Introduction

About the GUIDE

This guide is a FREE Open Education Resource integrated with videos, web links and tools about Creative Problem Solving for entrepreneurship. It describes the methodology and provides also a practical point of view with successful cases, tools and materials. The guide is designed to be used by: - Actual Students: to enrich and update the knowledge with a topic not usually included in academic courses - Future Students: to attract students to the Higher Education (HE) system by providing for free innovative methodologies with a gamified approach - Former Students: to update the knowledge with fresh perspectives coming from an innovative methodology to create successful enterprises - Start-uppers, business sector, accelerators and incubators and all SMEs: interested in new perspectives and approaches useful to survive and adapt the enterprises.

Creative problem-solving is the mental process of searching for an original and previously unknown solution to a problem. To qualify, the solution must be novel and reached independently1 . The methodology is based on a multi-disciplinary approach dealing with the role of the creativity, innovation and alternative ways to solve the problems in daily life and in different situations. The methodology and the tools are significant and effective only if aimed at context, in this case, entrepreneurship and the creation of value for the entrepreneurs. Creative thinking is not the universal antidote to solve all problems, but it offers ways to examine problems that force us to find alternative solutions in a context where few solutions are often available. The idea creativity can be taught, learned and practised in large contexts such as the creation of value for the enterprises because it could represent the way to survive in the market.

About the INNOVATION

- The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) by OECD involving 65 countries in the world has identified Creative Problem Solving (CPS) as a skill and competence missing and researched in the actual and future job requirements - As stated in the world Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs reports, the most valuable skills in the 21st century are critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity. However, they are not gained solely through academia, but through an experiential form of learning. Until recently, a professional had two options: continued education, managed by conventional educational institutions; or online education. Online education, which is accessible, affordable and relevant – the rate of completion for those who sign up for an online course is only five to ten per cent. - US National Academies of Sciences reported in 2017: “The education system will need to adapt to prepare individuals for the changing labour market. At the same time, recent IT advances offer new and potentially more widely accessible education”.

1 Michigan State University. "Creative problem solving for teachers - An assignment for teachers on the College of Education website

- Alternative educational platforms have emerged to bridge the gap between what professionals know they need and what they can access. - From a "creativity" point of view, the World Economic Forum declares in its "Global Human Capital Report 2017" that students with social and emotional learning (SEL) skills like critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity, communication, and collaboration are better equipped to succeed in the evolving digital economy. - The tools introduced by the guide are innovative and recognised as disruptive by the academic and research sector worldwide, a proof of this evidence is a large number of talks2, workshops3, seminars and conferences4 at the global level about CPS and its tools – e.g. Lateral Thinking, Six Thinking Hats, Think outside the box, collaborative problem solving.

About the EXPECTED IMPACT AND TRANSFERABILITY POTENTIAL

The impact is large and the transferability potential should be important thanks to the open access of the guide (through an Open MOOC). Another element of innovation to consider is connected to the availability of the guide in 5 different national languages (English, Finnish, Italian, French and Icelandic). Such guides in languages different from English are rather lacking, which adds a related challenge during the translation process by inventing a novel terminology for some languages.

2 Example: https://www.ted.com/talks/navi_radjou_creative_problem_solving_in_the_face_of_extreme_limits?utm_campaign=t edspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare 3 Example: https://www.innovationtraining.org/creative-problem-solving-workshop/ 4 Example: http://cpsiconference.com