Students' Experiences With Collaborative Creativity in Engineering Enrichment Courses

• In Event: Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development Roundtable 1

Abstract

Students’ experiences regarding pre-college engineering curricula, classroom environments, and their experiences with the creative process in two engineering enrichment courses were examined using an input-process-outcome (IPO) framework. Through inductive analysis of semi-structured interview data from 16 participants, an Input-Process-Outcome Model of Collaborative Creativity (IPOCC model) was developed. The IPOCC model suggests that in K-12 collaborative practice, creativity involves group-level considerations in addition to individual-level components. The IPOCC model offers useful insights in terms of input components, group processes, and mediating factors that can facilitate learners’ engagement in creative teamwork. Findings of this study indicate that a combination of challenging tasks, open-ended problems, and student teamwork provides a rich environment for learners’ engagement to think creatively.

Authors

• Nielsen Pereira, Purdue University

• Mehdi Ghahremani, Mississippi State University

• Ophélie Allyssa Desmet, Valdosta State University