Fall 2007 Syllabus

Florida Atlantic University Fall Semester 2007 Introduction to Inventive Problem Solving in Engineering EGN4040 001 11463 1. Description This interactive course introduces students to new and powerful tools to boost their creative problem solving skills. Participants re-discover their personal thinking preferences, identify and eliminate mental blocks, and enhance their communication and teaming skills. Students unlock their creative potential, and explore win-win approaches to define and solve problems of different kinds. They are introduced to topics related to intellectual property and marketing. The course uses fun and hands-on activities to stimulate innovation.

2. Instructor: Dr. Daniel Raviv, Professor

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Electrical Engineering Office: Science and Engineering Bldg. Rm. 472 Telephone: 1 561 297-2773 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail of TA: N/A Office Hours: Tu and Th 1-2pm Prerequisite: Seniors and Juniors Class Time: Tu and Th 11:00am-12:20pm Classroom: GS110 • Lego competitions in S&E lobby. • Puzzle lab in S&E Room 150

6. Grades: • •

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Participation: 20% Homework assignments and projects: 70% -Brainteasers and puzzlebusters: 20% -Lego competitions and team work: 15% -Problem solving projects (Individual and combined strategies): 15% -Other (readings, projects, searches, software projects, etc.) 20% Other: 10% -On time return of Legos with detailed inventory 5% -Log Book 5%

Note: Percentage may change depends on assignments • No Final Exam   • Scale: A=90-100. A-=85-89. B+=80-84. B=75-79. B-=70-74. C+=65-69. C=60-64. C-=55-59. D+=50-54. D=45-49. D-=40-44. F=0-39.

7. Reference Books/Notes ☛Instructor’s Notes. ☛H.S. Fogler and S.E. LeBlanc, Strategies for Creative Problem Solving, Prentice Hall, 1995. ☛Ed Sickafus, Unified Structured Inventive Thinking, Ntelleck, 1997. ☛Edward Lumsdaine and Monika Lumsdaine, Creative Problem Solving, McGraw Hill, 1995. ☛ Kaplan, Introduction to TRIZ, Ideation International, Inc., 1995. ☛G. Altschuller, Creativity as an Exact Science, 1983. ☛___, The Art of Inventing (And Suddenly The Inventor Appeared). ☛___, 40 Principles, Keys to Technical Innovation, Technical Innovation Center, 1997. ☛Edward de Bono, The Use of Lateral Thinking, Penguin Books, 1990. ☛___, de Bono's Thinking Course, Facts on File, 1981. ☛___, Serious Creativity, Harper Collins, 1992. ☛___, Six Thinking Hats, Little, Brown & Co., 1985. ☛___, CoRT Thinking, Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc., 1995. ☛Tony Buzon, Use Both Sides of Your Brain, Dutton, 1983. ☛Scott G. Isaksen, Brian Dorval, and Donald Treffinger, Creative Approaches to Problem Solving, Kendall Hunt, 1994.

☛Alex F. Osborn, Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Problem Solving, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979. ☛David Tanner, Total Creativity in Business and Industry, Advanced Practical Thinking Training, 1997. ☛D. Pressman, “Patent It Yourself”, NOLO Press, 2005. ☛Tom Kelley. The Art of Innovation. Doubleday, 2001.

8. Topics I. Introduction Making a case for creativity Creative thinking as a skill The multi-dimensional approach to creative thinking Creativity and inventiveness II. Valuing diversity in thinking Thinking preferences Creativity styles Behavior patterns III. Setting the stage for success Basic philosophy Having a vision Setting the right attitude Recognizing and avoiding mental blocks Avoiding mindsets Risk taking Paradigm shift and paradigm paralysis Individual and teamwork IV. Creativity in problem solving A. Problem Definition Type of problems Understanding Representing Current state, desired state Defining the real problem B. Pattern Breaking Out of the box Thinking differently Changing your point of view Watching for paradigm shift Dreaming and day dream Challenging conventional wisdom Lateral thinking, provocation (escape, random word) Morphology Mind stimulation: games, brain-twisters and puzzles Always listen to your mind and body C. General Strategies Idea-collection processes Brainstorming and Brainwriting The SCAMPER methods Metaphoric thinking Outrageous thinking Mapping thoughts Talking and listening Other (new approaches) D. Using Math and Science Systematic logical thinking Using math concepts Geometry

Science E. Unified Approach to Strategies 1 Uniqueness 2 Dimensionality 3 Directionality 4 Consolidation 5 Segmentation 6 Modification 7 Similarity 8 Experimentation F. Systematic Inventive Thinking Systematic inventive thinking The TRIZ methodology Levels of inventions Evolution of technical systems Ideality and the ideal final result (IFR) Stating contradictions and the contradiction table 39 standards features and 40 inventive principles Separation in time and space Using physical, geometrical, and chemical effects Using fields ARIZ V. Decision and Evaluation Focused thinking framework Listing and checking solutions Six thinking hats PMI Matrix Synectics Other criteria Ethical considerations VI. Implementation Planning Carrying through Following up VII. Ideas to market VIII. Intellectual Property Introduction to intellectual property: Patents, Copyrights , Trademarks , Trade Secret, Unfair Competition.

Note: Some of the topics may not be covered due to time constraints