable will differ depending
on the situation.
What we're concerned with is the
development of creativity on an everyday
basis.
And part of that development is the
ability to produce
lots of different ideas without
self-censorship, even if the ideas
are simple, overly complex, highly
challenging, weird, stupid, or funny.
Creativity is a skill that can be
developed through
instruction and practice, but can also
diminish without cultivation.
Which is proven to be the case
as seen in traditional schools and
corporate environments.
This class looks to help build
your creative endurance, creative
confidence and motivation.
So you can
continually generate more ideas and the
techniques to develop those
ideas to solve problems Each week, we'll
focus on a
particular component of creative skill
development and creativity research in
the lecture videos and activities portion
of each weekly module.
These will include exercises that have you
generate
more and unusual ideas and evaluate your
progress.
Lecture material is supported by supplied
readings
and videos, which are the topic of
three quizzes you'll find throughout the

course.
The class will have a weekly series of
personal challenges, asking you to do
something different.
Each challenge is designed to get you to
do something you've never done before.
You'll need to think about why you do or
don't do some things in a particular way,
and how breaking habits and assumptions
can help
you find creative solutions to all types
of problems.
Each week, you'll be given a prompt, where
you identify the boundaries of various
life aspects.
The first one, to eat something different,
is
explained in this DST section on this
week's page.
You will have a week to complete each
task,
followed by a week to complete peer and
self evaluations.
For you to get the most out of this class
and complete the course, your
participation and interaction is
essential.
Creativity and innovation develop heavily
through
sharing of ideas rather than protecting
them.
Share your work with others through the
forums and
follow the same guidelines as with your
peer evaluations.
Be constructive and positive in your
comments.
Again, keep in mind that creativity is a
skill that can be applied in all
disciplines.
It's a concept that has broad applications
in both personal and social domains.
Therefore, one way the value of an idea
can be assessed is by looking at
how unique, novel and applicable it is to
both you as an individual as well
as how creative it is to others.
This class is unique in that it's built on
the idea that connectivity
to your environment and to the experiences
of others is fundamental to learning.
It focuses on the development of your
creativity and ability to solve problems.
But the nature of the course is structured
to
emphasize creative and autonomous learning
through the online format.
The most important thing to remember is
that it
is not about accumulating more

information, but rather about developing

your skills.
One thing that's exciting about this class
and the
MOOC environment, is the global exchange
of ideas and feedback.
One factor that needs to be considered in
determining the creative value of an
idea, if it is both new and useful, is the
societal and cultural context.
So keep in mind that it's important for
you to explain your particular set of
beliefs
and habits and cultural norms, when you
submit
your weekly projects to be evaluated by
your peers.
Also remember to be objective about your
own world view, and its
influence on your opinions of creativity
when evaluating the work of others.
>> Aside from examining your personal
comfort zone
and world lens, other things you can do
to get the most out of this class
includes making creativity a regular part
of your life.
Document your ideas as they happen by
jotting notes or taking pictures.
Try new things and new approaches to
problems when the opportunity
arises, and keep track of all ideas and
inspiration.
Evaluate the definition of a problem.
This will be covered in class, but keep an
open mind about how
you might enrich your life by the desire
to improve upon your daily experiences.
Practicing techniques you'll learn in the
course will make them more habitual.
Over the length of the course, through
practice and
development of new ideas, you will improve
your creativity.
There are no right or wrong answers.
Ideas that fall short in their execution
still have value in failure.
There's value in observation and in making
new connections.
And always remember this should be fun, as
this is part of the value of creativity.
>> [LAUGH] So please get started by
posting
your own introduction in the forum you'll
find
linked on this week's page, and tell us
a little bit about yourself, and where
you're from.
This first week will include more lecture
videos than usual.

As some will cover the specifics of the

peer evaluation system, as
well as how to document your projects, and
share them with us.
You will have a week to complete each DSD.
We'll being doing live reviews of some of
the best projects that come up in class.
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