The Importance of Creativity in Higher Education

Creativity is one of the many skills a life-long learner should have. It is the ability to deliver unique and unordinary thoughts, or make up something new.

It is a vital characteristic an individual should have in higher education as it helps in different aspects. When students have the opportunity to be creative, they’ll have the freedom to express themselves however they want, which satisfies them and drives them to work hard. Creativity also helps with independent learning as people may not always have all of the qualities required or needed in all areas, however they can approach them by finding new ways or techniques to do so. So creativity is as important in higher education as it is in creative arts for example. It improves the level of efficiency and allows the student to think differently to easily adapt to certain situations.

Looking back at my school experience, creativity gradually diminished throughout the previous 12 years. As a kid, elementary school was based on creativity for the most part, whether it was a drawing we had to draw or a research project, creativity was still involved. However, the importance of it was narrowing down as the years went by and was replaced by more restrictions and rules. My thoughts were limited, and I had to think a certain way. Although creativity was still present, it was only to a certain extent. The last few years were based on spoon feeding and memorizing the given material. My level of creativity definitely has weaken a lot to the point where I don’t want to be creative anymore. I’m too lazy to originate new ideas or do things differently. Having rules to follow is something I’m already used to, so being creative and thinking out of the box is sometimes a challenge for me. This issue has gradually developed throughout the years and should be worked on.

Rules are always important in higher education, but in order to be a successful independent learner in that system, creativity will definitely be needed. In order to develop this skill, a few actions should be taken and questions that should be asked. The first element that drives creativity in an individual is working on what they love and enjoy. But before that, a person should discover who they are, what they’re passionate about, and their ultimate goal in life. This way they will be able to find a motivation. And if a person is motivated, they’ll be inventive. Another important element was one of the four elements that Robinson (2001) has mentioned which was “the need for critical judgement”.