Using Undergraduate Insight to Make Space for Creativity in Higher Education

Abstract

Creativity is a highly valued skill in today's world, yet it is not reflected in the education students are provided. Ritter et al. (2020) write, "Many jobs are disappearing, and new jobs are emerging, for example, due to the transformative impact of digital technologies... Creativity is not anymore, a 'nice to have', but has turned into a 'must have'" (p. 2). Without an education that meets the demands of the changing world, it potentially poses difficult challenges for society to move forward as it continuously evolves, especially if there is a lack of supply with the demand that such a society needs. The value of this research lies in the insight into the under-researched population of undergraduates in the conversation of creativity and education. The focus of this study is on how to highlight the major components that would enhance creativity and productivity in the college classroom such as student belonging, mental health, peer-to-peer communication, and the flipped classroom model. This study aims to uncover what undergraduates have to say about creativity and production in the college classroom currently as well as propose how to incorporate these insights into the college classroom. The research question, "What insights are undergraduates sharing about how to enhance creativity and production in the college classroom?" aims to explore this topic. Data acquired was from interviewing ten undergraduate students on a liberal arts campus about twenty miles outside of New York City about their undergraduate experiences with creativity and productivity in the classroom. The results showed that students responded more positively to discussion and interactive-based class formats as well as project-based assignments and class formats. Students' perceptions of teachers' openness to creativity and failure in the classroom also impacted how creative students felt they could be. This correlated to interactions with other students having positive learning outcomes such as learning from each other, classroom belonging, a sense of community, and enhanced creativity and productivity. The responses gathered in this study could inform educational practices that would help students move forward once out of the classroom and into the world.