Academic Engagement
“Given the many demands that CC asks of their faculty and students, C&I has been an island of recharging, new ideas, and possibilities.”
—Amanda Minervini, Italian
Creativity & Innovation supports faculty members across disciplines to integrate creative problem-solving and creative thinking activities into classes. Our goal is to expose students to creativity-building pedagogies across disciplinary contexts so that they develop the creative confidence that allows them to apply their creative thinking skills in new situations.
By assisting faculty in developing their creative confidence and supporting them through integrating creativity pedagogies into their classes, we aim to embed creativity more firmly as a lens that permeates the college. Creativity has always been integral to Colorado College but is not named as such across disciplines. Yet creativity is precisely what Colorado College’s faculty model for students. C&I endeavors to help faculty recognize and develop their creative practices, to draw to the surface, support, and share the richness of what happens in CC classrooms. Add well-being
C&I’s faculty collaborations explore both the alchemy and the algebra of creativity.
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking is the alchemy of creativity -- it's a mindset, a way of approaching the world with an open and questioning mind. It is characterized by a high degree of innovation, divergent thinking, and risk-taking. Creative thinking involves cultivating the ability to bring all of who we are into any given situation: our intellects, our emotions, and our embodied selves. In the classroom, creative thinking activities within courses challenge students to develop imaginative ways of knowing, acting, and working together.