2017•Rose-Hulman Scholar (Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology)Requires access

Encouraging Creativity in Capstone Design

Allen White, Keelin Leahy, Dan Phillips, Elizabeth A. DeBartolo, Patricia Brackin, Stephen F. Chenoweth

Open publisher page 2 citations

Abstract

Capstone design is the ‘‘bridge’’ from school to industry. It is important that this engineering experience is rich in thecreative approaches which are valued there. In particular, the capstone class should model the need for exploring divergentsolution paths, for listening to alternative opinions, and for stepping back from a problem. Skills in these creative areastypically are not emphasized in the rest of an engineering curriculum. At the 2016 Capstone Design Conference, weparticipated in a panel on ‘‘Encouraging Creativity in Capstone Design.’’ The ideas presented were based on our ownexperiences in using creativity techniques in design classes. This paper shifts down to the roots of those discussions,describing our individual efforts in applying those creativity techniques. We conclude with a list of situational options, forother practitioners to use in their design classes.

About this research paper

What this paper is about

Capstone design is the ‘‘bridge’’ from school to industry. It is important that this engineering experience is rich in thecreative approaches which are valued there. In particular, the capstone class should model the need for exploring divergentsolution paths, for listening to alternative opinions, and for stepping back from a problem. Skills in these creative areastypically are not emphasized in the rest of an engineering curriculum. At the 2016 Capstone Design Conference, weparticipated in a panel on ‘‘Encouraging Creativity in Capstone Design.’’ The ideas presented were based on our ownexperiences in using creativity techniques in design classes. This paper shifts down to the roots of those discussions,describing our individual efforts in applying those creativity techniques. We conclude with a list of situational options, forother practitioners to use in their design classes.

Why it matters

OpenAlex reports 2 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

Key contribution

A contribution statement is not available in the OpenAlex record.

Method / approach

Method details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Main findings

Findings are not separately available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Limitations

Limitations are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Applications

Application details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Available abstract

Capstone design is the ‘‘bridge’’ from school to industry. It is important that this engineering experience is rich in thecreative approaches which are valued there. In particular, the capstone class should model the need for exploring divergentsolution paths, for listening to alternative opinions, and for stepping back from a problem. Skills in these creative areastypically are not emphasized in the rest of an engineering curriculum. At the 2016 Capstone Design Conference, weparticipated in a panel on ‘‘Encouraging Creativity in Capstone Design.’’ The ideas presented were based on our ownexperiences in using creativity techniques in design classes. This paper shifts down to the roots of those discussions,describing our individual efforts in applying those creativity techniques. We conclude with a list of situational options, forother practitioners to use in their design classes.

Key concepts: Capstone, Creativity, Curriculum, Situational ethics, Active listening, Class (philosophy), Engineering, Engineering ethics

Related papers

Back to paper searchBrowse research topicsOriginal source
Encouraging Creativity in Capstone Design — Research Paper | ScholarLens