Creativity, Problem Solving and Design Thinking

Creative problem solving is one of the most sought-after skills in today’s workplace – valued across industries and sectors for its role in driving innovation, success and job satisfaction. Entrepreneurs, leaders, managers and employees alike need the ability to spot opportunities, generate fresh ideas and develop practical solutions that can be trialled and implemented effectively.

This interactive six-week course will help you recognise and develop your own creative skills, equipping you with the tools to approach challenges in new and innovative ways. You’ll learn how to identify complex problems, overcome common thinking biases and apply a structured, evidence-based process to generate and refine practical solutions – modelled on design-thinking activities such as ideation and prototyping.

Through hands-on activities and collaborative work, you’ll explore creative tools and techniques that you can put to immediate use – whether you’re improving processes, developing strategies or tackling a specific project in your professional context. By the end of the course, you’ll produce a final report to consolidate your learning, providing a clear plan for applying these skills to your own context.

Guided by top University of Cambridge academics, the course offers a fantastic opportunity for professional development – helping you think differently, solve problems effectively and unlock new ideas. With the option to continue your journey through expert mentoring after the course, this is your chance to build creativity into your toolkit and take it forward with confidence.

This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 48 hours of learning. Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon you. Cambridge Advance Online accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.

Join the upcoming Creativity, Problem Solving and Design Thinking webinar

Join us for an exclusive webinar on 15 April 2025 with Professor Nathan Crilly from the University of Cambridge. This session will provide a deep dive into why the online programme with live sessions "Creativity, Problem Solving and Design Thinking" is your best choice for professional development, exploring Professor Nathan Crilly's extensive experience and his innovative course content. We'll discuss the course's relevance to your career, the enriching online learning environment, cohort dynamics, and dedicated learner support, ending with a live Q&A where you will be able to interact and ask questions to Professor Nathan Crilly himself. Sign up here(Opens in a new window).

This course equals 48 hours of the CPD Certification Service(Opens in a new window) time.

In this course, you’ll explore cognitive abilities and biases, learning how creative processes and tools exploit these abilities while mitigating biases. You’ll apply visual thinking, systems thinking and design thinking to analyse and communicate complex situations, before practising problem identification, framing and ideation. You’ll learn to manage ideation sessions, develop selected ideas for implementation and refine your own pitching skills. By the end of week six, you’ll produce a portfolio and final report that showcase your creative confidence.

• Module 1: Creative cognition

• Module 2: General approaches

• Module 3: Problem definition

• Module 4: Idea generation

• Module 5: Solution selection

• Module 6: Creative context

By the end of the course, you will have a broad understanding of the application of creative approaches, processes and tools, including how to:

• articulate the components of creative work, and the skills (and biases) that are involved

• apply creative processes and tools yourself

• manage the application of creative processes and tools by others

• develop confidence in your creative skills, and in your ability to improve those skills

• represent your own creative skills and experiences, and elicit those of others.

On successful completion of the course, you’ll receive a certificate from the University of Cambridge, along with valuable Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points and a digital badge to display on your LinkedIn profile. These Cambridge credentials not only showcase your knowledge and expertise, but also demonstrate your commitment to professional development – helping to future-proof your career.

This course is designed for professionals who want to enhance their creative thinking and problem solving skills. It’s perfect for those in business development, strategy or transformation roles looking for structured, innovative approaches to tackling complex challenges.

Whether you’re a senior leader, manager or analyst, this course will help you break free from conventional thinking, develop fresh solutions and pitch your ideas to stakeholders with confidence.

Our flexible, online courses – delivered via a world-leading learning platform – reflect the University of Cambridge experience and values, with low learner-to-tutor ratios and academically rigorous standards.

Our online learning model is designed to help you advance your skills and specialise in emerging areas that address real-world challenges. We will help you build your network through an engaging and impactful learning journey that encourages collaboration with academics and fellow learners.

Courses are delivered in weekly modules, allowing you to plan your time effectively around existing commitments. The assessment criteria will be presented to you at the start of the course, so you can approach your studies with confidence and motivation, knowing exactly what’s expected of you and how to meet those expectations.

Throughout your online learning experience with Cambridge Advance Online, you’ll have digital access to a dedicated course tutor, an expert in the field, who will help steer your learning and provide you with support and guidance every step of the way.