Creative Problem Solving is an Essential Skill, and Adobe Creative Cloud Helps Educators Nurture it in Their Students

In 2017, Adobe surveyed 2,000 educators and education policymakers In the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan about their views on a soft skill that’s been getting a lot of attention lately: creative problem solving. For the purposes of the research study, we defined creative problem solving as the process of redefining problems and opportunities, coming up with new and innovative responses, and taking action.

Here are just two of the many findings that stood out:

• 86 percent of those surveyed said they believe that students who excel at creative problem solving will have opportunities for higher-earning jobs in the future.
• 75 percent predicted that professions requiring creative problem solving are less likely to be negatively impacted by automation.

Recent news from Google seems to support these findings. After years of prioritizing STEM skills in its recruiting efforts, the tech giant discovered that the top characteristics for employee success are soft skills like creative problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Still, despite the consensus, it seems that higher education institutions are falling behind. In Adobe’s research study, 90 percent of educators said they believe schools need to find better ways to integrate creative problem solving into their curricula, and 50 percent said they don’t have the tools, training, or knowledge to nurture it in their students.

Closing the skills gap with digital literacy and Creative Cloud

The good news is that digital literacy education is becoming more widespread, and it’s proven to be an effective way to teach creative problem solving. That’s because when students create digital media like images, infographics, layouts, animations, podcasts, videos, and ePortfolios for class assignments, they gain a deeper understanding of the content. They think more critically about it, and they develop innovative problem-solving strategies to meet their project requirements and communication objectives.

In our research study, 81 percent of education professionals said they believe that Creative Cloud can help develop students’ creative problem-solving skills in the classroom. But Adobe doesn’t just provide the digital tools for teaching creative problem solving. We also partner with institutions to help nurture this skill in many ways, including by providing rich teaching and learning resources for faculty and students.

Read the full study findings here. And to help your students develop the soft skills they need to create successful futures, learn more about digital literacy.