Preparing students for the future: learning creative software development - setting the stage

One of the challenges being addressed within education, and higher education in particular, is that of providing students with life-long learning skills. The speed with which technology evolves, the multiplicity of its impact on society and the ramifications of that impact mean that more than technical competence with specific tools and techniques is necessary. This is especially true of disciplines where changing technology is one of the raisons d'etre. This paper focuses on the background to an approach based at the School of Engineering, Murdoch University to enhance the adaptability skills and knowledge of Software Engineering students by stressing the need for divergent thinking and creativity within a formal course in Requirements Engineering