New media technologies and students' creativity: an analysis of portfolio website concept generation

This study analyses concept generation for portfolio websites using new media technologies for a third-year Web Design and Development course at the Department of Graphic Design, University of Education, Winneba (UEW). The focus was to examine the effects of technologies used to develop portfolio websites on students' creativity. Using New Heuristic Framework for Creativity Measurement (NHFCM) as a lens, the study analyses the developmental stages of hundred portfolio websites carried out by a hundred third year Graphic Design students at the Department of Graphic Design, UEW. The study from its findings revealed that the technologies used to develop the portfolio websites offered the Graphic Design students the digital platform to plan, record, refine and implement their ideas with no limitation. There was evidence to suggest that the Graphic Design students circumvented some of the concept generation processes for generating portfolio websites with technology. The study recommends the continuous use of new media technology by Graphic Design students to hone their creative skills since it supports concept generation. The study suggests against the circumvention of concept generation processes with technology by Graphic Design students to enable them to gain the total learning outcomes of the process.