Student Life has a list of priorities and learning outcomes including fostering the following in the lives of students: citizenship, engagement, belonging, stewardship and mindfulness.
And there’s one more that has been not fostered as much as Brenda Roth, VP of Student Life, would have hoped.
Curiosity is sixth learning outcome and Student Life is hoping to explore at an upcoming event how they can better encourage creativity in the lives of students.
“Design Thinking” will be on Tuesday, Feb. 17, in PV101. The event will start at 7 p.m. and is designed to help the Student Life team to understand student perspectives on curiosity, creativity and innovation.
Students who would like to participate can RSVP to broth@corban.edu.
With the question about all the learning outcomes, “How are these evident in the lives of students?” Roth has been specifically looking at curiosity.
“We want to know what students say fosters creativity and makes them think in different ways,” she said. “There are people who are hoping to support a crazy and creative idea.”
Roth has an idea of an end product but is keeping it “under wraps” as to not influence students for the event next Tuesday.
Although there is a negative connotation to the word curiosity, “we think it’s fundamental,” Roth said. “Research shows creativity is tied to problem solving skills and emotional health.”
“You have to be an out-of-the-box thinker,” she said. “Creativity is not distracting – it’s fuel.”
Roth believes curiosity is critical.
“It makes you look at failures differently,” she said.” It makes you look at people differently. We have failed if our students know the answers but not how to ask the questions.”