Abstract:

The objective was to learn what students thought about creativity in a business college. This paper is a review of why students think creativity should be included in a business college curriculum and the secondary research they found. Students addressed the need for classes on creativity in general and in specific disciplines; business schools in general, management, marketing etc. They found that the elite business schools had courses in creativity but there were not many courses in the business schools below the elite level in the United States. The students stressed the importance of hands on leaning and the importance of practice in creativity.

The method was to ask students in a regular discussion forum. In this fall 2019 marketing class students had what is called a coffee shop post 8 times in the semester. There is a question and an explanation of what is expected in terms of an answer. The students are required to comment on three other students post. Effectively this creates a lot of discussion. This was the eighth and last question of the semester, so the students had learned the process and were really engaged in the content.

In this coffee shop post the objective was to understand what students thought about the need for creativity courses in the business school. Students were expected to provide a supportive link for their thinking. They were expected to search the web for articles, books, infographics, Ted Talks, videos, and talks that will support their thinking.

The results are shown in two major tables in the paper.

Table 1 is a table of the students review of secondary sources. This is a review of what is out there by students. There were 39 students searching and the table will contain their findings with a brief annotation based on the student’s comments. It is important with the changes in gen Z students that professors listen to them. The results in this table will show where they turn for support for their ideas. It is important that the results are not all academic journals and conferences.

Table 2 in the results, is a content analysis of the students post in their own words. The objective is to look for the common reasons that the students felt that a creativity course was important in the business college or in the university in general. Students’ discussions ranged from the scientific with a discussion of neuroplasticity and how creativity keeps the brain muscle flexible to the importance of creativity in the complex life of a businessperson. Thirty-nine is not a substantial sample, but it provides insights into the minds of today’s students on the need for creativity classes.

The conclusion shows that there were many discussions around the idea of convergent and divergent thinking. Students were quick to realize that the educational systems in which they were raised and in the university, tend to be convergent by nature of the pedagogy used. If a business professor wants to use the test bank provided with a text book, then they will have to lead the class to converge on the same point which will be labeled as the correct answer. Students point out that one of the things that they like about creativity is that they can diverge and find alternative answers, maybe even better answers.

Keywords:

Creativity, Business Schools, Curriculum, Convergent and Divergent, Student Opinions, Innovation.