Imperial College London Launches New Specialisation on Coursera to Help Learners Unleash Their Creativity in the Age of AI

Imperial College London has launched a new specialisation on Coursera, Creative Thinking Tools for Success and Leadership.

Generative AI has massive implications for the modern workforce – up to 49% of workers could have half or more of their tasks exposed to large language models. And this impact goes beyond the repeatable jobs that AI has historically displaced. Jobs that require creative and complex cognitive skills are now also at risk.

This new specialisation, taught by design engineering expert Peter Childs, will help workers advance their creative thinking to add value beyond AI using structured processes as well as new and innovative techniques. 

The three-course specialisation builds upon Imperial’s successful course, Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success, which has amassed more than 280,000 enrolments on Coursera since launch in 2019. The new specialisation not only delves deeper into how to use creative tools to tackle global challenges, but also teaches learners how AI can help augment their work and generate creative outcomes. 

“I am delighted to launch this specialisation on creative thinking. The courses provide an overview of fundamental approaches to creativity as well as exposure to a wide range of approaches to productive thinking and a framework to guide the selection of what approach you might want to use to augment your innate creativity,” said Peter Childs FREng, co-director of the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London. “I am really looking forward to the emergence of many wonderful ideas and seeing learners’ creativity flourish as the courses progress.” 

Upon completion, learners will be prepared to:

• Use diverse brainstorming techniques, systematic creativity tools, and advanced creative thinking strategies in their work.
• Use various approaches such as the creativity diamond framework, biomimicry, analogy, metaphor, and AI-enabled platforms to generate innovative ideas. 
• Use creative techniques to effectively address challenges or opportunities in their projects or activities. 

To provide more expert perspectives, the program features interviews with various CEOs, including Coursera’s CEO Jeff Maggioncalda, who uses generative AI to refine and augment creative ideas and initiatives. 

As generative AI continues to revolutionise the world, it’s more important than ever for workers to gain new skills that can’t be replicated by technology. We’re fortunate to partner with an esteemed institution like Imperial College London to help learners unlock their creative potential.