Online Course Design for Creativity and Innovative Skills in Virtual Cultural ASEAN Community: From Research to Empirical Practice

Abstract

The first component of learning skills and innovation in the 21st century is creativity and innovative skills. Methods supporting the development of both skills need to be created as a long-term plan and can bring out the benefit. The current education emphasizes on creating changes. To create changes, it is necessary to integrate modern teaching management with principles and theories of learning. The research on Virtual Learning Environment to Enhance 21st Century Skills in Creativity and Innovation of Higher Education Learners in ASEAN Cultural Community can be used to analyze about online learning using modern technology together with learning principles and theories to promote creativity and innovative skills of learners in the 21stcentury. Learning activities were developed to be interesting and challenging. Learners can access to learning sources easily and effectively. Activities were provided on Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) which can enhance students’ learning and experience. Learning was not limited only to a classroom. It was open learning which allowed students to exchange information with instructors, foreign students, foreign friends, and local and international experts without the limit of time and place. Research tools included teaching plan emphasizing of creativity and innovative skills, the test of creativity and innovative skills, and a questionnaire for students. Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results showed that scores of creativity and innovative skills of a sample after studying were higher than that before studying with statistical significance at .05. The course was designed based on 7 steps of learning process: 1. Preparation 2. Identifying a topic or issue to be studied 3. Brainstorm 4. Creating innovation 5. Testing 6. Evaluation and 7. Presentation.