Creative Mindsets aims to improve outcomes and experience for all students by building growth mindsets in both students and staff – the belief that ability develops through effort and by embracing challenge.
The Creative Mindsets initiative developed from a two-year project funded by the Office for Students (OfS) launched in 2017. Led by academics at the University of Portsmouth, and initially called ‘Changing Mindsets,’ the project was a collaboration between University of the Arts London, University of Brighton, and University of Winchester. You can find out more about the project by watching the film below.
Creative Mindsets was originally designed for students and staff at University of the Arts London and has been delivered through a series of talks and workshops co-facilitated by students, staff and Alumni. We have also developed a participatory online resource in collaboration with UAL Academic Support which UAL students and staff can access here:
https://academicsupportonline.arts.ac.uk/learning-resources/17352
In March 2020, participants of the Creative Mindsets project team recorded a discussion of different aspects and occurrences of bias within the UAL learning environment and beyond. The podcast gave space to discuss real-life experiences on the phenomenon of bias at a range of levels, from the personal to the systemic and how this relates to the concept of mindsets. It aims to inform a way forward for compassionate teaching practice that incorporates a sense of belonging within the higher education environment.