THINK. CREATE. MAKE
An interdisciplinary, experimental, and participatory workshop on creative thinking and the making of things taught by Laith Al-Qasem
Download registration form (PDF, file size is 232 KB)
View THINK. CREATE. MAKE workshop flyer
Download THINK. CREATE. MAKE course diary (updated)
Focus
This workshop looks into the idea of creativity as an everyday process that we can employ in our various activities. It explores a number of approaches that have been successfully used to encourage people to adopt new ways of developing solutions, solving problems, and coming up with innovative products.
In doing so, the workshop will introduce the works of authors such as Edward de Bono and his ideas on brain-storming, creativity, and lateral thinking, and the work of design and innovation firms such as IDEO.
The workshop will consist of two components. The first will be information-based. Through it, various approaches to innovation and creative thinking will be presented. The second will be interactive and participatory. Through it, the participants will take on the task of designing or improving upon a specific functional object, making use of the approaches on innovation and creativity presented in the first component. The final product will be a fabricated model of the designed object.
Addressed to
Participants from all disciplines are encouraged to take part in the workshop. These include, but are not limited to, engineers, artists, architects, business specialists, health-care specialists, educators…
Course schedule
Session 1 / April 18 (5 - 8 PM): introduction to course and its mental tools
Session 2 / April 19 (5 - 8 PM): techniques of creative thinking
Session 3 / April 20 (10 AM - 4 PM): exercises in idea generation; initiate design of object
Session 4 / April 21 (10 AM - 4 PM): continue design of object; fabricate test model
Session 5 / April 22 (5 - 8 PM): carry out process of idea evaluation; present designs; select design to be fabricated
Session 6 (time and date to be determined): assessment session
Total number of contact hours: 24
Number of participants
A maximum of 25 participants will be admitted to the course in order to guarantee an optimal level of interaction between the participants and instructor.
Location
Darat Al Funun, Jabal al-Luweibdeh, Amman.
Tuition
Tuition for the course will be 250 JD. Registrants will be informed regarding payment details upon registration.
Darat al-Funun is offering eight half course fee scholarships to students and those between jobs on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Last day for registration and payment: April 11, 2012
Teaching methods
Lectures, field work, team work, team presentations, critical debates, questioning and application.
Requirements
A functioning brain!
Instructor
Laith Al-Qasem is the Chairman of Arabian Business Consultants for Development, and the Chairman of RUBICON (Jordan Training Technology Group). He also was the Chief of Party of the USAID funded Jordan Economic Development Program. Additionally, Mr. Al-Qasem is a board member of several NGOs, and is currently the Chairman of the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE).
Mr. Al-Qasem’s career spans both technology and investment. As chairman of Arabian Business Consultants for Development (ABCD), he runs a Jordanian management consulting company that focuses on small and medium sized enterprise development, particularly in the technology field. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Jordan Technology Group (JTG) from 1990 - 2003, where he was intimately involved in 16 technology oriented start-up companies.
Mr. Al-Qasem has a deep interest in creativity and design. He has conceptualized several computer games, written several film scripts, and designed and built several special application vehicles. His interest in design is based on the principle that value can be created by intelligently designing products that draw on concepts/ideas from multiple disciplines and that can be built with local indigenous skills and talents.
Mr. Al Qasem is a Georgetown Fellow, where he received an M.B.A with a concentration in finance and investment management. He also graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he received a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering.