This page describes work in progress at the University of Surrey aimed at examining the possibilities for creative development afforded by the concept of lifewide education and the role of lifewide learning in becoming creative professionals.

Developing Creativity through Lifewide Education

Norman Jackson, SCEPTrE, University of Surrey  

NEW August 2010

How do Students in the Creative Arts Become Creative Professionals?

Jenny Willis, SCEPTrE, University of Surrey 

The role of lifewide learning in becoming a creative professional: case study university of surrey

Jenny Willis, SCEPTrE, University of Surrey

Seminar: Becoming a creative professional

Dr Jenny Willis, SCEPTrE Researcher, Thursday July 8^th 2010, 12.30-13.45 02/AC02

“If you create something, you’re creative, aren’t you!”

This was the scathing response one Music student gave to my question of what creativity meant for him.  Why then, was it a subject that we felt it important to investigate? The workshop will present the findings of a recent study of where and how Surrey students in the creative arts learn to become professional, what they gain from being creative and their views on its transferability to other aspects of their lives. The methods used include: an on-line survey, completed by 40 undergraduates studying dance, music, music technology and theatre in the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences and the Guildford School of Acting, follow-up interviews with a selection of respondents and video recordings of a small sample.  The findings provide information for curriculum planning, but also stand alone as a fascinating insight into the complexity and richness of the undergraduate experience.