Original Post: Innovation & Creativity x Engineering

Inspecting Badran’s Article

Badran’s, “Enhancing Creativity and Innovation in Engineering Education”, discusses the “essential constituents” of innovation and creativity in the world of engineering education (Badran, 2007). As we all know, engineers are the backbone of our society, as they critically drive and solve modern-day problems amid our rapid-changing world. This reading examines 2 key words: creativity and innovation. Creativity is understood as “bringing something being” or “the ability to make something new, whether a thought or idea, an object, a product or a process, a work of art or performance, or an interpretation” (Morrison and Johnston, 2006). Specifically in engineering, creativity “tolerates risk, possible failure, and is a strong investment of time, effort and resources” (Badran, 2007). In contrast, innovation is understood as “adding something new to an existing project or process”, with low risk as it is incremental and can be halted at any time.

Compare and Contrast Badran & Cropley

Though both of these elements are essential for the future and success of engineering, the disconnect between creativity, innovation, and engineering continues to be a problem of concern (Cropley, 2015). Engineering programs today are focusing on the technical specifications whereas creativity and innovation have been put on the back burner despite the rapid change in our society. Thus, we risk educating engineers who are not prepared to tackle modern-day problems sparked by our progressive world. Innovation, creativity and engineering go hand-in-hand to stay competitive in the global marketplace (Badran, 2007). Society is often dependent on the ability of engineers to develop state-of-the-art and effective technological solutions to contemporary problems. However, as our world continues to grow and adapt, we must continue to encourage students to take the necessary risks to advance our world. If not, we jeopardize the modernization, inventive mindset, and critical thinking skills necessary in this field.

Inquiry & Solutions?

A quote from Cropley’s reading, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, primarily describes the way students think of problems today. They question why innovation and creativity are necessary and why we need to create solutions to problems that have yet to exist. Viewing it from a student perspective, have educators done their job in encouraging students to explore their innovation and creativity? Or have we somehow discouraged these exciting ideas? Engineers are the inventors of our future, therefore, without the use of creativity, we face the replication of old solutions. As educators, it’s important for us to foster an innovative environment by providing opportunities for exploration, inquiry, and creative expression.

Why is this Important to Me?

As an educator, one of the most important things I teach my kids is the importance of creativity. “Thinking outside the box” is very encouraged in my classroom, in which I always emphasize how exciting it is to learn from one another and from each other. In speculation of these two readings, I have to come to the conclusion that at some point in time, our world has put a halt to seeing the greater picture. Whether that be due to a decrease in curiosity or possibly the discouragement of creativity from your superior, without the growing interest in exploration, problem solving, and innovativeness, our world will not be able to grow to the extent that it is so capable to be. This becomes worrying as learning can be stifled when students lack the motivation to explore new concepts. As a teacher, I hope to instill the necessary skills for my students to thrive and adapt to new situations and challenges in their futures. The absence of innovative thinking can hinder the development of technology, which is essential for our society’s progression.

References

Badran, I. (2007). Enhancing creativity and innovation in engineering education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 32(5), 573-585. doi: 0.1080/03043790701433061

Cropley, D. H. (2015, May). Promoting creativity and innovation in Engineering Education - Researchgate. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276102813_Promoting_Creativity_and_Innovation_in_Engineering_Education

Fasano, A. (2015, February 26). 5 tips on how to become an innovative engineer. Engineering.com. https://www.engineering.com/story/5-tips-on-how-to-become-an-innovative-engineer

Jeff DeGraff. (2018, August 1). A map for engineering your next innovation [infographic]. https://jeffdegraff.com/blog/2015/08/a-map-for-engineering-your-next-innovation-infographic/

Morrison , A. and Johnston , B. 2006 . Personal creativity for entrepreneurship: teaching and learning strategies . Active Learning in Higher Education , 4 : 145 – 158 . [Crossref], [Google Scholar]

SYSADMIN. (2023b, June 30). Engineering innovations leading the way to cope with the pandemic-led challenges. IIST. https://indoreinstitute.com/blog-post/engineering-innovations-leading-the-way-to-cope-with-the-pandemic-led-challenges/