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Creative Thinking and Innovation

Instructor: Edda Arnadottir Hamar

8,186 already enrolled

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3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

78 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

78 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

3 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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There are 3 modules in this course

Creative thinking is one of the most important skills in future work environments. Whether you are working in a large organisation, creating your own startup, or looking for new opportunities in your life, in this course you will learn how to practice creative thinking to come up with innovative ideas.

Everyone has the capacity to be creative. You don’t have to be in the “creative” sector to use creativity in your work and life. The course provides you with simple tips and techniques to nurture and practice your creative thinking skills. You will hear how the success of Pixar and Nobel Prizes winners is linked to creative thinking and innovation, and how industry experts from Google and IBM use these skills in their work. This course is delivered with the assistance of the team at INCUBATE - The University of Sydney’s Flagship Startup Program. If you’re part of The University of Sydney community, check out their range of free startup courses and programs here: https://incubate.org.au/

Module details

Welcome to the course! This module covers common definitions of creativity, what creativity involves and what it doesn’t involve, and how it is applied in practice.

What's included

4 videos9 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

4 videosTotal 23 minutes

Welcome to the course4 minutes
What is creativity?5 minutes
Creativity in the creative arts and beyond4 minutes
Creative thinking in practice - industry case study10 minutes

9 readingsTotal 210 minutes

How to navigate the MOOC5 minutes
Overview of assessments and activities5 minutes
Sources of creativity in business30 minutes
Does school kill creativity?20 minutes
Activity - Multiple uses for one object30 minutes
The value of lateral thinking20 minutes
The power of creativity60 minutes
Activity - Finding examples of creative action in your environments30 minutes
Module 1 recap10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 40 minutes

Module 1 quiz40 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 35 minutes

Introduce yourself and meet your peers15 minutes
Share your understanding of creativity20 minutes

In this module, we will look at different definitions and types of innovation.

What's included

3 videos7 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

3 videosTotal 21 minutes

What is innovation?9 minutes
How creativity drives innovation in physics and beyond5 minutes
Innovation in practice - industry case study7 minutes

7 readingsTotal 140 minutes

Introduction to Module 25 minutes
Approaches to stimulate innovation15 minutes
Myths of innovation15 minutes
The need for responsible innovation60 minutes
How creativity drives innovation in mathematics10 minutes
Activity - Developing an innovative business idea30 minutes
Module 2 recap5 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 60 minutes

Module 2 quiz60 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

What I know now about innovation10 minutes

In this final module, we will learn how creative thinking and innovation are connected and how we can develop a mindset to foster creativity and innovation.

What's included

6 videos8 readings1 assignment1 peer review

6 videosTotal 45 minutes

The link between creative thinking and innovation10 minutes
Building the right mindset10 minutes
How Nobel laureates in medicine make breakthrough discoveries5 minutes
Leading through creative thinking and innovation7 minutes
Tips for using creative thinking and innovation in practice - industry case study7 minutes
How to complete the peer assessment activity8 minutes

8 readingsTotal 85 minutes

Introduction to Module 35 minutes
Need some inspiration?10 minutes
The failure of success15 minutes
The art of insight10 minutes
Why Nobel Prize winners are often creative polymaths15 minutes
Peer review assignment instructions20 minutes
Wrap up and stay connected!5 minutes
Thank you and acknowledgments5 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 60 minutes

Module 3 quiz60 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Peer review assignment60 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(40 ratings)

Edda Arnadottir Hamar

The University of Sydney

3 Courses189,387 learners

Offered by

The University of Sydney

Learner reviews

5 stars
82.05%
4 stars
14.10%
3 stars
1.28%
2 stars
1.28%
1 star
1.28%

Showing 3 of 78

Reviewed on Oct 15, 2024

Great course. If interested in Innovation topic, I recommend taking the other University of Sydney course "Innovation Through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat" which complements this one.

Reviewed on May 3, 2026

This course fueled me to further study creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Reviewed on Aug 27, 2023

It was worth the wait for the final project review.!!!

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