“Hour of Creativity”: An agenda to foster creativity and innovation in the students of engineering

Abstract

Creativity and innovation are prerequisites of a successful engineering career. It equips an engineer to contribute to the sustainable technical development of the contemporary world with globalized challenges. Hence, it is imperative to train the students of engineering in engineering creativity and technical innovation. However, the constraints of a conventional curriculum, which lay excessive emphasis on formal instruction, often leave little room for training in engineering creativity. Additionally, the time pressure exerted by the conventional curriculum on students, adversely affects the learning environment and the ecosystem suitable for creativity and innovation. The concept of “Hour of Creativity” developed at Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology is meant to overcome these hurdles. An hour per week is chalked out from the academic schedule of the students, exclusively for creative and critical thinking and to foster discovery and innovation. The events and programs of the “Hour of Creativity” are so designed that they directly contribute to nurturing creative mind and innovative spirit of the students. In order to render additional motivation to the students, the “Hour of Creativity” is coupled with research mentoring of the students to identify, develop and evaluate the concepts of their own Undergraduate Projects, an academic requirement for Bachelor degree in Technology.