Course Title: Develop and extend critical and creative thinking skills

Part A: Course Overview

Program: C3216

Course Title: Develop and extend critical and creative thinking skills

Portfolio: BUS

Nominal Hours: 40.0

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
EMPL5623C	City Campus	TAFE	650T TAFE Business	Face-to-Face	Term1 2009, Term2 2009

Course Contact: Sylvia Baroutis

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 5469

Course Contact Email: sylvia.baroutis@rmit.edu.au

Course Description

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to collaborate in a creative process.  No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

This unit applies to individuals who participate in a collaborative creative process in a work or broader life context.  It is relevant to individuals who are involved in what is traditionally considered creative endeavour but is also very important in broader business and community activities where creative team effort is highly valued.

This unit focuses on effective engagement in a collaborative process, underpinned by a commitment to trust and ethics as a key feature of collaborative creative effort.

This unit contains employability skills.

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

There are no pre-requisites and co-requisites for this competency.

National Competency Codes and Titles

National Element Code & Title:	BSBCRT301A Develop and extend critical and creative thinking skills
Elements:	1. Develop a questioning mindset 1.1 Develop the habit of asking questions from different perspectives 1.2 Take responsibility for exploring a variety of information sources to provide relevant answers to own questions 1.3 Sort through information and ideas to identify the central questions, issues and challenges 1.4 Challenge preconceptions and assumptions to determine actual constraints in defining a problem for resolution
	2. Generate ideas and responses 2.1 Explore and use a range of creative thinking techniques to generate ideas and responses 2.2 Muse on, play around with and have fun with ideas in relation to a perceived objective 2.3 Identify and challenge blockers to creative thinking 2.4 Consider and explore realities beyond the current situation 2.5 Evaluate, and where appropriate, challenge existing boundaries to determine perceived or actual constraints 2.6 Show willingness to take risks with ideas and thought processes 2.7 Look around in familiar and unfamiliar places for new inspiration and habitually record observations, experiences, ideas and reflective thoughts to broaden personal knowledge base 2.8 Acknowledge and accept the opportunity for revelation when least expected 2.9 Identify connections and associations from things that seem unconnected
	3. Challenge, test and re invent ideas 3.1 Identify, interrogate and challenge the assumptions behind ideas 3.2 Experiment with variations, and explore and challenge a range of different solutions and ideas 3.3 Consciously change perspectives, and evaluate ideas and situations in new ways 3.4 Where appropriate, involve others in ideas and how they might change or be improved
	4. Enhance creative thinking skills 4.1 Consciously challenge and question own thought patterns and ways of responding to work and life situations 4.2 Identify and take opportunities to self-assess and to learn about new ideas and different ways of thinking 4.3 Take opportunities to practise and experiment with creative thinking techniques across work and life situations 4.4 Pro-actively talk to others about ways that new ideas and patterns of thinking can be encouraged and developed.

Learning Outcomes

Overview of Assessment

Students must demonstrate an understanding of all elements of a particular competency to be deemed competent.  Assessment methods have been designed to measure achievement of each competency in a flexible manner.  Assessment will incorporate a variety of methods including: direct observation of the candidate participating in collaborative creative thinking acitivities, evaluation of a presentation made by the candidate articulating the process of developing ideas or pieces of work, plus evaluation of the candidate’s presentation of the creative thinking process in scrapbooking format and a reflective journal.  Due to the complex nature of this competency, students will be required to demonstrate competency in any element more than once.  Students are advised that they are likely to be asked to personally demonstrate their assessment work to their teacher to ensure that the relevant competency standards are being met.  In addition, formative feedback will be provided to students throughout the course.