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Show page 20 , Spring 2004 Carolyn Bliss advises LEAP student Joseph Vance. Bliss assigns reflective papers for students to apply the material better. regurgitating the information in order to obtain a good grade. Professors cannot be confident that students will retain information they are given if they are not required to use a certain level of analytical thinking to produce a form of "creative" work. Aaron Phillips, an instructor and lecturer in the writing program commented, "creativity is a process of thought. A creative person is someone who thinks creatively and needs to express that. Writing is a creative process in itself, choosing to use one word from all the others is creativity." Furthermore, Phillips suggests, "When assessing students' creativity, it comes down to if they have the ability to make a point in coherent English, which is uniquely his or her own." Taryn Lillie, freshman studying modern dance remarked, "In my improv dance class we are graded on creativity in our dances, but also on the effort put into it. They want to see that we are not just using the steps we have been shown in class, but also adding our own personal twist to it." Between Lillie and Phillips it is clear that in order to produce something creative you must add "you" to the work. Whether the assignment is to dance, write a 10-page paper or build a machine each process includes applying personal knowledge, which leads to creativity. However, not all assignments require a high level of creativity. Some assignments only ask students to utilize and present information so that professors know they understand it. This is the case for many engineering students. Many people assume that engineers do not need a high level of creativity. However, their field requires they apply concepts learned in class to create solutions for everyday problems. For example, students design products that they know are beneficial to many, such as designing wrist guards for snowboarders. Students apply experience as well as knowledge and rules learned in class to create something new. As a result, the evaluation process is based on the success of the idea and its ability to work rather than how creative the idea is. Whether the field is mechanical, chemical or medical engineering, the ultimate goal is to solve a problem using a unique and original plan. According to senior mechanical engineer major Ken Buley, "Professors want students to be creative, to produce proposals and ideas and then expand in the area of engineering given the tools they have taught us." Buley, like many others, believes that it is impossible to generalize evaluations of creativity within each discipline. |