Developing cognitive processes for improving inventive thinking in system development using a collaborative virtual reality system

Abstract

Computer Sciences (CS) require inventive thinking from computer science experts. CS education has to pay attention on that field of education, too. Universities have to educate programmers for the future where the CS experts need the most important skills of creativity, invention and innovation. These skills can be developed by using virtual reality. In this paper we deal with those techniques that we used for developing the students' skills on creativity and invention. We supposed that the ability to spatially organize learning materials and working documents and collaborative spaces may stimulate creative thinking. In this method we applied the MaxWhere, an immersive virtual reality (iVR) system that gives wide range of possibilities for cooperative and collaborative work. This iVR system provides many means that can be used for activating cognitive processes and improving inventive thinking. This method provided positive results.