Bridging Creativity and PBL

This chapter explores a systematic view to discuss how can we understand the concept of creativity and how we see creativity in learning contexts. Then elements of PBL in supporting creativity will be explored: group learning, problem analysis, interdisciplinary learning, project management, and facilitation. All these elements are calling for a ‘student-centered learning' model and a ‘co-creation' paradigm. This chapter will also discuss how we use empirical methods to study creativity and use tools of assessing creativity and group creativity in a PBL environment.

Creative Thinking Techniques

This chapter suggests how to facilitate group learning by creative thinking techniques in PBL. Techniques of brainstorming, checklist, and mind mapping are usually used among students in daily group experience. Using techniques can be reflected by the knowledge conversation model introduced in Chapter 5. Then a case will be discussed on a 5-day creativity training program carried out in Medialogy education at Aalborg University in Denmark. The case brings implications for Chinese universities: ‘fun' as a key to creativity training, mediation between individual and collective work, increasing creativity as an identity, and inquires of a long-term effort.

Fostering Creative Talents for an “Innovation-Oriented Nation”

This book starts with an overall background of rapid progress of economic development in recent China under a shift from ‘Made in China' to ‘Created in China'. Such a background shapes the starting point of this book and reflects a question: Why should we focus on the topic of creativity and innovation in Chinese universities? This chapter interprets the meaning of a political goal of ‘innovation-oriented nation', the link between creativity and innovation, and the barriers of traditional culture to develop innovation capability in China. All these points underpin why Chinese universities should put creativity on the top of the agenda. This will lay basis in later chapters that address problem-based learning (PBL) as a good strategy of facilitating creativity among young Chinese talents.

Future Research

The last chapter in this book contributes to an exploration of future research on creativity, innovation, and PBL. The future directions are guided by key topics including seeking for appropriate strategies, new technologies in PBL, management of change process, and a problem-based approach to research innovation. Beyond an educational model of PBL, this chapter maps future research directions that bring a deeper rethinking of how to facilitate creativity development and innovation in Chinese universities and how to research creativity and innovation by a problem-based approach in a global context.

Development of Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

This chapter starts with a basic definition of PBL that leads a review of a history of PBL. The review involves both a global view and a local view in China. It then describes how learning activity happens in PBL and introduces main characteristics of PBL. This motivates a theoretical reflection on why PBL works well in preparing qualified young generation for dealing with challenges of complexity in future professional practice. This chapter will close its discussion on why and how PBL should be considered as a good strategy in Chinese universities.

Culture of Co-Creation

This chapter has important significances of understanding co-creation, regarding PBL as a co-created curriculum, and proposing strategies of shaping culture of co-creation in Chinese universities. Particularly, a socio-cultural model of creativity should be paid attention as it is shaped by interplays between individuals, fields, and domains. The strategies include how universities should break some barriers that facilitate the changes towards PBL, and how teaching portfolio is accordingly seen as a useful tool to enhance reflective capabilities in staff development. This chapter contributes to future reforms in Chinese universities.

Interdisciplinary Projects

This chapter addresses meaning of interdisciplinarity that draws a discussion on how to facilitate interdisciplinarity in problem-solving process in project groups. A case on development of a student satellite project at Aalborg University will be introduced that shows how interdisciplinarity is integrated into PBL in Denmark. This leads to a strategy of diverse levels of PBL models in Chinese universities. This further facilitates Chinese educators to rethink some implications for how to design interdisciplinary projects, how to develop effective self-managed groups, and how to develop interdisciplinary supervision.

Usages of Information Communication Technology (ICT)

This chapter highlights roles of ICT in facilitating creative learning processes. A knowledge conversation model of creative learning addresses four types of knowledge: individual tacit knowledge, individual explicit knowledge, collective tacit knowledge, and collective explicit knowledge. Creativity motives conversations between different types of knowledge, which means creativity shapes new learning opportunities and facilitates learning processes. Therefore, this chapter regards ICT as one stimulus of ‘explicit-collective knowledge' and could facilitate the learning loop as well as creativity development. Additionally, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework as a part of training programme of staff development is proposed to Chinese universities.