The activities in this project -- which can be flexibly integrated with course content and implemented when convenient for instructors -- will help students in all areas of study apply entrepreneurial, divergent, and critical thinking to their research process. Use the activities in whatever sequence or moment you feel they are needed! Some instructors have even had students from each of their classes lead their peers in these activities, which can increase peer reliance, interaction, and assistance later in students’ research process.
After cycling through these types of activities, students will hopefully approach their usual research assignments with greater curiosity and intentionality, as they utilize creative ideation, curiosity, brainstorming, storytelling, and other practices. Such processes can help students make connections among previous and new information, build on prior knowledge, and develop and build new skills. In integrating entrepreneurial and divergent thinking into inquiry and research, students can build a “toolkit” of strategies that they can apply to a variety of disciplines and contexts. They can also strengthen new habits of mind and “make learning stick.”
If you find these activities useful, please recommend them to your colleagues! They are easy to do in either your in-person or online courses, they foster student motivation and understanding in observable ways, and they can make complex research and inquiry tasks less intimidating.