Design is both a noun & a verb—a product as well as a process. Design is involved in the construction of any artifact created for a purpose: be it a poem or a computer program, a mousetrap or a business plan, a website or a research project. Design occurs where the known meets the unknown; at the interface of multiple disciplines—science, technology, individual and social psychology, management, and art. It is this multidimensionality that makes design so important and also so complex. In this presentation I will share some of my research (and teaching, since it is often difficult to separate the two) on attempting to develop a better understanding of the design process. More recently I have become more interested in understanding creativity. The ability to be creative and flexible is critical in today’s rapidly changing world. The emergence of the knowledge economy (and the knowledge worker) means that tasks are rarely “given” or structured. We are now expected to operate in a complex and chaotic ecology where our very survival and personal identity is tied up in improvising knowledgeable answers to largely unanticipated problems. Creativity lies at the heart of innovation, in an ability to see things differently, and of making new connections, of exploring new frontiers of knowledge and enterprise. In this presentation I will also share some of my current thinking, and future plans, related to creativity, what it is, how it can be recognized, and some thoughts on how it can be fostered.

Dr. Punya Mishra is associate professor of Educational Technology at Michigan State University. His research has focused on the theoretical, cognitive and social aspects related to the design and use of computer based learning environments. He has worked extensively in the area of technology integration in teacher education, which led to the development (in collaboration with Dr. M. J. Koehler) of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. He has received over $4 million in grants, has published over 30 articles and has edited two books. Dr. Mishra is an award-winning instructor who teaches courses at both the masters and doctoral levels in the areas of educational technology, design, and creativity. He is also an accomplished visual artist and poet. You can find out more about him by going to his website.