k wrote:
that it's probably possible to start with an idea,
] and let the applications fall out of it.
]
] I probably haven't fully absorbed this, but it's worth
] applying some time to, i think... -k]

One of my faculty's courses is Creative Product Design. The idea is to bring engineers and artists together on a module and help them learn ("teach"? what's that?) each other's approach to problem solving. So, in simple terms, an engineer learns more about form, while an artist learns more about function. Of course it goes much further than this with "artists" coming up with innovative engineering solutions, and "engineers" coming up with something beautiful. Together, the course suggests, many "products" must support both form and function to be successful. The result is a significant growth in interest in similar areas such as sound engineering and music technology which we now also run.

Yes, the traditional "teaching" model is frequently found wanting. Ideas and creativity have been growing as core concepts in higher education for the last few years and will probably continue to grow. Let's hope so...

RE: What's the big idea? Toward a pedagogy of idea power