Creativity in the Digital Forensics Curriculum

Creativity is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as "The use of imagination or original ideas to create something". This definition is easy for students studying topics commonly recognised as creative, such as animation, drawing, photography and design, to put in context and understand. However, when studying topics commonly recognised as technical, such as computer science and digital forensics, it's not as easy for students to relate to this definition. One of the affiliated universities offers bachelor programs in several disciplines and through the first course, the university is trying to establish a common ground of studying for all students regardless of the program they are attending. One of the modules in this first course is called "What is Creativity?" but the digital forensic students do not seem to relate creativity to the topics contained in their own study program, and it has been challenging to get these students to see the relationship between creativity and the work situation they might find themselves in after they graduate. This paper will discuss the challenges of teaching creativity to students in perceived technical programs - and try to highlight the challenges experienced from both students and staffs point of views.