Creativity, conformity and constraints: a grounded theory study on capstone group design projects

Numerous definitions of creativity exist, however, Daly et al. have suggested that creativity is “a type of novel thinking, where people redefine problems, see gaps in knowledge, generate ideas, analyse ideas, and take reasonable risks in idea development” [1]. From this definition we can deduce that creativity skills are intertwined with one’s ability to solve problems. In undergraduate engineering courses, however, there exist a multitude of barriers for students to develop these creative skills for solving engineering problems. Learners tend to be viewed as passive receivers in traditional teaching methods. The shift to a student-centred paradigm, the learner now viewed as an active agent in his or her learning, has resulted in development of problem-centred pedagogies such as problem-based learning and Project-Based Learning (PBL). De Graff & Kolmos state that “Project work is problem-based by definition” [2], hence studies on PBL offer valuable insight into creative skill development.