Nurturing social-cultural process of creativity in the higher education within Social Network Sites (SNS)

Abstract

This paper examines the activity of an online community in developing design creativity. This involved postgraduate Malaysian university students and a tutor, and professional designers in an online community using Facebook to improve interface design (websites). Two research processes adapted from different communities - one creative industries and one higher education were applied in the collaboration. Each community embraces distinctive methods, objectives, instruments, rules and roles in producing design. Contradictions and tensions raised form incorporating these two communities were analysed. In addition, the effect of social interactions on students' performance, awareness, and perspectives were also investigated. A qualitative approach was utilised and data consisted of online semi-structured questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, field documentation on Facebook, and Facebook chat were analysed. The process of analysis is divided into two parts: initial analysis and substantive analysis of four case studies. Thematic approach and comprehensive data treatment were used to analyse the initial data. Activity systems analysis was employed in the substantive analysis to comprehend the contradictions revealed within the collaboration. Through the substantive analysis, research questions are intended to be answered. The result indicates that contradictions occurred from the new practice introduced by the community of practitioners - the designers. The collision of new practice has positioned students in a disequilibrium stage but managed to also improve students' design outcome, promote awareness on the importance to produce purposeful design and transformed students' pessimistic perspective into positive. Nonetheless, this paper recommended for ample of cognitive and emotional support to be made available to students when implementing the new practice. This is because there involved complex process of dialogue and assessment approach that can triggered contradictions and caused conflicts during the collaboration. Findings of this study contribute to researchers' understanding that social-cultural process of creativity can be nurtured in the higher education within social network sites (SNS) such as Facebook. It concludes that more research emphasising on social interactions between a learning community and a community of practitioners through online is required. This is hoped to better understand the benefits and contradictions it has to offer for creativity development in the long run.