Developing Creativity among Design Students at Jadara University, Jordan

Abstract

Creativity is often referred to as “…the act of making something new or the ability to produce original and unusual ideas”.

In order to be creative, you need to be able to view things from a different perspective. Amongst other things, this requires not only the ability to generate a number of alternatives but also to perceive the uniqueness of those alternatives.

Students in Eastern countries are often more conservative in expressing and forming arguments against ideas. For example, in Jordan, society is culturally traditional and closely related to, and dominated by, customs and traditions that govern decision taking. This situation reflects on the Jordanian education system, which stimulates copying and reproduction. In addition, students are ‘the recipients’, they submit to the authority of instructors and this makes the process itself less interactive; this is why it does not usually consider individual approaches for different students.

This Paper proposes methods of thought that could be developed in particular design students so that they can use unorthodox techniques for learning the process of design.  It also intends that  practices of thinking should be developed so as to enable design students, in particular, to participate in the education system so that it becomes more productive both for themselves and society in general.

Keywords: Creativity, Jordanian Designers, Unorthodox