Introduction

While registering, I had to fill my schedule so I had to choose a course and most of the light-weight courses were full. I did my research and found this one, seeing all the reviews describing it as fun, easy and just about playing some games so I just decided to register for the course, not even knowing what it is about. To be honest, I never really expect much from core courses, and I did not think a course could create any meaningful change or transformation in me personally. At the beginning, I actually disliked how much communication and interaction the course required because I usually prefer staying in my own bubble. However, unexpectedly, this course pushed me out of my comfort zone in a positive way. I really did learn and change in ways I never expected. Although I originally assumed this would just be another simple core course I ended up finding it genuinely interesting and meaningful. Through the games, discussions, activities, reflections and intercultural experiences, I found myself becoming more open, creative, and confident in expressing myself. And regarding what the course is about, it actually challenged my ideas about creativity, AI, intercultural learning, ethics, and so much more!

Most Impactful Learning Experiences

Learning About Myself

One of the most impactful learning experiences for me were the games we played specifically at the beginning of the course. It was mostly games about you as an individual like what makes you most content , when are you most peaceful? What do you love? Even though the questions seem quite easy to answer, for me every question made me go blank. I felt like I needed time to just think about who I really am. What do I actually enjoy? What do I like? It took me some time to answer and actually challenged me in a way but also made me realize what I like, my personality and my nature. I also feel like I loved the game activities we did that sparked creativity like this one activity where the professor showed some pictures and we had to come up with a story out of the pictures . One of the very first assignments too about creating your ALTCV was a very fun and unique experience that also made me just sit and do a video reflecting what I like and enjoy most in my life and I felt like I did a pretty good job in highlighting most aspects that I practice and enjoy doing. “How’s Your Heart?” was the first video I watched in this course, and it felt very warm and meaningful to me. I learned that our feelings and mental state affect how well we can focus and learn. The video introduced the idea that effective learning does not only depend on cognitive ability, but also on whether a person feels safe, calm, and mentally present. I feel like this truly made me realize that whenever I was unable to learn at some point it was actually because I was not mentally present. And also the Video: from the TED Talk “How language shapes the way we think” I learned that language is not just a tool for communication, but also a system that shapes how people understand and interpret the world. It explained that different languages can lead people to think differently because they organize ideas, time, space, and experiences in unique ways. Lastly, and most importantly, the Soliya sessions ended up being one of the most impactful learning experiences throughout the entire course. At first, I honestly felt overwhelmed by the idea of having a two-hour session every week, and I assumed I would feel bored or that it would just be a waste of time. However, the experience turned out to be completely different from what I expected. Listening to people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds speak about their experiences and perspectives was something very meaningful that I am genuinely thankful I got to experience. The sessions pushed me to communicate more openly, listen carefully to others, and reflect more deeply on my own opinions and values. They also helped me become much more confident in expressing my thoughts publicly, even when discussing difficult or sensitive topics. More than anything, Soliya taught me the importance of empathy, active listening, and understanding perspectives that may be very different from my own.

What I will use in my academic life 

Academically, one of the most impactful things I learned from this course was how to think more critically about AI and digital tools instead of using them passively. The “AI in Your Profession” assignment was especially meaningful to me because it was personalized to each student’s major and future career path. It pushed me to research how AI can positively support both my academic and professional life.  While the “critical perspective on AI” assignment made me more aware of ethical concerns and responsible use.  Overall, I realized that AI can be a very helpful educational tool when used thoughtfully rather than simply as a shortcut.

The course also helped me become much more confident in expressing my ideas openly and participating in discussions. Before this course, I usually preferred staying quiet and avoiding participation whenever possible. However, the class environment constantly encouraged communication, reflection, and collaboration, which gradually improved my confidence in speaking and sharing my opinions. I believe this is something that will help me a lot in future courses, presentations, group projects, and discussions.

What I will use in my Social life 

Socially, this course had a significant impact on me because it helped me become much more open to communicating with people who are different from me. Through the class discussions, intercultural experiences, and collaborative activities, I became more comfortable approaching others, listening to different perspectives, and having conversations without immediately judging people based on their backgrounds or opinions.

I think one of the biggest things I will take from this course socially is being more understanding and open-minded when talking to others. The Soliya sessions and the Tahrir experience especially helped me with that because they exposed me to people from completely different cultures, backgrounds, and ways of thinking. It made me realize how important it is to actually listen to people’s experiences and perspectives instead of only focusing on expressing my own opinion. I also learned that language, culture, and identity are all deeply connected, and that sometimes understanding someone goes beyond simply understanding their words.

Overall, this course helped me grow socially by making me more confident in interacting with others, more empathetic, and more open to conversations and experiences that are outside my comfort zone.

What I will use in my Career

Professionally, I think this course prepared me for a future where AI and digital technologies are integrated into almost every field. The “AI in Your Profession” assignment especially helped me realize that my relationship with AI will continue far beyond my academic life. It showed me how AI can support productivity, creativity, research, communication and problem-solving within my future career while also reminding me about the importance of ethical and responsible use.

In addition, the communication and collaboration skills I developed throughout the course will be extremely valuable in professional environments. The course constantly encouraged participation, teamwork, discussion, and creative thinking, all of which are important skills in any workplace. I believe the confidence I gained in interacting with others will help me build stronger professional relationships and communicate more effectively in my future career.

If I were to show someone my learning in this course, which three things would I use and why?

• My ALTCV

If I were to show someone one assignment that represents my learning in this course, I would first choose my ALTCV. I chose this assignment because I feel like it reflects the overall spirit of the course. Unlike a traditional CV that only focuses on academic achievements and qualifications, the ALTCV allowed me to reflect on who I am as a person, what I value, what I enjoy, and the experiences that shaped me. It pushed me to think more deeply about my identity, interests, and personality in a creative and personal way. I also think this assignment represents my learning because it was one of the first moments in the course where I stepped outside my comfort zone and expressed myself creatively.

• Narrative game project

Link to the game: Student-life simulator

I chose this project because I feel like it represents many of the main themes of the course, especially creativity, storytelling and digital learning. Creating a game was something very different from traditional assignments, and it pushed me to think creatively about how experiences, choices, and emotions can be communicated interactively rather than through regular writing. Since I chose my game to be about student life, it also made me think more deeply about the challenges, decisions, and pressures students experience in everyday life. Overall, this project represents how the course encouraged creativity, experimentation and learning in nontraditional ways.

• Soliya and Tahrir Reflection

I would also definitely use the Soliya and Tahrir reflection to show my learning in this course because it represents how much I grew socially and interculturally throughout the semester. Through these experiences, I interacted with people from all over the world, which helped me become more open-minded, understanding and confident. I think this reflection best represents the social and intercultural learning I gained from the course.

Things I would change about the course

One thing I would definitely change about the course is the class timing. I honestly think that having the class at 8:30 AM can discourage many students from registering for it. Personally, I struggled throughout the semester with arriving on time, and sometimes I missed really fun and meaningful activities that happened at the beginning of class. I feel like having the course later in the day would improve attendance, participation, and overall student engagement.

Another thing I would change is adding more field trips or interactive experiences like the Tahrir trip. I felt like that experience was very fun, memorable, and different from traditional classroom learning. It allowed us to learn through communication, cultural exchange and real-life interaction rather than only discussions inside class. Since it was one of the most enjoyable and impactful experiences for me, I think having more activities like that throughout the semester would make the course even more engaging and meaningful.

What kind of person should take this course? 

This course is perfect for students who want a unique course that is interactive, creative, thought-provoking and different from traditional classes, while also helping them become more open-minded and confident.

Digital tools 

One thing I really appreciated about this course is that it introduced me to many digital tools and platforms that I did not even know existed before. Most of these are tools I probably would have never explored or used on my own, but throughout the semester I realized how useful and creative they can actually be in both academic and personal life.

1. Reflect Creativity Course Blog

The Reflect Creativity Course Blog (reflect.creativitycourse.org) was one of my favorite tools we used throughout the semester because it felt very different from traditional assignment submissions. I really liked how every student had their own unique touch and style on their blogposts, which made the platform feel much more personal and creative. It was also interesting reading other students’ reflections, ideas and experiences throughout the course. I think this tool made reflection feel more enjoyable and meaningful rather than just another assignment submission.

2. Slack

Slack was also one of the most useful tools throughout the course because it made communication very easy and direct. Whenever I had a question or needed clarification, it was simple to directly message the professor or check updates posted there. Everything related to the course such as links, announcements, activities and session information was always organized and accessible in one place. I think this made the course feel much more connected and easier to follow.

3. Classroom Technology

The classroom technology itself was honestly one of the best classroom setups I have experienced. The multiple screens around the room made it very easy to see presentations and activities from anywhere in class and I never had to worry about not hearing or seeing what was happening. The rotating chairs and group setup also made discussions and collaborative activities feel much easier and more natural. Overall, the classroom environment itself encouraged  communication and group work in a very comfortable way.

4. Perplexity Deep Research

Perplexity Deep Research was one of the tools that I found a bit difficult and draining to use at first because I did not really understand how to use it effectively. However, once I understood it better, I realized that it can actually be very useful for finding relevant and reliable academic

sources. I especially liked how it visually connected articles, authors, citations and references together. Although I personally still prefer simpler AI tools for everyday use, I think I might use Perplexity in the future when I need reliable research sources because it helps reduce the risk of using fake or nonexistent references generated by AI.

5. Google Gemini (Canvas Mode)

Google Gemini Canvas Mode was probably one of the most impressive tools I discovered in this course because I genuinely had no idea something like it existed. This was the main tool I used while creating my narrative game project, and I was honestly surprised by how much it could help with creativity, coding and developing the ideas in such a smooth way. It made creating the game feel much less overwhelming and more enjoyable, even though I was struggling a bit trying to figure out how to instruct it properly to do exactly what I wanted. I will definitely continue using it in the future for creative projects and possibly even coding related assignments because I feel like it makes the creative process much easier.

Reflection on the Intercultural Experiences

The Soliya sessions were the most impactful intercultural experiences for me in this course. It was one of those things where I was forced to do something that I initially did not really care about, but ended up becoming one of the most valuable experiences throughout the semester. I think what would have made Soliya better for me is starting the sessions earlier in the semester and having more of them, maybe around eight instead of five. I also feel like making the sessions a bit shorter, around one hour and fifteen minutes instead of two full hours, would have kept everyone more focused and engaged.

The Tahrir trip was also one of my favorite experiences because it was a very fun and different way of learning. Talking to foreigners learning Arabic made me realize how connected language is to culture and identity. I think what would have made this experience even better is doing the trip more than once and changing the groups each time. Since each group only interacted with a few people, repeating the experience two more times would have allowed us to meet more people and hear more perspectives.

The somatic healing session was also very meaningful because it taught me practical ways to deal with stress and anxiety instead of just ignoring them. Learning techniques like breathwork and grounding exercises made me realize how connected the mind and body are. I honestly think this session would have been much better if it was face-to-face instead of online because actually practicing the techniques together in real life would have made the experience feel more engaging and effective.

This course ended up impacting me much more than I ever expected, and it is one of the few core courses that I feel I will genuinely remember beyond university!