*Corresponding author - eamarasc@ucalgary.ca 

 

Marasco, E., Behjat, L., Kelly, R., & Maguire, S. (2019). Creative crossroads: Combining engineering 

and arts for creative development. Papers on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching: Proceedings of the 

University of Calgary Conference on Learning and Teaching, 3, 25-31.  

CREATIVE CROSSROADS: COMBINING ENGINEERING AND 

ARTS FOR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT 

Emily Marasco*, Laleh Behjat, Robert Kelly, and Shannon Maguire 

University of Calgary 

The significant global challenges faced in the world today require innovative 

solutions and creative thinking. In traditional postsecondary education, technical 

programs such as engineering often focus on technical competencies as opposed to 

creative thinking. However, as industry demands for creative technical employees 

continue to increase, postsecondary institutions must adapt their education 

accordingly. This work combines ideation and creative writing techniques with 

engineering design to turn initial ideas into significant ideas using an avant-garde 

literary device referred to as `pataphysics. Tested by both faculty and student 

demographics, the final three-module framework uses disruptive thinking that leads 

to the accelerated development of creative solutions. 

 

Many of the world’s most significant challenges require new and innovative solutions. 

Organizations such as UNSECO have identified global problems that necessitate international 

collaboration and cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills (UNESCO, 2018). Industry leaders 

actively seek postsecondary graduates with the ability to think creatively while applying 

technical knowledge (Charyton, Jagacinski, Merrill, Clifton, & DeDios, 2011; Nisula & Kianto, 

2018; Intel Education, 2018; Google, 2018; Microsoft Education, 2018). However, barriers such 

as low creative confidence and discomfort with creative practice may prevent students from 

individually or collaboratively applying creative practice techniques to create innovative 

solutions (Niku, 2009; Sweeney & Imaretska, 2016). This becomes more prevalent as companies 

seek to innovate and keep pace with technological advancement. 

This work explores the development of a module series for developing creative thinking 

ability in postsecondary course work, leading to career transferable skills for graduates. The 

combination of individual and collaborative ideation techniques allows participants to develop 

some of the necessary skills to become creators and innovators. The interactive exercises bring 

students together as collaborators for problem-solving. While there are varied definitions and 

models of creativity, this paper follows Lubart’s definition of creativity as “a sequence of 

thoughts and actions that leads to novel, adaptive production” (Lubart, 2001, p. 295). 

This paper discusses ways to integrate and teach creative thinking skills in technical 

postsecondary areas. In addition, the preliminary results demonstrate that participants learn 

techniques for improving their own creative self-efficacy while developing their engagement and 

confidence towards innovation. The main contributions of this paper are:  

1. Development of cohesive methods for engaging in divergent thinking and ideation.  
2. Use of collaboration and ‘pataphysics as a means to accelerate and maximize the 

innovative potential of ideas. 

3. Implementation of tested techniques for encouraging creative thinking and self-
efficacy in postsecondary courses. 



Marasco, Behjat, Kelly, & Maguire (2019) 

26 

The rest of this paper is organized as follows: In the Background section, the motivation 

of the work is presented, along with the technique of plussing, ‘pataphysics, and the engineering 

design process. In the Research Methodology section, the integration of plussing and 

‘pataphysics is discussed and the pedagogical module series is outlined. The Preliminary Results 

section describes early results from various implementations of the module series, and finally, 

the Impact section discusses the significance of this work for creativity in technical teaching and 

learning. 

 

BACKGROUND 

This work combines interdisciplinary concepts to develop postsecondary teaching and 

learning experiences in creativity. Creative thinking skills, ideation techniques, creative writing 

techniques, and engineering design are integrated to develop ideas and inform outcomes relating 

to innovation. 

Bloom’s Taxonomy indicates that students learn and retain information most efficiently 

when they are creating and evaluating, rather than just remembering (Wilson, 2018). However, 

students often have little self-efficacy in regard to creativity, and traditional lecture formats do 

not encourage a culture of creativity (Daly, Mosyjowski, & Seifert, 2014; Liu & Schonwetter, 

2004; Kelly, 2016). In traditionally technical programs, such as engineering, creativity tends to 

be limited to design-based courses, rather than the technical courses that make up the majority of 

a program (Daly et al., 2014). Arts courses, on the other hand, often develop creativity through 

discipline-specific processes, including imagination exercises and collaboration (Robinson & 

Azzam, 2009). 

 “Plussing” is an example of a technique used to encourage divergent thinking and 

creative culture (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2008). Inspired by improvisational 

theatre, where actors are required to build on one another’s actions and decision, plussing 

enables collaborative idea generation by avoiding common pitfalls and barriers such as criticism, 

early closure, echo chambers, and empty support. Rather than subtracting or negating an idea, 

team members must add on to individual ideas by saying “Yes, and…” to further develop ideas 

or inspire varied alternatives. 

The literary field also employs unique techniques to encourage creative ideation and 

concept development. One such creative writing technique is called ‘pataphysics, which is the art 

and science of creating imaginary solutions to real problems (Hugill, 2012). ‘Pataphysics is an 

avant-garde creative writing technique that taps directly into the realms of the possible and 

virtual. This creative technique is a "wormhole" to the land of innovative thinking, moving 

innovators rapidly from the realm of real-world problems and conventional approaches to the 

realm of possibilities without constraint. 

Conversely, fields such as engineering use convergent thinking to determine a solution to 

a client’s problem or needs. The engineering design process moves from understanding and 

defining a problem to determining potential solutions, followed by the design and testing of a 

prototype (Gomez Puente, van Eijck, & Jochems 2013; Plattner, 2011). Engineering and design 

cycles are widely discussed in current literature and are taught to post-secondary students. 

However, development of innovative and novel ideas is not as widely discussed in an 

engineering context compared to other pedagogical practices (Kelly, 2016). Innovation in 

engineering design could benefit from more emphasis on the ideation process to avoid early 

closure before the stages of prototype design and testing. 

 



Marasco, Behjat, Kelly, & Maguire (2019) 

27 

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 

The interdisciplinary design methodology combines techniques from engineering and 

arts to develop instructional material and practical exercises into a module series, developed 

and led by the interdisciplinary research team. The techniques of ‘pataphysics and plussing are 

combined to create a catalyst for encouraging accelerated ideation and inspiration. This 

interdisciplinary approach disrupts the implicit expectations of innovators and opens new 

avenues of thought. Ideation exercises are used to practice the technique of plussing, including 

rapid idea sharing and collaborative teamwork. ‘Pataphysics is then used to repeat and expand 

the ideation process, accelerating idea hybridization while continuing the collaborative plussing 

exercises. While an initial solution to a proposed design problem may exist in the realm of the 

actual, the module progression can be used to further develop solutions in the realms of the 

probable, possible, and finally the impossible. These increasingly complex and deepened ideas 

are then brought back into a real-world context using engineering design principles to provide 

guiding constraints. The outcomes of the module series include defining and practicing several 

methods to engage in divergent thinking and ideation while using collaboration as a means to 

improve and maximize the innovative potential of ideas. 

Many countries and organizations such as the United Nations have outlined global 

grand challenges that must be solved for the future of humanity (UNESCO, 2018). For 

example, Grand Challenges Canada supports innovation around challenges such as 

humanitarian issues, scalable global health, and global mental health (Grand Challenges 

Canada, 2018). These large-scale, complex challenges require interdisciplinary innovation to 

create effective, scalable solutions. The module series introduces a design challenge to provide 

context for participant practice. However, participants are also given the option to ideate 

around a global grand challenge of their choice, following a challenge brainstorming session. 

This provides a collaborative opportunity to ideate around problems that require social 

innovation, human-centered design, and disruptive creativity. 

 

Module 1: Divergent Ideation 

The first module is developed as an introduction to ideation. Participants begin with an 

assessment package to better understand their beliefs and attitudes towards creativity. 

Following a short informational lesson on the motivations behind creativity in education, 

participants are presented with an initial design charge. Individuals are asked to generate an 

idea-list, allowing each participant to bring their own ideas into the collaboration process. The 

technique of plussing is then used to help participants practice divergent thinking by producing 

and sharing ideas. As participants rotate between collaborative partners, their ideas undergo 

hybridization without criticism or early closure. 

 

Module 2: Ideation Acceleration Using ‘Pataphysics 

 The second module is designed to accelerate the ideation hybridization process through 

the technique of ‘pataphysics. Participants are introduced to the concept of ‘pataphysics and 

learn how they can apply creativity and imagination as they repeat the idea generation process 

from the previous module, this time developing ‘pataphysical solutions for the same design 

charge. Both individual ideation and group collaboration are again encouraged through 

‘pataphysical plussing. Participants are encouraged to share their complex imaginary solutions 



Marasco, Behjat, Kelly, & Maguire (2019) 

28 

with the entire group. 

An example of the ‘pataphysical ideation technique is provided to the participants in the 

form of a hypothetical design charge- to eliminate dripping water from tea bags. An initial 

realistic solution might be to design an ornate holder. However, applying ‘pataphysics might 

inspire a completely different idea where an elephant is brought into the room and tasked with 

eating the used tea bags, leading to a reduction in waste and a well-fed elephant. While the idea 

might sound ridiculous at first, it can be adapted into real-world solution possibilities, such as a 

portable elephant-shaped collector that can compost the tea bags. 

 

Module 3: Converging on a Solution 

The third module is designed to teach convergent thinking as participants refine their 

previous practical and ‘pataphysical ideas into more detailed solutions. Participants are taught 

about the engineering design process and how to analyze the ideas that resulted from the 

divergent thinking progression. A corresponding matrix, shown in Figure 1 and developed 

specifically to support the module series, is used to assess the feasibility and impact of each 

idea. Participants are asked to work in teams to select their final design solution. Early forms of 

prototyping are used to present the ideas, which may include a descriptive poem, a skit, a 

physical model, a sketch, or even a design specification. As groups share their solutions, 

feedback is provided by peers and facilitators in an iterative critique process. The final solution 

prototypes are presented and each participant concludes with a repeat assessment of creative 

thinking and self-efficacy.   

Figure 1. Participants assess the impact and feasibility of their solutions using the 

developed matrix. 



Marasco, Behjat, Kelly, & Maguire (2019) 

29 

PRELIMINARY RESULTS 

The proposed modules have been implemented and tested for both faculty professional 

development and postsecondary student audiences, with approval from the Conjoint Faculties 

Research Ethics Board. The audience of the professional development workshop included 

university graduate students, faculty, and staff, as well as interested industry representatives. 

The workshop participants voluntarily selected to join the program which was listed as one of 

several possible professional development courses offered through campus educational 

training. A revised version of the workshop was also integrated into a Winter 2018 

interdisciplinary engineering course and was presented to two sections for a total of 256 

students. Rather than implementing a final prototype, students assessed their ideation results 

using the engineering design process and speculated on how they could use a similar process 

for their course project. This allowed the module content to integrate with curriculum content, 

regardless of subject or technical requirements, while scaling for a large course enrollment. 

Throughout the modules, all participants worked in collaborative groups to solve a real-

world problem. Facilitators led the participants through adaptable, interactive ideation exercises 

that encouraged rapid idea generation and sharing, first in the possible realm, and then in the 

impossible realm. This helped participants to increase the rate of hybridization of their ideas, 

which were applied to team discussions as groups worked to solve real-world global 

challenges.  

Both the professional development and student offerings of the module series were 

implemented to achieve three primary learning objectives related to creative thinking and 

development: 

1. Define and practice several methods to engage in both divergent and convergent 
thinking.  

2. Use collaboration as a means to improve and maximize the innovative potential of 
ideas. 

3. Provide participants with tools to implement and encourage creativity, whether in a 
post-secondary classroom setting or for their own personal work.  

 

The initial design charge used for both audiences was to design a humane spider or bug 

trap. Participants were allowed to define “humane” in their own way. Example of early ideation 

solutions included: “a big robotic spider that can catch bugs and take them outside the house” 

and “a directed energy gun that uses microwaves to quickly boil bugs.” ‘Pataphysical solutions 

included: “the wall, ceilings and floors of a building are predatory. They eat any bugs that are 

on them” and “a bug trap that would lead bugs in to a different dimension in which bugs could 

live peacefully.” 

The professional development offering was also presented with a secondary design 

charge halfway throughout the series where groups could choose to solve a global grand 

challenge. Those working on the global challenge chose to solve the issue of homelessness in 

urban areas, resulting in solutions such as rotating schedules for group housing, stacked living 

spaces, and even adapting ideas from nature. 

Following the conclusion of the module series, professional development participants 

provided feedback about their achievements and learning in the course. These responses were 

analyzed using emergent coding to identify themes for future in-depth exploration. Participants 

expressed outcomes related to creativity and innovation pedagogy, self-confidence, flexibility, 

and interdisciplinary connections. The following sample quotes demonstrate improved self-



Marasco, Behjat, Kelly, & Maguire (2019) 

30 

efficacy and changes in views towards creativity: 

 

“I saw some cool ways to teach creative skills.” 

 

“I think I saw that it is less intimidating to “be creative” – that there are skills you can 

use to generate ideas – and that we all have very different lenses and perspectives from 

which to be creative.” 

 

“I connected with people I would not otherwise encounter in my profession. I was 

inspired and I now view creativity in a more dynamic way.” 

 

Participants also identified what they felt was the biggest impact of the course. Themes 

that emerged included application, engagement, and open-mindedness. The following sample 

quotes demonstrate awareness and exploration of the creative process: 

 

“Potential for applying some of the structure in other communities.” 

 

“I learned how to be more effective in coming up with ideas! i.e., not shutting 

down/honing in on a solution too early, and not rejecting ideas too soon. It’s made me 

more effective both at work and in my personal life.” 

 

“It was great to see people engaging with each other and exploring ideas.” 

 

“An awareness of real world applications.” 

 

Both the professional development and student audiences noted initial discomfort and 

awkwardness towards the ideation exercises. Facilitators also observed a quick increase in 

comfort level, enthusiasm, and engagement from participants, particularly as the rapid ideation 

exercises forced individuals to practice creative thinking without time for self-doubt or 

criticism. 

 

IMPACT 

The proposed pedagogical modules explore creative thinking development and 

collaborative ideation techniques that allow learners to develop some of the necessary skills to 

become creators and innovators. The participants described the following outcomes from the 

proposed framework: knowledge of creativity and innovation pedagogy, self-confidence, 

flexibility, and interdisciplinary connections. These attributes are especially important for post-

secondary education as they provide students with tools to develop both the divergent and 

convergent areas of creative thinking while reducing barriers such as low creative confidence 

and discomfort towards creative practice. The modules provide skill practice through specified 

design challenges which can then be applied to the development of solutions for global 

challenges or issues within a particular technical field. Future studies are planned to further 

examine the data collected on self-efficacy and changes in perceptions towards creativity, as well 

as potential revisions to the module format to include more time for prototyping and showcasing 

final design solutions. 

 



Marasco, Behjat, Kelly, & Maguire (2019) 

31 

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