Fostering Creativity and Critical Thinking in Higher Education
Abstract
Creativity and critical thinking are two important capacities given to humanity. Not all people make use of these skills, but those who do often lead a more satisfactory life. These skills are especially important for young people, as they help them distinguish between good and bad and make the correct choice. For example, social media is a major platform where people can learn both positive and negative things. Creativity is about finding solutions to problems, which is necessary for the younger generation to cope with challenges in a constantly changing world. In education, creativity is essential for students to achieve meaningful learning and prepare for a successful future. This paper focuses on students’ creativity and critical thinking at the higher education level. This paper examines evidence-based strategies to foster creativity in higher education, drawing on 15 studies (2015–2024). While institutional barriers exist (e.g., standardized testing), findings suggest that student-centered pedagogy improves critical thinking by 40% (Li, 2023). Challenges and future directions are also discussed representing several universities are recommended in order to shed light on the potential of peer-assessment.
