Education at SAIC is not only about technical skills and material use; it is equally about the development of ideas and meaning through creative expression. Helping our adult and youth learners discover what it is they'd like to say and how they'd like to say it using artistic language is one of a CS faculty member's greatest challenges. Below are some ideas and tips on ideation and concept development in the CS classroom. 

1. It takes time: Start by emphasizing ideation and concept development in your syllabus. Build in the time for gathering inspiration, brainstorming, iteration, research, etc. Acknowledge to your students that ideation is time-consuming. Demystify the idea that talented artists are naturally full of ideas. It requires intention and effort.   

2. Prompts: For some students, the idea of a blank page is incredibly daunting. Providing prompts, design challenges, or other similar starting points is essential for beginning their creative process. Prompts can be extremely specific or even just one word. 

3. Brainstorming: Develop exercises and opportunities for students to develop their concepts through writing, discussion (group and one-on-one), sketching, mind maps, etc. Encourage them to develop a non-judgemental approach to this process.  

4. Iterations: Require students to come up with at least three ideas, thumbnails, sketches, etc, before moving to a final piece. 

5. From inspiration to concept: Trips to the museum, lectures, and one-on-one shares of artists and artworks can, of course, create "aha moments" for our students. But how do they make that leap from being inspired to having their own ideas? Some students may need additional support to get there. 

• Ask them leading questions. 

• Encourage them to manipulate and explore the specific elements of the piece that inspire them. 

• Challenge them to find multiple pieces or artists that they're drawn to and then combine aspects from each piece into their own work. We all borrow from other artists! Talk to students about how to go about this without "copying."

6. Share your own concept development process. Show them how you (or other artists) develop a concept and challenge them to follow the same process. 

7. Collaborate: Consider ways that you can collaborate with your students on at least one larger project during the session. Show them your artistic process by working with them directly. Collaboration could mean you’re working directly with them or simply providing them with prompts and parameters that take them through your artistic process. 

   1. • Asking students to collaborate in smaller groups is another great way for students to mind-meld and come up with unique ideas. 

"At SAIC, we believe that meaning and making are inseparable, existing as a perpetual and productive cycle driven by experience, research, and critique. Our commitment to a wide range of media and processes supports our assertion that the artist, designer, scholar, and writer are uniquely qualified as makers to provide leadership, creative perspective, and hands-on skill for shaping today's world, as well as contributing to its opportunities." - From SAIC's core values statement