Creativity Barriers in the Teaching of Higher Education Students 00-0F-CRB
The module will cover the following topics:
• What is creativity? Various models of creativity and how they can be applied to the higher education setting. Distinction between teaching creatively, teaching for creativity and creative learning.
• Factors promoting and impeding creative teaching and learning. The role of the teacher and teacher-student relationship. The role of the environment (physical and social aspects of the place in which teaching/ learning occurs). Methods that support the cognitive processes involved in creative learning (e.g., project-based methods, collective creativity, creative teaching with the use of technology). The role of assessment (evaluation formats, students’ autonomy in the selection of assessment methods).
• Creative teaching online vs creative teaching in the physical classroom.
Aims of the module:
• Familiarising the students with the current research on aspects of creative teaching/ teaching for creativity in the higher education setting
• Developing students’ scientific language competencies in the topics discussed in the module
• Developing students’ communicative abilities in English, including:
o Effective comprehension of scientific texts
o Effective communication of information – both in writing (e.g., writing a popular science magazine article based on a research paper from a journal article) and in speaking (group oral presentation, pair and group discussion, sharing of experiences, reflections and views)
• Extending students’ research skills including searching and utilising foreign language scientific literature in the area of creativity and academic teaching
• Developing students’ organisational skills (e.g., effective cooperation and project preparation in a group, preparation and organisation of an interview with a creative teacher)
Type of course
Course coordinators
Assessment criteria
Assignements, methods and criteria of their assessment:
1) Weekly or fortnightly tasks (e.g., reading a selected text, assessment of a group presentation). The knowledge of a selected article will be checked in a quiz (MS Forms). To assess a group presentation, students will need to fill in an online feedback form to provide ratings, two constructive messages (what one liked most, what could be improved) and a “take home” message (information worth remembering). The points earned for these tasks will contribute 20% of the final mark. Independent work.
2) Written assignment: the aim of this task is to find an article in a scientific journal in English that is concerned with creative teaching (teaching for creativity) in higher education and to write a text (700 words) in a popular science magazine style. The text is to familiarise the reader with the topic, provide a brief description of the study from the article and to present its findings in a clear and concise way. The points earned for this task will contribute 40% of the final mark. Independent work.
3) Oral presentation: students choose ONE of the tasks below
a) Students make a model of creative teaching in higher education in a format chosen by themselves (students can be creative and utilise different formats, e.g., a video recording, a poster) and present it to the class.
b) Students record an interview with a creative teacher. Students need to arrange for an interview with a creative teacher, prepare questions in advance, record the interview, analyse the responses, and present the findings to the class.
The points earned for this task will contribute 40% of the final mark. Group work.
• Marking scale
• 51% – 60% – satisfactory (3)
• 61% – 70% – more than satisfactory (3+)
• 71% – 80% – good (4)
• 81% – 90% – more than good + (4+)
• 91% – 100% – very good (5)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: