Capital College’s Creative and Critical Thinking Initiative
Edinburgh College has taken bold steps to reshape traditional learning and teaching methods by introducing Creative and Critical Thinking qualifications. Recognising learners were disengaged with conventional approaches, the College created a more dynamic, inclusive strategy aimed at empowering learners to develop essential cognitive skills.
The need for change
The College's Quality Team realised that traditional pedagogical models no longer met the diverse needs of modern learners. In response, they introduced qualifications spanning SCQF levels 1 to 7 and a level 10 aimed at Educators, which focus on fostering positive thinking habits and strategic approaches to problem-solving. "We knew it was time to innovate," said project lead Sheila Godfrey. These qualifications equip learners with skills like resilience, empathy, communication, and collaboration—vital for navigating today’s complex challenges.
Empowering learners
The new qualifications encourage learners to go beyond merely absorbing information, empowering them to actively engage, retain, and apply knowledge across disciplines. One teacher praised the programme, saying, “The course is a model for how qualifications can be designed to develop transferable skills, rather than just reciting knowledge.” Learners are now learning to think critically and creatively, gaining invaluable tools to succeed in an ever-evolving world.
Implementation
The rollout of these qualifications began with designing unit specifications, followed by piloting them with student groups. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. "In my classroom, learner are encouraged to explore their own passions and set their own criteria for success," noted one educator. The results have been both inspiring and transformative, with improvements in learner engagement, retention, and overall achievement.
By the 2023/24 academic year, the programme had expanded to local schools, where teachers are now completing the Level 10 qualification while pupils work across levels 1 to 7. Educators who have undergone the programme have reported enhanced outcomes, especially in classrooms where the new methodologies have been adopted.
In 2024/25, the college is delivering the programme to even more learner and schools, with staff working with teachers and pupils in schools in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Scottish Borders.
Recognition
Education Scotland recently recognised the Creative and Critical Thinking qualifications as "a positive catalyst for change.", while the initiative was also shortlisted as a finalist in the 2024 Herald Higher Education Awards. Most importantly, though, is that schools which have adopted the programme have since reported higher engagement, better attendance, and improved academic performance among their pupils.
Qualification Suite - Creative and Critical Thinking SCQF Levels 1 – 7 for learners and a Level10 aimed at Educators
The nature of the qualifications are developed to have a flexible and adaptable timetabling and delivery model.
These qualifications apply to all learners who want to develop critical and creative thinking skills, whatever their age, their learning environment, situation or the context they are in. Creative thinking involves looking at things differently, musing, testing, experimenting and challenging existing thought patterns and can take place anywhere.
Creative thinking can be learnt and applied through thoughtful application of skills related to observation, research, data analysis, reflection, problem solving, evaluation and critical appraisal. Effective use of creative thinking skills opens new opportunities for individuals, businesses, and communities on some levels and at other levels can support wellbeing, exploration, curiosity and the development of resilience and tenacity, as well as other metacognitive skills.
SCQF Levels 1 - 5 (24 SCQF Credit Points)
- Explore and prepare: People-centred, secondary research only is required at these levels
- Incubation: Producing creative ideas around the project
- Illumination: Testing and making corrections to ideas until final solution is reached
- Validation through presentation: Take ideas to the market, receive feedback
- Reflection: Self-evaluation and peer review activities to inform learning moving forward
SCQF Level 6 (24 SCQF Credit Points)
- Explore and prepare: People-centred, both primary and secondary research is required at this level.
- Incubation: Producing creative ideas around the project
- Illumination: Testing and making corrections to ideas until final solution is reached
- Validation through presentation: Take ideas to the market, receive feedback
- Reflection: Self-evaluation and peer review activities to inform learning moving forward
SCQF Level 7 (34 SCQF Credit Points)
The course is suitable for learners who have attained a Higher or equivalent qualification. It is designed for learners who can respond to a level of challenge through the identification and development of a significant project. The course emphasises practical and experiential learning opportunities, with a strong skill-based approach to learning. It takes account of the needs of all learners and provides sufficient flexibility to enable candidates to achieve in diverse ways.
The course should offer flexibility, provide time for learning, focus on skills and applying learning, and provide scope for personalisation and choice. Every course provides opportunities for candidates to develop breadth, challenge, and application. The focus and balance of assessment is tailored to each subject area
The following elements make up the content of the award:
- Explore and prepare: Both primary and secondary research is required at this level, to gather information and data to lead the project.
- Incubation: Producing creative ideas around the project based on data collected and evaluating viability
- Illumination: Testing and making corrections to findings until final solution is reached
- Validation through presentation: Take ideas to the relevant market sector, receive, and evaluate feedback
- Reflection: Self-evaluation and peer review activities to inform level of success and learning moving forward
SCQF Level 10 Teaching Creative and Critical Thinking (36 SCQF Credit Points) – aimed at Educators
Recognising that effective implementation requires adept educators, the College developed an SCQF Level 10 qualification, 'Teaching Creative and Critical Thinking'. This course equips teachers with the tools to inspire creativity and adaptability in learner. One teacher shared, “My time on the Level 10 course has led me to be more ambitious and open-minded in my practice. It’s reinvigorated my teaching, and my learner have been the main beneficiaries.”
The course delves into the physiological and neurological foundations of learning and explores cognitive frameworks (schemas) that shape our understanding of the world. Educators are encouraged to reflect on inherent biases in traditional pedagogies, fostering environments that support creative and critical thinking.
SCQF Level 10 Developing Creative and Critical Thinking in Leadership
Today’s businesses/organisations need the ability to produce new and original ideas, connecting concepts in unique ways to create different solutions. If you’re a creative and critical leader, you’ll enjoy challenges that require an innovative approach. The aim of this qualification is to enhance your performance by developing the ability to become a ‘smart’ thinker. That is, a thinker who can develop metacognitive skills – metacognition simply put means thinking about thinking. However, it goes deeper than that, according to research carried out by the Harvard Business Review, if you have metacognitive skills you gain awareness of your own assumptions, this allows you to gain the trust of your team and take your employees beyond simply cooperating on a task to true creative collaboration. Developing creative and critical thinking skills are core to this.
This qualification will develop the skills and tools to creatively and critically examine your own assumptions and develop an understanding of, and be able to deal with, your own cultural preferences and how they impact on their work and their business. Employees who possess a high level of cultural intelligence play an important role in bridging divides and knowledge gaps in an organisation: educating their peers about different cultures; transferring knowledge between otherwise disparate groups; helping to build interpersonal connections and smooth the interpersonal processes in a multicultural workforce. Culturally intelligent employees also possess the potential to drive up innovation and creativity, due to their ability to integrate diverse resources and help the business make best use of the multiple perspectives that a multicultural workforce brings to the workplace.