A Student Project as an ‘Extra Group Member’

This article focuses on a research question: how can we understand a metaphor describing a student project as an ‘extra group member’ in creativity development in the particular context of Problem-Based Learning (PBL)? This metaphor takes its theoretical departure from social approaches to learning, creativity, and PBL. It is empirically based upon a Ph.D. study (2008-2012) which aims to explore the influence of the PBL environment on the development of university students’ creativity. The empirical data was collected using multiple methods, such as interviews and observation, with 65 students from Electronic Systems, Medialogy, Architecture and Design, and Computer Science at Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark. By focusing on the illustration and discussion of the metaphor, this article contributes to an understanding of the role of student projects in building a situated creative learning community that has practical, theoretical, and methodological significance.