Malik Mustafa Mohammed, Head of Department.<br />AI in education<br /> Generative AI for brainstorming: AI could assist students in generating ideas for experiments or process improvements.<br /> Simulations and virtual labs: AI-driven simulations could provide students safe and interactive learning environments to practice chemical engineering concepts.<br />Brainstorming is a great way for students in higher education to generate new ideas and solve problems collaboratively. Here are some key points to remember:<br />Group discussion: Brainstorming is typically done in a group setting, where students can bounce ideas off each other and build upon one another's thoughts.<br />Quantity over quality: The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible, no matter how crazy they may seem initially. Don't worry about evaluating or judging ideas during the brainstorming stage.<br />What is brainstorming?<br />Brainstorming is a large- or small-group discussion that encourages students to generate a wide range of perspectives or potential next steps or solutions regarding a specific topic.<br />The teacher may begin a brainstorming session by posing a question or a problem or by introducing a topic.<br />Students then express possible answers and relevant words and ideas.<br />Contributions are accepted without criticism or judgment and are usually summarized on a whiteboard by the teacher or a scribe as the ideas are called out.<br />These ideas are then examined, usually in an open discussion format.<br />Why use brainstorming?<br />By expressing ideas and listening to what others say, students adjust their previous knowledge or understanding, accommodate new information, and increase their levels of awareness. Brainstorming's main purposes are to:<br />focus students' attention on a particular topic<br />generate a number of ideas<br />teach acceptance and respect for individual differences<br />encourage learners to take risks in sharing their ideas and opinions<br />demonstrate to students that their knowledge and their language abilities are valued and accepted<br />introduce the practice of idea collection prior to beginning tasks such as writing or solving problems<br />provide an opportunity for students to share ideas and expand their existing knowledge by building on each other's contributions.<br />Common issues using brainstorming<br />Initially, some students may be reluctant to speak out in a group setting, but brainstorming is an open-sharing activity that encourages all students to participate. Teachers should emphasize active listening during these sessions.<br />Students should be encouraged to:<br />listen carefully and politely to what their classmates contribute<br />tell the speakers or the teacher when they cannot hear others clearly and<br />think of different suggestions or responses to share.<br />Effective brainstorming: How do I achieve it?<br />1) Select a leader and a scribe (the teacher may take on one or both roles).<br />2) Define the problem or idea to be brainstormed. Make sure everyone is clear on the topic being explored.<br />3) Set up the rules for the session. They should include:<br />letting the leader have control<br />allowing everyone to contribute<br />suspending evaluation of ideas until all ideas are gathered<br />assuming that all contributions are valid<br />recording each answer unless it is a repeat<br />setting a time limit and stopping when that time is up.<br />4) Start the brainstorming. The leader can open the floor or select members of the group to share their answers. The scribe should write down all responses, ideally so that everyone can see them. Make sure not to evaluate or criticize any answers until the brainstorming is complete.<br />5) Once you have finished brainstorming, go through the results and begin evaluating the responses. This can be done quickly by a show of hands to rank the ideas.<br />6) Some initial qualities to look for when examining the responses include:<br />looking for any answers that are repeated or similar<br />grouping similar concepts together<br />eliminating responses that definitely do not fit.<br />7) Now that you have narrowed your list down somewhat discuss the remaining responses as a group.<br />It is important for the teacher to:<br />establish a warm, supportive environment<br />emphasize that a quantity of ideas, rather than their quality, is the goal at this stage and that it's okay for students to suggest unconventional or improbable ideas<br />discourage evaluative or critical comments from peers during the brainstorming phase<br />encourage all students to participate and provide opportunities for them to do so<br />initially emphasize the importance of listening to expressed ideas, and model the recording of each idea. .<br />How can I adapt to brainstorming?<br />Use this procedure to plan a classroom activity such as a research project, a field trip, a concert or a party.<br />Groups and individuals can use brainstorming to generate pre-writing ideas for projects or assignments.<br />Categorize brainstormed words, ideas, and suggestions.<br />Use brainstormed words and sentences to explore discipline-based jargon.