Valuing Creativity in Biomedical Science Education: A Reflective Narrative

Abstract

Efforts in biomedical education to enable the translation of science into clinical applicability require an alignment of interdisciplinary collaboration that integrates working platforms to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and tools. Within the context of this translatory process lies the phenomenon of creativity which is defined as a cluster of skills that is needed to produce ideas that are both original and valuable (Sternberg, Am Psychol 56:360, 2001). Creativity is generally acknowledged as a valued skill to refine; however, it is difficult to define and even more difficult to measure (Jenkins, Brilliantio, 2021). In recent years, there have been several reports of the interconnection between the study of the humanities and the biomedical sciences. Whilst incorporating humanities into biomedical courses may not always improve student knowledge, it enhances student’s perception of critical observation and their empathetic nature (Collett and McLachlan, Med Educ 39:521–521, 2005). Moreover, it can offer benefits beyond didactics to both the students and educators and encourage learners to understand concepts outside the confines of the textbook (Platt et al., Human Anat Physiol Soc Educ 25:64–74, 2021). Students and educators need to understand the concept of creativity and be allowed opportunities that explicitly unlock and develop their creative capabilities. There is also evidence of the increased appreciation of the value of creativity as demonstrated by the revised cognitive category of Bloom’s taxonomy in which “create” replaced “evaluate” as the pinnacle cognitive skill within the cognitive domain (Macaulay et al., J Feder Am Soc Exp Biol 32:535–524, 2018). Furthermore, there is a need to promote creative thinking in science education, and in particular methodologies that can achieve and measure creativity, is warranted (Macaulay et al., J Feder Am Soc Exp Biol 32:535–524, 2018). Thus, the intersection of humanities with biomedical sciences in the modern classroom of tertiary education has faced unique challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic (Oliveira-Silveira et al., Creat Educ 13:283–295, 2022). Under these circumstances, educators had to imagine new strategies to enhance teaching and learning as well as improve student engagement. Educators also had the responsibility of enhancing the pedagogical practices that prepare graduates for future employment. Due to the nature of creativity, reflective practice is important to promote self-awareness and creative thinking skills (Osterman, Educ Urban Soc 22:133–152, 1990).

This chapter incorporates a multi-disciplinary approach that enhances student and educator perceptions of various creative modalities to improve current scientific teaching and learning methods. It explores the reflective practice of diverse creative tool practice to design an “inclusive curriculum” despite the digital divide, to further enhance teaching and learning in the biomedical sciences. The use of art, poetry, model building, and theme-park construction using game-based learning, digital storytelling/scrapbooking were implemented to develop multiple literacy skills (viz., graphical skills, technological skills, and mastering the content) to improve and enhance the proficiency of critical thinking in students. Additionally, this chapter includes educator reflection on the use of high-quality images to augment student learning. It illustrates the value of images in the demystification of science, to enable a deeper level of understanding and to improve one’s perception of science. This challenging and valuable approach enriches learning whilst enhancing scientific interpretation, integrity, and the validation of scientific pedagogy.