Search

Building on the success of the first North-South cross-continental collaborative educational robotics mission held in November 2015 [1], this paper presents a practical model for scaling the event up into a program for developing countries, particularly those of Africa, where the first edition took place. Past participants in Remote Rescue Thymio II (R2T2) missions, students and educators alike, have shared qualitative observations about its positive educational impact, notably in the areas of Collaboration, Communication, Critical thinking, Creative problem solving, Computational thinking, and Cross-cultural exchange. The proposed framework for delivering R2T2 missions has been adapted to Africa, being specifically designed to tackle the critical challenges of internet connectivity, teacher training and program costs. In so doing, it strives to pave the way for collaboration with partners in African educational ecosystems and North-South funding bodies that share the vision of making collaborative STEM education more accessible and attractive to teachers and schoolchildren around the world.

Creative problem solving (CPS) is the process by which an agent discovers unknown information about itself and its environment, allowing it to accomplish a previously impossible goal. We propose a framework for CPS by robots for discovering novel actions via behavior babbling, capable of learning a representation of novel actions at both a symbolic planning level, and a sub-symbolic action controller level. Our framework employs two modes of discovery – a focused incubation method that scopes its search to the actions and entities composing the failed plan, and a defocused incubation method which enables exploration of actions and entities outside of the failed plan. We implemented and tested our framework using a Baxter robot in a 3D physics-based simulation environment, where we ran three proof-of-concept object manipulation scenarios. Results suggest that it is possible to use behavior babbling as a method for the autonomous discovery of flexible and reusable actions.

Cognitive training is considered as an effective intervention for slowing cognitive decline, however single-domain training programs have shown limited transfer to untrained tasks. Complex cognitive training has a potential to yield broader transfer effect. Given that creative thinking involves variety of cognitive subprocesses, creative tasks may be useful as a complex training paradigm. In line with this assumption, creative engagement has a neuroprotective effect in older subjects, improving mental health and well-being. However, neural mechanisms underlying the effect has remained unknown. Evidence suggests that post-task changes in resting-state brain activity may be detected in regions involved during training. The current study was aimed to reveal changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during creative task performance and to identify whether those activity patterns persist in the baseline EEG after the end of a creative session. EEG was registered in 25 elderly ( $64\pm 6$ years) high-functioning subjects before, during and after creative problem solving, consisting of 30 verbal and 30 figural tasks. Current source density estimates and subsequent statistical contracts using statistical non-parametrical mapping (SnPM) were calculated via LORETA package. We found a significant increase of spectral density from pre- to post-task interval in theta-gamma frequency bands. The effect was localized in parieto-occipital cortex, overlapping with the region showing synchronization during the tasks performance. Observed changes in resting-state EEG activity may be considered as an indicator of use-dependent neuroplasticity.

The opportunities for fostering divergent thinking and creativity are limited in traditional lecture-focused classrooms, which could discourage students’ from applying and developing their creativity and divergent thinking within an academic context. STEM project-based learning is an alternative to traditional instruction that can be used to challenge students to identify creative solutions to problems. This alternative involves an innovative instructional method that allows one to integrate engineering and technology into mathematics and science classrooms within a project that includes various teaching and learning practices grounded in constructivism. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of STEM PBL on students’ attitudes toward engaging in divergent thinking and students’ perceptions of their creative problem-solving (CPS) skills. Therefore, we provided STEM PBL courses (e.g., coding, cryptography, microcontroller, bridge-building, 3D-printing) to secondary school students during the summer of 2018. Examining the differences between students’ pre-and post-test in SPSS-25 revealed that students (n = 48) who received two-week long STEM PBL intervention held more positive attitudes toward engaging in divergent thinking and demonstrated improved self-perceptions of their CPS skills. The implication of this study is that integrating STEM PBL into mathematics and science classrooms can help students develop positive attitudes toward engaging in divergent thinking and positive perceptions of their CPS skills, thus increasing their persistence and perseverance in engaging with complex problems that require the generation of original ideas.

Humans and many other species have the remarkable ability to innovate and creatively problem solve on-the-fly. Inspired by these abilities, we propose a framework for action discovery in problem solving scenarios similar to puzzle-boxes used to evaluate intelligence in animal species. The proposed framework assumes that the robot starts with a knowledge base including predicates and actions, which, however, are insufficient to solve the problem faced by the robot. We describe a method for discovering new action primitives through object exploration and action segmentation, which is able to iteratively update the robot's knowledge base on-the-fly until the solution becomes feasible. We implemented and evaluated the framework using a 3D physics-based simulated object retrieval task for the Baxter bi-manual robot. Results suggest that action segmentation is one viable path towards enabling autonomous agents to adapt on-the-fly and in short amounts of time to new situations that were unforeseen by their programmers and engineers.

This study aimed to describe computer application utilization based on the creative problem-solving model in calculus learning implementation. This research methodology was in the form of a literature study to find out the utilization magnitude of computer applications based on the creative problem-solving model in implementing calculus learning at STIKOM Bali. The subjects in this study were students involved in calculus learning at STIKOM Bali, while those who were the object of research were STIKOM Bali lecturers who taught Calculus subject. The sampling technique that was used by researchers was purposive sampling. Researchers used data collection techniques by using observation, interviews, literature studies, and documentation. The results of observations and interviews showed the design of computer application utilization based on the creative problem-solving model in calculus learning implementing had met the criteria of education, application display that support and technical quality well. So students were able to act systematically following the stages of problem-solving when the execution of its utilization.

The age of artificial intelligence (AI) is upon us. Its impact can be ambiguous until undressed from Hollywood assumptions. Public perception is that people's jobs are at stake. AI is a major disrupter in every industry, as it has the ability to augment large volume repetitive tasks. Understanding what AI is and the solutions it provides, is as critical today as was understanding the benefits of the cotton gin, the horseless carriage, and AC current. Currently in manufacturing, AI is being utilized at many stages, from the initial design to the marketing and to accomplish lean and six-sigma methodology goals. The objective of this paper is to give an applicable understanding of artificial intelligence, acknowledge the creative places it is applied, and demonstrate how it allows more time for creative problem solving, which is where humans thrive.

This highly participatory Special Session introduces video scenarios as a collaborative approach that enables students to hone innovative thinking skills while experiencing how diverse viewpoints contribute to innovation. The videos present fictitious scenarios involving individuals experiencing a variety of problems for which the audience is challenged to think of creative technology-based solutions. Emphasizing conceptual solutions, decoupled from implementation, allows students with a variety of ability and experience levels to participate equally in the exercises, highlighting the value of all voices in the creative process. It also allows the videos to be used in a wide of range classes from the general education and introductory levels through senior capstones in both computing and engineering. Participants in this special session will experience how video scenarios provide a platform that highlights the influence and value of diversity for creative problem solving while developing and honing innovative thinking skills. By taking part in a variety of activities, the participants will be ready to use video scenarios to easily bring collaborative exercises for innovative thinking into their classes. Videos and discussion prompts are available at www.youtube.com/virt-university in the Creativity College.

The current graduate school education system has largely been focusing on producing better learners and problem solvers. The rise of problem based learning approaches are testimonial to the importance of such skills at all levels of education from early childhood to graduate school level. However, most of the programs so far have focused primarily on producing better problem solvers neglecting problem finding at large. Problem finding, an important skill is a subset and first step in creative problem solving. Most studies on problem finding skills have only focused on industries and corporations for training employees to think out of the box for innovative product design and development. At school or university level, students are generally given a well-defined problem in most Problem Based Learning (PBL) scenarios and problem discovery or how to deal with ill-structured problems is mostly ignored. In this study, we present the Nitobe School Program and discuss our unique curriculum to teach problem finding in graduate school education. We show how introducing problem finding at graduate level increases student's ability to comprehend difficult and wicked problems in a team based learning environment. Moreover, we present how it influences creativity in graduate students resulting in better problem solvers.

A variety of different techniques for creative problem solving are commonly taught to engineers and designers. When one method is viewed in isolation, it is difficult to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each relative to the others. Some creative problem solving approaches work better for certain types of engineers, and others work better for others. In this study, all of the major innovative design methods were taught to engineers, and they were challenged to apply each method to a different design problem. Then, the results of each method were evaluated to determine which techniques were the most useful, most productive, and well received by the engineers, and why.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the interactive whiteboard on the development of the creative problem solving and the total score of learning motivation and its dimensions (the value — the expectation — the test anxiety) in the second grade prep school students in Ismailia city in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The skills of creative problem solving and learning motivation scales was applied to a sample of (168) students from two preparatory schools in one area. Teaching in the first school (81 students) using the electronic interactive board, and in the second school (87 students) using traditional way, two groups equivalence in intelligence and previous achievement. Results showed: statistically significant differences between the students in the two groups in the creative problem solving, and in total score of learning motivation and its dimensions favor the students using the interactive whiteboard. The researcher recommended: use interactive whiteboard technology in all schools, and training teachers to employ them.

Activity Theory has a specific use as a tool that shows the structure of the activities between people and mediation under particular context. In this paper, the researchers use it as a framework for the design of the collaborative learning activities under creative problem solving process using Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning as mediated tools. It is also used as a unit of analysis framework to examine and to get a better understanding of the interactions among the students, instructors and librarians through Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning environment. Indepth interview and participants' observation are used as main qualitative approach to collect data in order to explain the way the participants use the tools, and how the tools support and affect them in their collaborative learning to achieve the goals.

This research aimed 1) to develop the knowledge management process on cloud computing, 2) to evaluate the validity and appropriateness of knowledge management process on cloud computing 3) to study the learning achievement of the students, 4) to study the satisfaction of the students via the knowledge management process on cloud computing. The 40 samples were the students who registered a course ETM203 Photography in semester 1 of the academic year 2016, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand derived from simple random sampling. The research was manipulated into 3 phases: the first phase was to construct and develop the knowledge management process, the second phase was to evaluate the validity and appropriateness of the knowledge management process, and the third phase was the using of the knowledge management process. The research findings were as follow: 1. the knowledge management process on cloud computing composed of 5 components: vision and goals, indicators of knowledge, repository of knowledge, communication channel, and experts. The 5 steps of knowledge management process on cloud computing were 1) reaching knowledge indicator, 2) knowledge record and storage, 3) knowledge exchange, 4) new idea creation, 5) knowledge sharing, 2. The validity and appropriateness of knowledge management process on cloud computing by five educational technology specialist equal was at the level of “much” (mean = 4.46, S.D. = 0.51), 3. The learning achievement of creative problem solving on studio photography was at the level of “good” (mean = 4.42, S.D. = 0.66), 4. The satisfaction of the students to knowledge management process on cloud computing was at the level of “most” (mean = 4.60, S.D. = 0.56) and this complied with the hypotheses. Therefore, the knowledge management process on cloud computing to support creative problem solving skill are useful and could be used in the photography course.

This research aims to develop MIASCE instructional model based on the creative problem solving process for electromagnetic wave education. The MIASCE learning model consists of six processes: 1) Motivation 2) Information 3) Assignment 4) Solution 5) Conclusion and 6) Evaluation. The research procedure was as follows; first, to study problems referring to electromagnetic wave education, next to analyze the learning theory and to develop and create research tools for electromagnetic wave courses. The developed instructional tool consisted of a MIASCE instruction's manual, teacher manual, power point presentation, simulation program and achievement test. Finally, quality of the developed MIASCE instructional model was evaluated by 5 instructors. The result showed that the quality of the model was at a highly appropriate level. After implementing the developed model using a sampling group from Rajamangala University of Technology PhraNakhon, faculty of Industrial Education, the student's satisfaction was found to be at a high level. From the results, the developed MIASCE instructional model can be applied to learning and teaching of electromagnetic waves effectively.

The purpose of this study was to explore the college students as subjects in an experiment with the lotus blossom technique in teaching in terms of the students' potentiality of creative problem solving and performance of creative problem solving competency after creative works were accomplished. The creative problem solving competences were analyzed by means of Potentiality Questionnaire for Creative Problem Solving (PQCPS), Creative Solution Diagnosis Scale (CSDS), and the cases of creative works were used as instruments. Finally, the findings and suggestions should be proposed.

This paper discusses an invention-based, trickle-down pedagogy using a concept known as creative heuristics as the principal driver for innovation in learning in technical communication education. It adopts a "train-the-trainer" approach to graduate education that promises to deliver new and exciting learning outcomes both on the graduate and undergraduate levels where it is ultimately applied. This learning style incorporates a fail fast pedagogy designed to encourage exploration and invention through creative processes. Critical thinking meets creative thinking to produce real, smart innovation for learners in the new digital economy.

It can be agreeable that human knowledge has been accumulated to a peak level, of which one of the evidences is the coming of Big Data era. It is observed that knowledge combination presently can be a way of innovating new products and new services for people. A challenging issue is how to combine human knowledge intelligently and creatively. It is proposed and visioned that Creative Computing can be one approach to tackling the above challenge. This paper starts with questions such as what Creative Computing is, what research scope Creative Computing has, what assumptions and principles Creative Computing is based on, what new methods Creative Computing will use, what applications Creative Computing will have, and how, in particular, Creative Computing will combine knowledge. By summarising related research studies and projects, it observes the advancement of Creative Computing has enabled broad use of computers in many domains, while combined knowledge are playing key roles in most of them. As an example, the paper will present an attempt for knowledge from different disciplines to be linked and combined via software semantic techniques. Furthermore, the combined knowledge provides the basis of creativity on generating new ideas and solutions, which not only helps on solving problems but also inspires and encourages on innovative activities. Overall, this paper aims to speculate and establish a prospect and imagination of Creative Computing as an effective way for connecting and combining various and vast amount of human knowledge.

This paper introduces how several hands-on activities fostering the development of creative thinking as a fundamental part of the youth's entrepreneurial mindset are used. Students in various disciplines from the Pennsylvania State University-Berks Campus served as mentors for a primarily middle-school and high-school group of students and teachers during the service-learning workshops conducted in the rural municipality of San Jose de Cusmapa, Nicaragua. After an introduction to creativity and creative problem solving, the participants were able to devise innovative ideas for the creation of a business for a product or service in their community. The feedback obtained from the participants evidences that the workshop was effective in teaching them how to develop and expand their entrepreneurial mindset through creativity and creative problem solving activities. In this paper, it is discussed how working individually and collectively to resolve a series of creative problem solving activities expanded the students' ideas throughout the different stages of the business creation process.

The challenge of manufacturing firm today is to maintain competitive advantage in rapid market and customer requirements change environment. Respond to the problems quickly, accurately with breakthrough ideas and make decision from available various alternatives will be crucial. TRIZ-PUGH model which incorporate between TRIZ methodology and Pugh's matrix is created. TRIZ is the systematic methodology for creating unusual alternative solutions to resolve technical contradiction in engineering area and Pugh's matrix aim to logically establish meaningful criteria then deliberately select the best known ideas for efficiently support manufacturing strategies. The application of TRIZ-PUGH model is shared in the case study of solving the problem at selected process in magnetic recording head manufacturing factory.

TRIZ solves difficult problems by finding contradictions in the problem itself. In TRIZ, a technical contradiction occurs when one function of a system is enhanced, the other function is deteriorated at the same time, and vice versa. On the other hand, a physical contradiction appears when two opposite properties are required from the same part of a system. Among TRIZ components, the ARIZ, algorithm for inventive problem solving, has developed by Altshuller for reducing trial-and-error while solving problems. It transforms difficult technical contradictions of a given problem into the corresponding physical contradiction to solve the problem easily. However, ARIZ-85c, the most recent version of the ARIZ, still has the brute-force feature inside. In this paper, we propose the Butterfly algorithm based on the Butterfly diagram to reduce the brute-force feature by giving the right direction when selecting technical contradictions and physical contradictions.

In the history of science and technology, many creative and innovative cases were found in contradiction problem solving. However, most research about creativity has rarely paid attention to contradiction solving so far. This paper introduces the way how adolescent solves contradiction problems with the Butterfly diagram, and shows the effects of the Butterfly diagram education in primary and secondary schools on contradiction problem solving ability. The Butterfly diagram uses symbolic notation and systematic representation for solving contradiction problem. It shows the structure of a given contradiction problem visually. Drawing a Butterfly diagram for solving a contradiction problem can reduce the problem space because it helps to figure out the problem structure and the problem type of the given problem. In the three experiments of this paper, we analyzed the effects of the Butterfly diagram education on contradiction solving ability. The students who learned the Butterfly diagram have awarded for 9 years (2007∼2015) in a row when they participated in invention festivals. Three primary school students, 12 secondary school students, and 46 college students have awarded in invention festivals so far. Among them, 5 middle school students, 4 high school students, and 15 college students, and one graduate school students have registered 18 patents.

Professional skills, such as teamwork, global awareness, creative problem solving, and ethics, are essential for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The focus of this paper is teamwork. In particular, this paper discusses how efficacy and attitudes affect teamwork for the students majoring in Information Sciences and Technology programs, either virtual or face-to-face. Although online education has significantly grown, the literature discussing the incorporated online teamwork remains limited. Virtual and face-to-face teams have some similarities, but many key differences as well, such as communication, trust, and geographical boundaries. To gauge team efficacy and attitudes for virtual and face-to-face teams, we developed a survey and collected data. Our findings showed that online students had more negative attitudes toward teamwork than face-to-face students did, while both groups had a similar level of teamwork self-efficacy.

Creative problem solving is one of the most important issues in education. Among the problems requiring creativity, contradiction problems are difficult to solve. Many historical innovations solved contradiction of the problems. However, contradiction has been treated as false or not feasible. We perform the logical interpretation about contradiction problems with the Butterfly model for automation. We classify the types of contradiction relationships and find the problem solving objectives and the solution strategies for the problems. The contribution of this paper lies in solution space reduction by providing new algorithms that recognize the structures and the types of contradiction problems.

More and more digital supports are being developed to assist creativity. Some of them are designed to uniquely support specific creative methods, while others target the overall support of the creativity and innovation process. Whatever they might offer, only a few use a systems engineering approach. Generally, they do not formalize the environment or interactions within it. The present study proposes a new formalism for modelling the creativity process through the design of a Creative Support System (CSS). This formalism attempts to model an Innovation Challenge and is inspired by actual system engineering modelling formalisms and the literature on creativity. The first section will discuss CSS support of the “48h to Generate Ideas®” creativity challenge. Following this, the new representation formalism will be discussed. The conclusion will focus on the application of this formalism and establishment of the basis for future research.

Computer programs are a specific type of knowledge artefacts that result from a creative process under strong formal restrictions. From an educational perspective, it has been argued that programming supports intellectual development and knowledge building. In this paper, we give a short overview of a system created to automatically detect the creativity of solutions to programming exercises that address general mathematical and algorithmic skills. A first step to make these artefacts susceptible to automatic analysis was the definition a descriptive feature set that captures both structural and procedural aspects of each solution. Secondly, machine learning techniques have been used to form higher-level metrics simulating expert judgments on a given set of solutions. It turned out that expert judgments of program creativity differ considerably and systematically. This also led to a classification of the experts.

In this paper, we present a framework associated with the development of analytic and synthetic thinking that is also related to improving learner creativity. In this framework, the whole concept map is treated as a structure, the characteristics of which the learner has to learn to improve, similarly every proposition is treated as an entity, the characteristics of which express the creativity of the learner.

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) at the Penn State Berks Campus conducts Entrepreneurship Workshops facilitated by college student mentors for middle and high school students from inner-city Reading, PA. These workshops serve to incubate early entrepreneurship exposure, promote creative problem solving, and to highlight how entrepreneurship attracts students from multidisciplinary backgrounds. Following an overview of business planning, the Penn State Berks Engineering Entrepreneurship students create their own condensed business model presentations that examine the simulated exercise of “Problems with Pizza.” In this paper, we explore how the mentor-taught workshops influence K-12 students' perceptions of entrepreneurship as a feasible, alternate career choice and how to creatively approach common problems. The paper builds on the current literature of influencing students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy and provides a successful example of student mentor teaching, specifically the positive effect that it has on students' attitudes towards entrepreneurship. The paper also further builds the case for entrepreneurship exposure starting at the middle and high school levels.

The design discipline is nowadays extending its boundaries, becoming more than a profession, a way of thinking and a problem solving approach. This process implies bringing together multiple models of reasoning, modalities of practice and divergent perspectives. A large amount of literature has been dedicated to the adoption of design thinking in other disciplines, and to its successfully application in business practices. However, less attention has been put on the contrasts and frictions provoked by the designer system of thinking. Before understanding and accepting an approach specific to the design profession, as a valid and reliable working principle, the confrontation between the different actors in a multidisciplinary team has to pass through a conflictual phase. Taking into consideration a series of experiences that involve multidisciplinary teams, the next paper concentrates on the conflict as a powerful and essential step in the creative process. In this sense the conflict management will be presented in terms of understanding the root of the contrasts, proposing that rather than leveling the differences, through mitigation, the conflictual, moment has to be exploited as an important step in the working process. The main question asked in the paper is: what if design could be used as a provoking factor, in order to create entropy and induce, more creative problem solving approaches? The paper will unfold in several parts: first the design thinking approach will be explained. The second part will stress out the increasing ethnic and disciplinary diversity of the workgroups and the benefits of the differences. In the third part the critical moments in the project management flow will be underlined. The discussion will show different methods to channel conflict towards a creative change in the reasoning system introducing design as a creative element. We will conclude by proposing a different way of looking at the design thinking, emphasizing its potential as a disruptive discourse in the context of multidisciplinary working teams.

This paper reports on the implementation of video production during curriculum time with 14 year-old students. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse how secondary school students produce video clips that influence their perception of learner autonomy. A major component of the intervention is a digital video production project where students create video clips of advertisements. The intervention is based on the Creative Problem Solving (CPS): The Thinking Skills Model (TSM). It combines elements of critical and reflective thinking exercises as part of the multimodal composition process. Data drawn from students' accounts provide evidence that at different stages of the video production, there were varying opportunities for students to exercise their capacities as autonomous learners. We found that interplay of the creativity arising through the CPS model and digital video production holds a powerful affective capacity for students' sense making and construction of identities. In addition, results from the Personal Performance Profile (Maurice Gibbons, 2008) support and highlight the potential that such media rich environment fosters language learner autonomy, particularly in self-regulation.

Very little work in psychology has tried to simultaneously tackle the representational problem and the search problem in creative problem solving. Unifying these two fields is critical, because building and searching the problem space may be highly interactive activities that cannot be decoupled and studied in isolation. In addition. neuroscientific explanations of creative problem solving have been elusive. In this article, we propose an integrative biological theory called Neuro-EII to address these problems. Neuro-EII is based on the Explicit-Implicit Interaction (EII) theory of creative problem solving. Like EII, Neuro-EII is implemented using the CLARION cognitive architecture and can be used to simulate behavioral data. We present simulation results of a lexical decision task and use Neuro-EII to generate testable neuroscientific predictions. We conclude by discussing how the Neuro-EII theory can contribute to solving the seemingly intractable problem of identifying the brain circuit(s) supporting creative problem solving.

The purpose of this study is to develop the Rolling Discussion Technique and validate the developed technique. The Rolling Discussion Technique is based on the concept of collective intelligence which facilitates creative problem solving activities by sharing ideas and thoughts of large group of members within the class. As an internal validation method, expert review and usability test were conducted and as for the external validation method, field evaluation was used to partially validate feasibility and educational effectiveness. As a result, it has been found that the Rolling Discussion Technique suggested in this study can be utilized in engineering design curriculum as a discussion technique.

Summary form only given. This paper aimed at exploring the effect of e-learning based on meta-cognition strategy on students' achievement and awareness of creative problems solving processes in a university course. Three variables were included in this study: (e-learning based meta-cognition strategy, achievement in C++ course, and awareness of creative problems solving processes). The researcher administered awareness of creative solving of the problems processes measure, and achievement tests which were constructive to solve two problems, ill structure problems and well structure problems associated with the practical side of programming language C++. On a random sample of (31) students (13 Male, 18 female) in different academic levels of engineering students at Kuwait university in the academic year (2010/2011). The results showed that there were significant differences in average ranks between experimental and control groups in well structure problem solving, ill structure problem solving, and total degree of the achievement test in favor of the experimental group. There was no statistical significant differences in the values of average ranks between the experimental and control groups in the total degree of awareness declarative, procedural awareness, and awareness of creative problems solving processes.

Human being is the most intelligent organism in the world and the brainstorming process popularly used by them has been demonstrated to be a significant and promising way to create great ideas for problem solving. Brain storm optimization (BSO) is a new kind of swarm intelligence algorithm inspired by human being creative problem solving process. BSO transplants the brainstorming process in human being into optimization algorithm design and gains successes. BSO generally uses the grouping, replacing, and creating operators to produce ideas as many as possible to approach the problem solution generation by generation. In these operators, BSO involves mainly three control parameters named: (1) p_replce to control the replacing operator; (2) p_one to control the creating operator to create new ideas between one cluster and two clusters; and (3) p_center (p_one_center and p_two_center) to control using cluster center or random idea to create new idea. In this paper, we make investigations on these parameters to see how they affect the performance of BSO. More importantly, a new BSO variant designed according to the investigation results is proposed and its performance is evaluated.

This paper puts forward a novel assessment framework, based on the Model of Domain Learning (MDL), to assess student development in various professional skills across Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. New graduates are not only required to have good technical skills but also excel in professional skills to be successful in their career choices. As a response, academic programs have integrated professional skills such as teamwork/communication, ethics, global awareness, creative problem solving, and leadership, into their curricula. However, there are challenges in the assessment of learning outcomes related to professional skills. By designing a uniform assessment framework for all professional skills and developing a set of coherent assessment instruments that can be tailored according to the learning objectives and student level, the proposed assessment framework aims to facilitate the integration of professional skills assessment into an overall program assessment plan. The proposed framework will be tested in various course levels (i.e., first year to senior) from STEM majors at various institutions.

Communities have been creating and using indigenous knowledge for centuries. Although there have been advances in knowledge creation, traditional practices may lend an additional lens to better understand knowledge creation efforts. This research explores the potentials of indigenous knowledge creation techniques of instantaneously creating knowledge, which has been in use in Ethiopia Church 5th Schools since the Century. Using an interpretive field study, qualitative data was collected through participant observation, document analysis, and unstructured and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data indicated that the indigenous techniques have important implications for knowledge creation and creative problem solving. Besides helping to preserve the heritage of accumulated wisdom, this research plays a role in narrowing the divide between tradition and modernity regarding knowledge creation, and is useful to researchers in creative education, communication, natural language, and information retrieval.

Do constraints facilitate or inhibit creative problem solving? Recently, two experimental studies appeared, one showing that removing constraints may enhance creativity, another showing that adding constraints can facilitate creative problem solving. In this paper, we provide a theoretical explanation of these two seemingly contradictory experimental results.

In this paper we propose a new graphic method for idea generation and creative problem solving called Paths to Success (P2S). P2S is a sketch-based creativity technique that is based on 15 existing creativity principles and the generative potential of images in general and sketching in particular. The goal of the method is to enable group-based and personal idea generation productivity through systematic, proven and varied creativity stimuli. The method, its background and rationale are described in the paper, as are first pilot-testing and evaluation results regarding its benefits and improvement needs. We conclude the paper by outlining future research opportunities to further test and develop the method.

In todays growing and ever changing world of computer networks, management systems need to have the abilities of intellectual reasoning, dynamic real time decision making, experience based self-adaptation and improvement. Furthermore, ever increasing size and complexity of computer networks require automation for their management systems. Automation minimizes human involvement which produces effective and time saving solutions for proper and dynamic supervision of these large and heterogeneous networks. In the light of above discussion, the design of an efficient, dynamic and automated network management framework requires support from the field of artificial intelligence. As the techniques based on the principles of artificial intelligence provide sophisticated abilities of intelligent decision making, experience based improvement and creative problem solving. This paper provides a survey of some important multidisciplinary research efforts that propose the use of modern techniques from the fields of Distributed Artificial Intelligence and Neural Networks for improving network management.

Contextualization of curriculum and course contents has been central to development of IT education at Tumaini University in rural Tanzania. However, as the development of the IT program has progressed, pedagogical challenges have become increasingly evident. The pedagogical difficulties materialize most markedly in programming courses. We identified a number of sources of pedagogical difficulties: reliance on rote learning, group dynamics that support free riding, extrinsic motivations, and greatly varying educational backgrounds. In this paper we describe a pedagogical approach that utilizes the theories and principles of creative problem solving to overcome those difficulties. Firstly, we provided optimal challenges to cognitive development by switching to an open learning environment, and we adapted course arrangements accordingly. Secondly, we encouraged intrinsic motivation and sense of autonomy by increasing the amount of affective support. Thirdly, we encouraged reflective learning processes by introducing a new concept of coding-while-lecturing. Fourthly, we stimulated the positive aspects of group work and promoted individual learning by providing adaptable multi-level exercises.

The more intensive the competition, the more a company's success depends on its ability to improve and renew its processes. Increasing complexity and interconnectedness of structure and process within production-related areas underline this. Risk oriented management becomes more and more important against the background of increasingly dynamic markets and the rising complexity within the corporate environment [1]. Increasing international interdependence in all business areas and attendant worldwide distribution of most products do not only increase the possible scale of damage, but also the consequences [2]. Especially the risk situation of manufacturers of risk sensitive products has intensified within recent years [3]. Cost intensive field and product recalls accumulate [4]. The direct resulting costs due to not detected risks may be of immense proportions and, in extreme cases, jeopardize the basis of existence for some com panies [5].

This vision paper frames requirements engineering as a creative problem solving process. Its purpose is to enable requirements researchers and practitioners to recruit relevant theories, models, techniques and tools from creative problem solving to understand and support requirements processes more effectively. It uses 4 drivers to motivate the case for requirements engineering as a creative problem solving process. It then maps established requirements activities onto one of the longest-established creative problem solving processes, and uses these mappings to locate opportunities for the application of creative problem solving in requirements engineering. The second half of the paper describes selected creativity theories, techniques, software tools and training that can be adopted to improve requirements engineering research and practice. The focus is on support for problem and idea finding - two creative problem solving processes that our investigation revealed are poorly supported in requirements engineering. The paper ends with a research agenda to incorporate creative processes, techniques, training and tools in requirements projects.

The use of video scenarios is an active learning approach designed to aid in the development of computational and entrepreneurial thinking skills. Video scenarios present problems in the context of lifelike settings in order to emphasize the complexity as well as creative potential presented by problems which are diverse, multi-layered and frequently ill-defined. Students must carefully observe and critically listen to the characters in the videos in order to understand the problems they are experiencing. Through discussion, design or implementation, students explore potential ways in which computing can be used to help the characters solve their problems. The approach is designed to develop creative problem solving skills, while also encouraging students to view themselves as capable of entrepreneurship and innovation in computing. The videos are freely available on the website www.virt-u.org, and can be used for a wide range of learning activities.

The role of innovation and design is a key factor in differentiating leading engineers from their peers. Current engineering curriculum does not address this. We are currently using a variety of educational methods to introduce innovation as a concept throughout the engineering curriculum. A series of video podcasts on innovation have been generated which students can watch at their leisure. These video podcasts work together with in-class lectures that are more discussion based and open the door for insightful conversations regarding innovation. Utilizing online videos along with class discussion has enabled us to present innovation to all engineering students across disciplines by guest lecturing their each disciplines ‘Introduction to Engineering’ course. In addition, in-class exercises designed to encourage lateral thinking, as well as creative problem solving are used to teach basic design and innovation. All of the exercises are group projects that require the students to work in areas outside their area of expertise and encourage exploratory based learning. The curriculum for teaching education is still under development and in this paper we will present the initial curriculum and the results from the first semester this material was taught.

Creative problem solving model is a behavioral representation of users thinking, this kind of models helps to customize the user requirements to achieve a certain needs. Different studies have been reported the difficulties of learning in term of designing and developing a modern computer games applications which presents a complex activity by involving many participants from a variety of disciplines. Generally, developing a computer games is different from other types of software development because of video games include far more artistic content than other types of software systems, and there is many briers try to avoid other users or students who are willing to develop their own skills in this field. Hence, this research seeking for optimizing creative problem solving (CPS) model to help non programmers to learn how to design and develop computer games based framework. This research employed Virtools framework for providing an appropriate environment to design and develop computer games applications for non programmers.

Psychological theories of problem solving have largely focused on explicit processes that gradually bring the solver closer to the solution step-by-step in a mostly explicit and deliberative way. This approach to problem solving is typically inefficient or ineffective when the problem is too complex, ill-understood, or ambiguous. In such a case, a ‘creative’ approach to problem solving might be more appropriate. We propose a computational psychological model implementing the Explicit-Implicit Interaction theory of creative problem solving (i.e., the CLARION theory of creative problem solving) that centers on the interaction of implicit and explicit processing. The model based on the CLARION theory has been used to simulate a variety of empirical psychological data sets.

There has been relatively little research interest in software engineering as a creative process, in spite of the widespread anecdotal evidence that many software engineering problems necessitate creative thinking to be solved effectively. This keynote talk will present established creativity theories from disciplines outside of software engineering, then put forward arguments for re-interpreting important software engineering activities, such as requirements engineering and software design, as creative problem solving. Once the applicability of these theories has been established it will present different creativity techniques and software tools that can be applied in software engineering, with a focus on program comprehension tasks. The talk will draw on 10 years of experience applying creativity techniques and tools in major requirements engineering projects

To train student's creative thinking idea has important significance. Because the exhibition of creative thinking at software engineering field is very outstanding, so the software engineering is one of the best courses training the creative thinking idea of students. For helping teachers to understand the close relationship between the software engineering and creative thinking, some examples have been analyzed, the examples show that creative thinking drive the development of theoretical knowledge of software engineering. “The teachers should strengthen the creative thinking idea of students while imparting software engineering knowledge” is put forward. In order to strengthen the creative thinking idea of students, the teaching innovation of software engineering should carry on. The concrete contents (about innovating teaching content, innovating teaching methods, innovating examination content and mode) are introduced.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the teaching methods for Basic Design which aims at cultivating creative thinking for the design beginners. Based on Bounded Rationality, for the essence of creative thinking like “selection”, “breakthrough”, and “reconstruction”, this paper proposed some new teaching methods, which included “simple problem”, “limitation”, and “quantity”. Moreover this paper discussed the relationships between rationality and creative thinking, and the applied range of above methods. These new methods are useful for improving the teaching quality of Basic Design and cultivating creative thinking for the design beginners.