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your turn Creativity Now! by A. Danielle Way MARKETING PROFESSORS who want to hone their students' creative abilities need to offer more than well- rounded courses and intriguing lectures. In addition to these two important components, professors also must structure assignments that will give students autonomy and provide an opportunity for students to develop fluidity in thought. For left-brained business students who have been trained to think methodically, working toward that coveted aha moment under pressure can be a menacing responsibility. Furthermore, they find it stressful to produce creative projects promptly and effi- ciently. Yet, creativity and innovation are foundational components in almost all aspects of business today. So how can professors design classes that encour- age students to be creative and successful in fast-paced, high-stakes environments? I have found two elements to be key: I give them autonomy, and I rely on peer cri- tiques as part of overall student evaluations. Both ele- ments force students to think about the course material more deeply, approach it more creatively, and function well even in stressful situations. Developing Autonomy Author Dan Pink is a huge propo- nent of autonomy, as he explains in the book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. He believes that if students need to complete a specific task, particularly when they must do it swiftly, profes- sors should clearly state "the desired outcome of the assignment without specifying precisely the way to reach it… giving [students] freedom over how they do the job." When profes- sors temporarily transfer power from themselves to their students, they pro- vide students with an open canvas for creation and exploration. Professors must structure assignments that will give students autonomy and allow them to develop fluidity in thought. 58 March/April 2012 BizEd But not all students thrive in a self-directed classroom environment. While some function well under pressure, others give in to their anxieties and wither away, opting for a lower grade or dropping the course completely. I've found that two techniques will help students embrace an autonomous learning style and still meet course deadlines: Secret ballots. Students must be allowed to express themselves candidly without fearing harsh criticism from peers. This is especially important when we're exploring controversial topics such as ethics or politically charged issues. What I do is pose a question to the class and dis- tribute plain white index cards to all students. Without including any identifying information, they write their reflections on the cards, which they return to me. Then I pass the cards out at random to everyone in class. Stu- dents are charged with arguing the perspectives laid out in the index cards they have received, and they're evalu- ated by how well they argue these points of view. Often, students receive cards that express ideas contrary to their own beliefs. I believe this is a good thing because it forces them to consider all sides of an issue. Because we have gone over the subject matter in class, they have some knowledge of the opposing points of view, so I have never yet had a student be unable to argue the position presented on a card. This exercise provides students with a chance to exercise free speech—and a chance to consider multiple perspec- tives on a given issue. Blogging. Because today's students rely on e-mail, texting, and social media to stay in constant touch with friends and family, peer-oriented blog- ging is an effective tool in the business school classroom. I create a class blog site every semester; prior to the first day of class, I provide students with setup instructions and passwords. I have devised a blogging exercise in which, every week, I require each stu- dent to read a specific chapter or two of an assigned textbook, and then write a reflective blog about its key concepts. I urge students to write freely—forgetting