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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1.1 Welcome Video

如何创造性解决问题

与讲师见面