Higher Education and Creativity: International Perspectives on Stimulating Student Engagement
A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Higher Education".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 477
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The higher education arena has long been deemed a space in which tertiary learning is facilitated through traditional ‘dry’ approaches (Gouthro, 2019). It is claimed that in most countries, the sector ‘certifies knowledge rather than nurtures learning’ (El-Azar, 2022); this adds fuel to damning assertions of higher education institutions failing to positively respond to the demand for learning flexibility, diversity, and innovation in provision. In an effort to remain relevant and successful, Brownhill (2025) argues that there is a serious need for universities across the globe to enrich the learner experience, (re-)engaging students to improve institutional trust, learner achievement, and perceived value-for-money (Pham et al., 2022). In keeping with this need, the specific focus of this Special Issue is on creative ways (think strategies, methods, approaches, techniques, tools/resources) of engaging students (think physically, intellectually, linguistically, emotionally, socially) at the tertiary level as part of this learner experience.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide scholars with a ‘safe creative space’ to report on and discuss approaches and practices in which creativity has/could be used in engaging ways to stimulate new thinking, energise professional practice and situated learning, and inspire researchers, instructors, and students at the university level. Scholars are invited to submit empirical or theoretical papers, along with opinion pieces, that focus on innovative and stimulating ways of engaging students as part of the tertiary learner experience, these being influenced by practices advocated/implemented at an operational, tactical, and/or strategic level, and at varying levels of student study (undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral).
Suggested topics or themes include:
- Engaging students through creative approaches to learning;
- Engaging students through the creative use of different learning environments;
- Engaging students through creative methods of assessment;
- Engaging students through creative teaching practices;
- Engaging students through the creative use of technologies;
- Engaging students through creative activities at induction/graduation;
- Engaging students through creative programmes to develop peer relationships and/or course community building;
- Engaging students as creative/critical/reflective thinkers through practical strategies.
Dr. Simon Brownhill
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- higher education
- creativity
- international perspectives
- students
- engagement
- practices
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