Beyond technical proficiency. Cultivating creativity to meet evolving industry demands.

Mariza Tsakalerou; John Israilidis; Yerdaulet Kumisbek

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: International Division (INTL): Navigating Risks and Cross-Cultural Challenges
Tagged Division: International Division (INTL)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 11
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55295

Paper Authors

biography

Mariza Tsakalerou Nazarbayev University orcid.org/0000-0002-7427-5002

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Dr. Tsakalerou is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Engineering Management program, which is jointly offered by the School of Engineering and the Graduate School of Business at Nazarbayev University. Dr. Tsakalerou mainly focuses on innovation management, examining strategies to drive innovation within the engineering and technology sectors.
Her research interests also include exploring the impacts of technology on society and how engineering practices can be adapted to better meet societal needs. She emphasizes the importance of cross-disciplinary learning and collaboration in addressing complex challenges.

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John Israilidis University of Sheffield

biography

Yerdaulet Kumisbek Nazarbayev University

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Yerdaulet Kumisbek is a Master’s student in Engineering Management at Nazarbayev University, where he also completed his Bachelor’s in Electrical and Engineering Management. Alongside his studies, he works as a research assistant, focusing on creativity in engineering education and innovation for SMEs. He’s also involved in a separate project on HR recruitment automation. His industry experience includes coordinating infrastructure projects at BC Engineering, and working closely with international teams and stakeholders.

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Abstract

Engineering education in developing countries often fails to provide students with critical skills such as creativity, collaborative problem-solving, and divergent thinking—skills essential for addressing the high demands of modern engineering and technology. This study explores the skills gap currently present in engineering, looking at how graduates and traditional engineering curricula need to be adjusted for the challenges of modern industries. Using Kazakhstan as a case study, we analyze how creativity is embedded across engineering courses and expose challenges in relation to current educational frameworks, such as limited hands-on activities, overreliance on technical/hard skills, and a lack of cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, which inhibit students' readiness for tackling complex, real-world challenges. Through our work, we introduce new, culturally adapted, intervention strategies to enhance the creativity and innovation capabilities of students through collaborative, agile practices. Literature was used to identify and customize contemporary creativity tests, such as the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task, the Remote Associates Test (RAT), and the Divergent Feeling Ability Test (DFAT). These tests measure essential aspects of creativity, including divergent thinking, associative thinking, and emotional responses to creative tasks. Ideation assessment workshops, conducted in the form of integrated activities that mirror the focus areas of these tests, were purposefully designed and developed as evidence-based educational intervention methods for promoting intellectual fluency, flexibility, and originality. The broader impact of this approach could reshape engineering education across developing countries by introducing a new standard emphasizing creativity, collaboration, and innovative capabilities. As students gain the skills needed to address the complex challenges faced by industries, they can drive innovation and contribute to economic growth by introducing new solutions and technologies. With a primary focus on interdisciplinary learning and practical applications, this paper makes recommendations for developing a workforce better equipped to meet local and global industry demands, ultimately leading to long-term technological and economic advancement.To address these gaps, we introduced an innovative, culturally adapted workshop in Kazakhstan’s engineering education system. The workshop, designed to enhance creativity and innovation capabilities, involved students in collaborative, hands-on exercises, encouraging them to approach engineering challenges from multiple perspectives. Significant research was conducted to identify and align contemporary creativity tests, such as the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task, the Remote Associates Test (RAT), and the Divergent Feeling Ability Test (DFAT), with the workshop’s learning outcomes. These tests measure essential aspects of creativity, including divergent thinking, associative thinking, and emotional responses to creative tasks. The workshop integrated activities that mirror the focus areas of these tests, incorporating exercises that promote ideational fluency, flexibility, and originality to align with the desired learning outcomes. This alignment bridges the gap between educational practices and the skills necessary for modern engineering challenges. The broader impact of this approach could reshape engineering education across developing countries by introducing a new standard emphasizing creativity, collaboration, and innovative capabilities. As students gain the skills needed to address the complex challenges faced by industries, particularly SMEs, they can drive innovation and contribute to economic growth by introducing new solutions and technologies. With its focus on interdisciplinary learning and practical applications, this model will develop a workforce better equipped to meet local and global industry demands, ultimately leading to long-term technological and economic advancement.

Citation
Format

Tsakalerou, M., & Israilidis, J., & Kumisbek, Y. (2025, June), Beyond technical proficiency. Cultivating creativity to meet evolving industry demands. Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55295

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - 
Engineering education in developing countries often fails to provide students with critical skills such as creativity, collaborative problem-solving, and divergent thinking—skills essential for addressing the high demands of modern engineering and technology. This study explores the skills gap currently present in engineering, looking at how graduates and traditional engineering curricula need to be adjusted for the challenges of modern industries. Using Kazakhstan as a case study, we analyze how creativity is embedded across engineering courses and expose challenges in relation to current educational frameworks, such as limited hands-on activities, overreliance on technical/hard skills, and a lack of cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, which inhibit students&#39; readiness for tackling complex, real-world challenges. Through our work, we introduce new, culturally adapted, intervention strategies to enhance the creativity and innovation capabilities of students through collaborative, agile practices. Literature was used to identify and customize contemporary creativity tests, such as the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task, the Remote Associates Test (RAT), and the Divergent Feeling Ability Test (DFAT). These tests measure essential aspects of creativity, including divergent thinking, associative thinking, and emotional responses to creative tasks. Ideation assessment workshops, conducted in the form of integrated activities that mirror the focus areas of these tests, were purposefully designed and developed as evidence-based educational intervention methods for promoting intellectual fluency, flexibility, and originality. The broader impact of this approach could reshape engineering education across developing countries by introducing a new standard emphasizing creativity, collaboration, and innovative capabilities. As students gain the skills needed to address the complex challenges faced by industries, they can drive innovation and contribute to economic growth by introducing new solutions and technologies. With a primary focus on interdisciplinary learning and practical applications, this paper makes recommendations for developing a workforce better equipped to meet local and global industry demands, ultimately leading to long-term technological and economic advancement.To address these gaps, we introduced an innovative, culturally adapted workshop in Kazakhstan’s engineering education system. The workshop, designed to enhance creativity and innovation capabilities, involved students in collaborative, hands-on exercises, encouraging them to approach engineering challenges from multiple perspectives. Significant research was conducted to identify and align contemporary creativity tests, such as the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task, the Remote Associates Test (RAT), and the Divergent Feeling Ability Test (DFAT), with the workshop’s learning outcomes. These tests measure essential aspects of creativity, including divergent thinking, associative thinking, and emotional responses to creative tasks. The workshop integrated activities that mirror the focus areas of these tests, incorporating exercises that promote ideational fluency, flexibility, and originality to align with the desired learning outcomes. This alignment bridges the gap between educational practices and the skills necessary for modern engineering challenges. 
The broader impact of this approach could reshape engineering education across developing countries by introducing a new standard emphasizing creativity, collaboration, and innovative capabilities. As students gain the skills needed to address the complex challenges faced by industries, particularly SMEs, they can drive innovation and contribute to economic growth by introducing new solutions and technologies. With its focus on interdisciplinary learning and practical applications, this model will develop a workforce better equipped to meet local and global industry demands, ultimately leading to long-term technological and economic advancement.

AU  - Mariza Tsakalerou
AU  - John Israilidis
AU  - Yerdaulet Kumisbek
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  -  Beyond technical proficiency. Cultivating creativity to meet evolving industry demands.
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55295
ER  -