College of Arts and Social Sciences
[Name of Department]
Course Portfolio
INFO3122
Creative Thinking Skills
Period: [Fall -2014]
[2015]
Course File
I. COURSE FILE SUMMARY
1. COURSE INFORMATION
College/Institute/Centre
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Department
Department of Information Studies
Program Title
Information Studies
Semester\Year
Program Code
English
Course Title
Creative Thinking Skills
INFO3122
Course Code
Arabic
‫مهارات التفكير اإلبداعي‬
Course Type
Pre Requisites
None
Teaching Language
Arabic
Credit Hours
Teaching Hours
Teaching Weeks
3
Lecture
---3-- (Weekly)
Practical/Fieldwork ----- (Weekly)
--14---
Total
--3---
Number of students
Lecture
Practical/Fieldwork
Number of Student dropped
0
1
2. COURSE DESCRIPTION
ENGLISH COURSE DESCRIPTION
ARABIC COURSE DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to provide students
with a comprehensive understanding of creative
thinking and its importance in the field of
information studies. It puts emphasis on types and
methods of creative thinking, need of creativity in
information institutions, habits and characteristics
of
the
creative
information
professional,
Analytical and creative thinking. Barriers of
creative thinking and ways of motivation in
different
information
institutions
will
be
discussed.
3. COURSE AIM
The main objective of this course is to provide students with an overview of major issues
related to Information Security.
4. COURSE OBJECTIVES




Introduce students to concepts and issues related to creative thinking
Introduce students to the ways and methods of creative thinking
Enable students to acquire the necessary skills for dealing with complicated
and ambiguous problems and cases
Enable students to gain skills to improve information services and production
processes in the information field
5. COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. Understand the ways and methods of creative thinking
2. Be familiar with processes and techniques of creative problem solving:
observation, representation, ideation, evaluation and decision making
3. Enhance their creative thinking skills
4. Be familiar with creative thinking styles
5. Practice and value teaming, communication, and diversity
6. Understand risk taking, paradigm shift, and paradigm paralysis
2
6. LECTURES SCHEDULE
WEEK
TOPIC
1&2
 Course Overview and Introduction: content, schedule, assignments, and
grading.

3

4

5&6

Introduction: Meaning and Nature of Creativity
 Making a case for creativity
 Creative thinking as a skill
 Critical Thinking Vs. Creative Thinking
Valuing diversity in thinking
 Thinking preferences
 Level of Thinking
 Habit Level
 Problem-Solving Level
 Creativity or Insight Level
 Knowledge, Intelligence, Judgment, Ability, Imagination,
and Reasoning
 Creativity styles
Need for Creativity in Information Institutions
 Change
 Conformity
 Deterrents to Creativity
 Expression That Restrict Creativity
Creativity in problem solving
 Problem Definition
 Understanding
 Representing
 Pattern Breaking
 Thinking differently
 Changing your point of view
 Watching for paradigm shift
 Challenging conventional wisdom
 Lateral thinking, provocation (escape, random word)
 Mind stimulation: games, brain-twisters and puzzles
7

Traits and Characteristics of the Creative Information
Professionals

Mid-term Examination
3
8&9



10
Steps in Creative Thinking
 Rules to Creativity
Practical Strategies and Techniques
1. Effective brainstorming
2. Cross-fertilization of ideas
3. Creating Time and Space to Think
4. Perceptual Positioning
5. Questioning Assumptions and Biases
6. Concept Mapping
7. Unconventional Problem Solving,
8. Problem Redefinition
9. Reality Checks
Encouraging Creativity in Information Studies Field
 Questions to Encouraging Information Institutions
Improvement
Creative Work of the Highest Order
11

12 & 13

Creative Ideas for Information Professionals
 Eight-Dimensional (8D) Approach to Ideation
1. Uniqueness
2. Dimensionality
3. Directionality
4. Consolidation
5. Segmentation
6. Modification
7. Similarity
8. Experimentation
14

Decision and Evaluation
 Focused thinking framework
 Six thinking hats
 PMI
 Ethical considerations

Revising and Clearing out
4
7. TEACHING STRATEGIES AND TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION
Teaching Method

Lectures,

Experiential exercises
Teaching Media


Videos
Power-point Presentations
8. GRADING AND ASSESSMENT
The final grade will be determined numerically by averaging your scores with the
following weights:






Class Participation 15%
Article Readings and Discussions/Presentations 10%
Small Teams Presentations on Innovation: 10%
Large Groups Hands-on Projects
10%
Eight-Dimensional (8D) Ideation Method Examples 15%
Final Exam: 40%
9. COURSE RULES
Attendance
Attendance at class is mandatory. Course Instructors should keep attendance records. An
"absentee warning notice" will be issued if a student is absent for:
• More than 10% in courses with less than 75 total contact hours.
• More than 5% in courses with 75 or more total contact hours.
An "absentee withdrawal notice" will be issued and the student will be deemed to have
withdrawn from the course with an 'FW' grade if a student is absent for:
• More than 20% in courses with less than 75 total contact hours.
• More than 15% in courses with 75 to 150 total contact hours.
• More than 10% of total contact hours for courses with more than 150 total
contact hours.
10. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Books
1. Jones, J. B., & Flint, L. J. (2013). The Creative Imperative: School Librarians and
Teachers Cultivating Together. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO-LLC.
2. Farrell, R. (2012). Managing in the Middle: The Librarian’s Handbook. Chicago:
American Library Association.
3. Davis, G. A. (2004). Creativity is Forever (fifth edition). Dubuque, IA:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
4. Kaufman, J.C. & Sternberg, R.J. (eds.) (2006). The International Handbook of
Creativity. Cambridge University Press. Assigned journal articles and readings.
5
Articles
1. Bintliff, B. (1996). From Creativity to Computerese: Thinking Like a Lawyer in
the Computer Age. Law. Libr. J., 88, 338.
2. Bradshaw, A., Bishop, J., Gens, L., Miller, S., & Rogers, M. (2002). The
relationship of the World Wide Web to thinking skills. Educational media
international, 39(3-4), 275-284.
3. Cody, D. E. (2006). Critical thoughts on critical thinking. The Journal of academic
librarianship, 32(4), 403-407.
4. Deiss, K. J. (2004). Innovation and strategy: risk and choice in shaping usercentered libraries.
5. Fourie, I. (2004, February). Librarians and the claiming of new roles: how can we
try to make a difference?. In Aslib proceedings (Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 62-74).
Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
6. Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking.
7. Kim, K. H. (2011). The creativity crisis: The decrease in creative thinking scores
on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Creativity Research Journal, 23(4),
285-295.
8. Langford, L. (2007). Critical Literacy: A Building Block Toward the Information
Literate. Toward a 21st-Century School Library Media Program, 249.
9. Martins, E. C., & Terblanche, F. (2003). Building organisational culture that
stimulates creativity and innovation. European journal of innovation
management, 6(1), 64-74.
10. Montiel-Overall, P. (2005). Toward a Theory of Collaboration for Teachers and
Librarians. School library media research, 8.
11. Moseley, D., Elliott, J., Gregson, M., & Higgins, S. (2005). Thinking skills
frameworks for use in education and training. British educational research
journal, 31(3), 367-390.
12. Oakleaf, M. (2011). Are they learning? Are we? Learning outcomes and the
academic library. The Library, 81(1).
13. Olson, J. A. (1998). How to encourage students in a library instruction session to
use critical and creative-thinking skills: A pilot study. Research strategies,16(4),
309-314.
14. Olson, J. (1999). How to Encourage Students in a Bibliographic Instruction
Session to Use Critical and Creative Thinking Skills: A Pilot Study.
6
15. Petrowski, M. J. (2000). Creativity research: implications for teaching, learning
and thinking. Reference Services Review, 28(4), 304-312.
16. Phipps, S. E. (1993). Transforming Libraries into Learning Organizations- The
Challenge for Leadership. Journal of Library Administration, 18(3-4), 19-37.
17. Reece, G. J. (2005). Critical thinking and cognitive transfer: Implications for the
development of online information literacy tutorials. Research strategies, 20(4),
482-493.
18. Smith Macklin, A. (2001). Integrating information literacy using problem-based
learning. Reference Services Review, 29(4), 306-314.
19. Tenopir, C., & Ennis, L. (1998). The impact of digital reference on librarians and
library users. ONLINE-WESTON THEN WILTON-, 22, 84-88.
20. Torrance, E. (1972). Can We Teach Children To Think Creatively?*. The Journal
of Creative Behavior, 6(2), 114-143.
21. Thornburg, G. E., & Pryor, B. W. (1998). Attitudinal and normative predictors of
continuing library education: An application of the theory of reasoned
action.Journal of education for library and information science, 118-133.
Attachments
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
LECTURES
LECTURE NOTES/HAND-OUTS
EXAMS SAMPLE
A SAMPLE OF STUDENTS’ ANSWERS
A SAMPLE OF EXERCISES AND STUDENTS’ ANSWERS
A SAMPLE OF ASSIGNMENTS AND STUDENTS’ ACTIVITIES
RESULTS AND GRADES
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