“Developing a Creative Mindset” with Dr. Abdullah Konak

Join Dr. Abdullah Konak for these interactive workshops!

Dr. Abdullah Konak is a distinguished professor of information sciences and technology at Pennsylvania State University. He also teaches at the International Summer School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His interests include active learning, innovation education, innovation mindset, network design, system reliability, cybersecurity, facilities design, green logistics, sustainability, production management, and predictive analytics.

Part I: Reducing Mental Blocks
Thursday, September 21 at 10am EDT

We usually define problem-solving as an analytical or
procedural approach. In a nutshell, problem-solving
involves defining the problem, setting performance metrics,
establishing constraints, generating alternatives, and
evaluating these alternatives. This approach almost
exclusively employs left-brain thinking modes that rely on
analytical thinking. However, creative problem-solving is
about insight and creating connections among concepts,
some of which may appear unrelated. It relies on flexible
and dynamic mental processes that use the whole brain. It
demands divergence from the usual patterns of thinking.
Creative problem-solving is also cooperative, and it is most
effective when done as a team. This interactive miniworkshop aims to improve creative problem-solving skills
by using some exercises to reduce mental blocks to
creative thinking. Because such mental blocks are inherent
to human nature, it is usually difficult to avoid them. During
the workshop, we will first discuss several cognitive and
social barriers to creativity. Then, basic techniques are
presented to minimize the adverse effects of these barriers
on creative problem-solving and critical thinking.

Part II: Group Problem Solving
Thursday, September 28 at 10am EDT

Innovation means coming up with new products,
services, solutions, and ideas that improve the
status quo. Although creativity is one of the
most basic human traits, at times, it seems
challenging to innovate. Solution design teams
frequently fail to develop innovative solutions,
especially in larger, established organizations.
Research shows that a structured approach to
innovation can improve the productivity and
creativity of innovation teams. This hands-on
workshop introduces several techniques that
can help innovation teams find (a) facts, (b) new
ideas, and (c) creative solutions. This workshop
will introduce several collaborative innovation
and problem-solving methods and how to apply
them to better engage all students in group
work.

Registration can be found below!