Creativity is widely recognized to play a pivotal part in the scientific process. The deficit of a creative context and perception of science as a cold, rational discipline may be a reason for the observed decline in engagement in scientific disciplines worldwide. Hence, it is essential to integrate creative elements with STEM disciplines to reintroduce the element of "wonder" and enthusiasm in teaching learning of scientific concepts, particularly in the field of biology. As a step towards this, a novel assessment strategy was adopted in an undergraduate (UG) microbiology course on extremophiles. To break the stereotype of microorganisms being viewed as mysterious and pathogenic creatures, the students were asked to translate their understanding of survival of microbes in extreme environmental conditions as a poem and as an imagery depicting microbes as 'superheroes'. The students went on to create characters with novel names supplemented with poems and presented their assignments as posters, pokemon like card games, board games and a comic book. The analysis of the poems and the designed character led to emergence of four major categories: resilience of life, habitat/physical feature portrayal, superhero quality and sense of appreciation. The student’s reported greater engagement, expression of creativity and increased peer interaction besides enhanced conceptual understanding and better retention of content. This study describes a non-canonical form of assessment and exhibits effectiveness of a creative scaffold for improving student engagement in STEM disciplines.

Authors:
Deepti Bhushan Gupta, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, India

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Deepti B. Gupta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Life Sciences, at Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai, India. Her current interest areas include building creative learning experiences in higher education and teacher training.

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Deepti-Gupta

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