CCOG for MSD 130 Winter 2025
- Course Number:
- MSD 130
- Course Title:
- Creative Problem Solving
- Credit Hours:
- 3
- Lecture Hours:
- 30
- Lecture/Lab Hours:
- 0
- Lab Hours:
- 0
Course Description
Covers creative problem solving and thinking, steps in the creative problem-solving process, right and left brain thinking, ambiguity and imagination, overcoming barriers to creative thinking, synthesis, and applying creative problem-solving to the organization. Audit available.
Addendum to Course Description
Discusses concepts and practices for creative problem solving and thinking: right and left brain thinking, analogies and metaphoric thinking, imagination, overcoming barriers, applying creative problem solving techniques to complex problems.
Intended Outcomes for the course
Develop solutions to workplace problems through applying appropriate problem solving techniques
Incorporate whole brain thinking strategies into personal approach to solving problems in the workplace.
Recognize and overcome barriers to using creative problem solving in management practices and decisions.
Develop a strategic plan for incorporating creative problem solving into an organization.
Outcome Assessment Strategies
- Various individual and/or group skill-building activities such as role-plays, case studies, or other exercises geared toward critical analysis of course concepts.
- Written assignments or oral reports designed to integrate course material into personal experience or experiences of others.
- Complete exams comprised of essay and/or objective questions, or an individual and/or team project or paper which requires integration, application, and critical examination of course concepts, issues, and themes.
Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)
COMPETENCIES/SKILLS:
- Creative thinking
- Breaking mental barriers
- Whole brain thinking strategies
- Team problem solving
- Problem definition
- Idea generation
- Creative idea evaluation
- Judging ideas
- Solution implementation
- Adaptation to change
- Metaphoric thinking
CONCEPTS, THEMES & ISSUES:
General Concepts
- Traditional vs. creative thinking
- Differing perspectives
- Fear of failure
- Brain-mapping
- Visual thinking
- Analogies and metaphoric thinking
- Mental blocks to creative process
Themes
- Complex problems and issues
- Personal accountability
- Strategic planning
- Barriers to creativity
Issues
- Problem solving practices
- Mental barriers
- Adaptation to change
- Personal responsibility/accountability