Last updated: 3/21/99
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Syllabus, ISP 5990
Creativity: Building the New

Link to names for homework files.

ISP 5990 for Winter 1999 is an on-line course on Creativity, taught using the course web site for handouts, a computer conference for class discussions, and email for submitting and returning assignments. ISP 5990 may be taken only with ISP 5500.

Contents:

• Content and Overall Schedule
• Instructor and Office Hours
• Grading
• Grading Scale
• On-line Grade Reports
• Course Passwords
• Important Dates

Content and Overall Schedule. For detailed assignments and schedules, see the "Assignments" page on the course web site.

1. Weeks 1 through 5. Case study of an innovative corporation
   1. The case study is contained in The HP Way by David Packard.
   2. This corporation (Hewlett Packard) is unusual in that it recognized from the first that it needed a high rate of innovation to remain competitive, and that management by itself could not supply all of the innovative ideas that would be needed. This recognition is becoming more common today, but it is still a hard pill for many managers to swallow.
2. Weeks 6 through 10. A survey of methods in Corporate Creativity
   1. The survey is contained in Innovation and Entreprenuership by Peter Drucker. Drucker is well-know as a "business guru" -- one of the people that points out new and emerging methods for business.
   2. Drucker seemingly argues against seeing entreprenuers as risk-takers. On the other hand, many people studying Creativity conclude that creative individuals and innovators do take risks. I will be writing up my argument that, by concentrating on financial risk, Drucker ignores some of the other types of risk that entreprenuers must clearly accept.
3. Weeks 11 through 16: Survey of selected approaches to the study of Creativity.
   1. The survey is contained in the selections from The Nature of Creativity as listed on the "Assignment" page on the course web site.
   2. I will be writing up my discussion of where these various approaches are similar, and where they are different. In general, I feel that the approaches are fundamentally similar, but place an emphasis on different aspects of Creativity. But there are some fundamental differences.

Instructor and Office Hours

The Instructor is David Bowen / Interdisciplinary Studies Program / Science and Technology Division.

Grading

The course grade will be calculated as follows:

Grading Scale

The "-" range for a grade is the lower three points, and gets averaged at the middle. For example, A- is 90 to 92 and gets averaged as 91. The "+" for a grade is the top three points, and gets averaged at the middle. For example, B+ is 87 to 89 and gets averaged as 88. A grade of 100 is an A+. Note that the highest grade recognized by the University is A.

NOTE 1: If you want to drop a course, you should withdraw officially using an official Drop/Add form. If you simply stop attending, you are supposed to receive a grade of "X", or possibly "I" if you have completed most of the work. You cannot graduate with these grades on your records, so you will have to retake the courses.

NOTE 2: I will allow you to redo assignments and turn in missing work after the course is over. Such work will not appear in your regular grade, but it will be taken into account in a Change of Grade, and it will eventually appear on your official transcript. The University will allow me to file a Change of Grade up to one calendar year after the end of the semester in which you took the course. For this course, that is through the end of the Winter 2000 semester. I will not accept major assignments during the last month of this period. If you are redoing an assignment, the original assignment with my comments and grades must be turned in along with the redone assignment.

On-line Grade Reports

There will be a link on the course web site for on-line grade reports. These reports will let you look at your line in my grade book. If you want to have this available to you, for the on-line information form:

• Choose "yes" for the item on-line grade reports
• In the associated text box, enter a password for your grade reports.

To get an on-line grade report, you will enter your first and last names, and this password.

Course passwords

You will have several IDs and passwords for this course:

1. Your UserID and password for your Internet Service Provider
2. Your UserID and password for the computer conference
3. Your password for on-line grade reports, if enabled

It can a problem to keep all of these straight. Be aware that you can choose #2 and #3 to match #1, if you want. Ask me for details.

Important Dates

Dates of major assignments and evaluations:

Other important dates:

• Monday January 11: Classes begin, last day to file certificate or degree applications
• Monday January 11 through Friday January 22: Late open registration, $70 late fee
• Monday January 18 Martin Luther King Day observance - no classes.
  Last day to add/register
  Last day for tuition cancellation for courses officially dropped
• Monday January 25 through Friday February 5: Courses officially dropped through this period will not appear on your academic record. If you withdraw from all classes, your academic record will bear the notation "Complete Withdrawal". You are contractually liable for the tuition for courses dropped.
• Monday, February 8: After this date, the Instructor's signature is required to drop a course. A grade of "W" is assigned for dropped courses.
• Monday March 15 through Saturday March 20: Spring recess. No classes. Instructor for this course will be out of town.
• Monday, April 26. Last day of classes.
• Tuesday, April 27. Study day. Last day to drop courses.
• Wednesday April 28 through Tuesday May 4: Final examination period.
• Tuesday May 5: Commencement.