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Wellerman TikTok sea shanty collab (with noise removed)

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I Arranged Random E Minor Phrases Into A Beautiful Song

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Instagram has over one billion users worldwide and over 500 million daily users. It focuses on image and short video sharing, which is perfect for this project

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Instagram is a photo and short video sharing social network. It was founded in 2010 by software engineer Michel Krieger and computer programmer and former Google-employee Kevin Systrom. The iOS release took place in October 2010, and the Android in April 2012.

The idea for Instagram came when Systrom was holidaying with his partner in Mexico in 2010. He and Krieger had a developed a multi-feature social platform called Burbn, focused on location sharing. He was contemplating adding photo sharing to the platform.

His partner, however, protested that the photos taken on her iPhone 4 were not of a standard to share. Systrom's solution was to apply filters to the pictures - which quickly became Instagram's key selling point.

It quickly became apparent that the best course would be to pare down Burbn, which had already attracted $500,000 in seed funding, to focus on this element. Thus, Instagram was born.

In April 2012, it was sold to Facebook for $1 billion. Systrom remained on as CEO until 2018, when Krieger (head of engineering) also left the company.

Instagram was a hit - rapid gathering users to become one of the world's biggest and most-influential social media platforms. By June 2018, the platform had hit 1 billion monthly active users

To the initial photo-focused functionality was added video sharing in 2013, and then Instagram Stories in 2016, which allows users to upload a short series of photos, which are deleted after 24 hours.

The latter may have been pilfered from Snapchat, but in terms of sheer user numbers it soon left its rival in the dust - with Stories alone boasting twice as many daily active users as its rival counts in total (500 million to 249 million).

Instagram has played a central role in 21 st century popular culture, with popular users dubbed 'influencers'. The name is apt, with followers of these popular users (the Kardashian klan in particular are synonymous with the platform) certainly being, well...influenced.

Instagram, consequently has become an important marketing platform. There is a dark side to this, of course. Aspiring to the perfect bodies and lives depicted in heavily-filtered and carefully-curated Instagram posts is potentially damaging to the mental health of those without the means to recreate what they see. Nonetheless, it has become central to many brands' strategies.

There are a lot of Instagram stats out there - some of them wildly fluctuating. We've gathered a good proportion of them for you below. Read on if you want to learn who uses Instagram, the most successful brands and the most-followed users, how much marketers are investing in the platform, and much, much, more.

We'll start with raw figures (under Key Statistics), with analysis following beneath.

Instagram Overview

Key Instagram Statistics

1 billion Instagram users (official statistics), 1.16 billion estimated as of Q3 2020 (Hootsuite/We Are Social)

500 million daily active users of Instagram Stories (official statistics)

Gender split of Instagram users estimated at 51% female to 49% male (Hootsuite/We Are Social)

70% of Instagram users are under 35 (Hootsuite/We Are Social)

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed person on Instagram, with 244 million followers in December 2020 (Social Blade)

After Instagram (382 million followers), National Geographic is the most-followed brand on Instagram, with 147 million followers as of December 2020 (Social Blade)

Fashion accounts for 25% of brand interactions on Instagram (Socialbakers)

39% of brands spend over 20% of their marketing budget on influencer marketing (Influencer Marketing Hub)

Brands in the US and Canada spent $1.35 billion on influencer marketing in 2019, with Fashion Nova alone spending $40 million (Instascreener)

Instagram estimated to have brought in $20 billion in ad revenue in 2019, against total Facebook ad revenue of $70 billion (Bloomberg)

Key Instagram User Statistics
*estimated

*official stats, latest as of Q3 2020

*as of December 2020
Key Instagram Usage Statistics
*SimilarWeb stats refer to visits, Alexa to daily usage. Stats pulled December 2020.
Key Instagram Brand Statistics
*as of December 2020
Key Instagram Influencer Marketing Statistics
*in the US, UK, and Germany

*in the US, UK, and Germany

*in the US, UK, and Germany

*in the US, UK, and Germany

*effectiveness measures number of followers, interactions per followers, and posting activity.
Key Instagram Revenue Statistics
*after traffic acquisition costs paid to partner sites, US only

Other Key Instagram Statistics

Instagram MAUs estimated at 1.15 billion in October 2020 (Hootsuite/We Are Social)

51% of the global Instagram user base are female, 49% male (Hootsuite/We Are Social)

69% of global internet users in selected markets are Instagram users, 66% are users (GlobalWebIndex)

Instagram downloaded 425 million times in 2019, putting it fifth in terms of overall downloads (Sensor Tower)

Around 135 million Instagram downloads in Q3 2020, following on from 140 million in Q2 2020, again putting it fifth in terms of global downloads (Sensor Tower)

Instagram was the fourth most-downloaded app of the 2010s (App Annie)

25% of US teenagers say Instagram is their favourite social media, down from 35% in 2019 after being overtaken by TikTok (Marketing Charts)

84% of US teens use Instagram (Marketing Charts)

41% of Instagram users don't watch television on any sort of regular basis (Facebook)

Only 7 millions downloads of IGTV in the first 18 months (TechCrunch)

26% of Millennial and Gen Z internet users in the US/UK use Instagram Live (GlobalWebIndex)

95 million pictures posted to Instagram every day as of June 2016 (Wired)

Average users posts to their main feed once per day (Locowise via Hootsuite/We Are Social)

Average Instagram post has 10.7 hashtags, though 50% of posts use fewer than six (HubSpot)

Most-used hashtag is #love, with over 2.1 million uses (in an analysis of 80 million posts), followed by #photography and #instagood, with a little under 1.5 million each (HubSpot)

Hashtag with highest average engagement is #tbt, with nearly 400 interactions, followed by #hair (just under 350), and #dance (~275) (HubSpot)

Median Instagram brand profile interactions per posts are 188 for carousels, ~140 for imagines, and ~95 for video (Socialbakers)

Rupert Grint reached 1 million followers in 4 hours 1 minute, the current record for reaching this milestone (Guinness World Records)

Influencer marketing industry worth $9.7 billion in 2020 (Influencer Marketing Hub)

Most-followed demographic influencer demographic is females aged 25-34, who claim nearly 25% of Instagram influencer followers (Socialbakers)

Female influencers aged 18-34 claim over 50% of influencer interactions and 45% of influencer followers (Socialbakers)

More than 90% of influencer marketing campaigns use Instagram (Influencer Marketing Hub)

10.6% increase in number of influencers using of #ad hashtag between Q3 2019 and Q3 2020; 30% decline between April 2019 and April 2020; 60% increase registered between Q3 2018 and Q3 2019 (Socialbakers)

33.3% influencers working with brands have fewer than 10,000 followers; these XS influencers account for 31.9% of posts using #ad (Socialbakers)

93.9% of brand partnerships are with influencers with fewer than 100,000 followers; this varies between regions: from 92.3% in North America to 95.9% in Latin America (Socialbakers)

15% of macro influencers (over 1 million followers) use #ad, compared to only 1.3% of micro influencers (under 10,000 followers) (Socialbakers)

17% of Instagram users have clicked on a brand tagged by a brand/seller (GlobalWebIndex)

14% of Instagram users have clicked on a sponsored post (GlobalWebIndex)

Median Instagram post engagement levels for branded posts is 1.6%, say Sprout Social (Sprout Social)

Trust Insights reports average engagement levels of 0.9% for branded content (Trust Insights)

Iconosquare give a more positive 4.7% engagement level for branded content (Iconosquare)

InfluencerDB pegs sponsored post engagement at 2.4% (InfluencerDB)

InfluencerDB finds 8.8% engagement for influencers with under 1,000, and 3.6% for those with over 1,000 (InfluencerDB)

Average Instagram brand campaign uses 726 influencers (InfluencerDB)

78% of Millennials claim to be indifferent or averse to celebrity endorsements (eMarketer)

More 16-24-year-olds in the US, UK, and Germany (23%) believe Instagram is the social media channel most representative of society than any other (Takumi)

Fashion influencers account for 25% of sponsored posts (Socialbakers)

Somewhere between 80-91% of marketers believe influencer marketing is effective, depending on who you ask... ( Mediakix/Influencer Marketing Hub)

72% of brand representatives believe that influencer marketing results in higher quality leads (Influencer Marketing Hub)

66% of brands planned to increase their influencer marketing spend in 2020 (Influencer Marketing Hub)

47% of influencer marketing spend goes on micro influencers, with 23% spent on celebrity influencers (Influencer Marketing Hub)

87% of marketers say Instagram is important to their marketing strategy (Influencer Marketing Hub)

Marketers can make $5.20 for every $1 invested in influencer marketing (Influencer Marketing Hub)

17% of marketers spend over 50% of their budget on influencer marketing (Mediakix)

60% of marketers will spend over 50% of their influencer marketing budget on Instagram (Mediakix)

Global spend on influencer marketing is predicted to be worth somewhere between $5 billion and $10 billion by 2020 - rising as high as $15 billion by 2022 (Mediakix)

Daniel Wellington was the most influencer mentioned brand over 2018, with 20,000 mentions from over 7,000 influencers (using the #ad hashtag) - one post from Kylie Jenner was interacted with 4.6 million times (Socialbakers)

In Q3 2020, influencers posts mentioning BT were interacted with more than 175,000 times more than posts originating from the brand (Socialbakers)

In 2019, $255 million of total $1.4 billion influencer marketing spend on Instagram went on fake followers (Instascreener via Digiday)

Only 11.1% of marketers would choose Instagram as the most data secure channel (Takumi)

66% of people say they use Instagram specifically to interact with brands; 53% see they would follow a brand for its content alone (Facebook)

Nike Football was the brand account with the most interactions over 2018, with 2 million

2 million advertisers use Instagram on a monthly basis (Talkwalker via Marketing Dive)

Number of advertisers using Story ads at 4 million (TechCrunch)

3 million of Facebook's total advertisers use Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger Stories combined (TechCrunch)

Between Q1 2019 and Q3 2020, Instagram main feed ads accounted 18.7-21.2% of ad spend (Socialbakers)

10.4% of Facebook ad spending went on Stories in Q3 2020, and 17.5% in main feed ads (Socialbakers)

Audience size of 50 biggest brands 35% larger on Instagram than Facebook, with engagement 22x greater; despite this, only 38.1% of brands posts are made on Instagram (Socialbakers)

In Q3 2020 Instagram feed ad CPC fell by 20.1% year-on-year, and Stories by 15.2% (to around $0.45 and $0.38) and ; Q2 saw a 37% decline in both (Socialbakers)

In Q3 2020, Instagram feed ad CPM fell by 11.9%, and stories by 8.4% (to around $1.40 and $0.75); Q2 saw a 28% decline in both (Socialbakers)

CPC for Instagram feed ads is around $0.45, and for Stories $0.38 (Socialbakers)

CPM for Instagram feed ads is around $1.40, and for Stories around $0.80 (Socialbakers)

It is estimated that Instagram brought in $2 billion in ad revenue in Q2 2018; this was predicted to reach as much as $7 billion by Q4 2020 (Recode)

Instagram ad revenue as a share of Facebook ad revenue was predicted to rise from 9% in 2017 to 30% by 2020 (Recode)

Instagram valued at $100 billion by Bloomberg in 2018 (Bloomberg)

More Social App Data

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Instagram Revenue and Usage Statistics (2021)

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Instagram is a photo and short video sharing social network. It was founded in 2010 by software engineer Michel Krieger and computer programmer and former Google-employee Kevin Systrom. The iOS release took place in October 2010, and the Android in April 2012. The idea for Instagram came when Systrom was holidaying with his partner in Mexico in 2010.

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Collaborating and networking with other musicians who already have some followers helps to build the following on the page.

Using hashtags that relate to the post will direct people who are interested in this content to the posts and show the posts in their "Explore page"

Instagram offers the ability to go live, respond to followers, post images and videos to the "story" section and highlight. Highlighting stories keeps them on the profile until you remove them and keeps them separate from the main posts on the page. It's easy to organize original riff videos and final videos.

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Instagram is one of the best places to grow a fanbase for musicians. But you only have to take a trip to the explore page to realize that there is a ton of content posted on Instagram every single day. How on earth do you stand out and get noticed by new and potential fans? To help you out, I've compiled everything you need to know about growing your fanbase on Instagram into this musician's guide to Instagram.

If you're new to Instagram, make sure you check out this post to learn the in's and out's of taking great photos, posting, and setting up your musician account.

Growing Your Fanbase on Instagram

Once you have some great content, let's talk about what it takes to grow a fanbase for your music on Instagram. I'm going to tell you this right up front: there is no quick-fix, cheat, or formula to growing your fanbase on Instagram. Growing an engaged, dedicated, and enthusiastic community of fans takes time and consistency. That's it.

Sure, there are follow-for-follow strategies or other "hacks," but all you're going to get with those strategies is a number. In other words, you'll get followers but they won't be true fans who actually care about what you have to say or share. A number isn't worth anything if those fans are not commenting on your posts, buying your music, or coming out to gigs.

So instead, I want you to focus on the effective ways to build your fanbase on Instagram in a way that's authentic and genuine. Let's take a look.

The Musician's Guide to the Instagram Algorithm

Currently, Instagram feeds are organized by an algorithm. Posts are not displayed chronologically. Instead, Instagram orders posts in a feed based on what it thinks you want to see. As a result, you'll notice posts from people you engage with a lot towards the top of your feed. Conversely, fans who engage with your posts regularly are more likely to see your posts than fans who rarely engage.

Here's the secret to "beat" the algorithm and make sure your fans to see your posts. Act like an actual, social, human being.

The algorithm goes through a lot of minor changes, but ultimately it always prioritizes engagement. The more likes and comments your posts get, the more people will see them. The more active and engaged fans you have, the more successful you will be.

So here's the secret to "beat" the algorithm and make sure your fans to see your posts. Act like an actual, social, human being. It's that simple. If you talk with your fans instead of at them, if you respond to comments and have actual conversations with your fans, and if you treat them like people and not numbers, you'll be successful.

I also want to footnote this section by saying that it's totally normal to have a large group of inactive fans on Instagram. Most fanbases follow the 80/20 rule (or something close to it). Often, 20% of the fans are responsible for 80% of the engagement.

How Often to Post on Instagram as a Musician?

How often you post is a big part of growing your fanbase on Instagram. When you're posting to Instagram, always opt for quality over quantity. Always. You'll be better off posting a one really engaging photo with a conversational caption that gets people commenting than a few rushed posts that no one really responds to. Remember, each post should be contributing to your story in some way, and that, above all, should affect how often you post.

A lot of Instagram guides for musicians will tell you that you need to be posting at LEAST once per day if you want to grow a following. That's not always true. Yes, Instagram's algorithm does reward frequency and consistency. BUT if you're not posting QUALITY content and posting just to reach some quota, you're not going to see the kind of growth you want.

That said, consistency is important. Figure out what you can realistically manage and stick with it.

Spread things out even if you have a lot going on and a lot of really great, interesting posts you want to share. Avoid the urge to share them all at once! You'll get much more engagement if you spread them out - say, one per day - than if you lumped them all together. This will help you avoid that "commenting fatigue" that occurs when you share too many posts at once and will help to ensure all your posts get maximum engagement.

These are some of the strategies that we teach in our music marketing and promotion courses at New Artist Model.

Build a Network FIRST

This is perhaps one of the most effective strategies in this musician's guide to Instagram, so pay attention! I see far too many musicians try to hit the ground running on Instagram only to be disappointed when they don't grow a fanbase on Instagram as quickly as they would like.

So instead of focusing on finding fans from the start, focus on finding a network. This should be a community of supportive musicians, songwriters, and bands at a similar level to you.

Use hashtags and the explore page to find other small and independent musicians whose work you genuinely love. Follow them and take the time to leave real, valuable comments on their posts. In other words, actually, comment on their music or their caption instead of the unfortunately all too common "Cool. Check out my music."

Be consistent and be supportive and eventually you will start up two-way communication and a relationship of genuine reciprocity. On Instagram, two accounts that follow each other and support each other are called "mutuals." In the beginning, it may very well be just these mutuals who are leaving comments on your posts. But that honest engagement will lead to more organic discovery.

Use Collaboration to Reach New Potential Fans

Once you build some relationships, you can start collaborating to expose each other to your respective audiences. When you collaborate with another artist, you are tapping into the power of a trusted source. If they like your music, your audience is likely to trust your musical taste, and will, therefore, take a recommendation for another band seriously. And visa versa.

The key with successful collaborations is the think of ways you can authentically recommend each other's music to your audiences. Remember, it's all about building your story and narrative. If you trade shoutouts with any and every musician on Instagram, your audience will start to lose trust in you.

So here are some ideas. Cover each other's songs and post 60-second video clips to your feeds. Remember to tag and @mention each other. Share each other's music via your Stories or in a #musicmonday post. Co-host a contest or giveaway together. Do a fun live stream where you write a song together. This exposure will be more powerful than any hashtag strategy during your early time on Instagram. If you want more promotion ideas, check out this article.

Respond to ALL Comments and DMs

I know it can seem tedious to respond to every single comment you get on Instagram, but it is single-handedly the easiest thing you can do to build more engagement around your posts.

Think about it - once you respond to your fans, it opens up the opportunity for a conversation, leading to even more comments on your posts. Plus, fans who feel like you care about what they have to say are more likely to take the time to comment on future posts. It's a simple action, but responding to comments and DMs can help fans get more invested in your career and move them towards superfans.

And remember, the comments you get on your posts aren't just numbers. They are real fans voicing their support for you. Their support is what will make or break your career, and that's worth appreciating.

The Musician's Guide to Instagram Hashtags

Just like Twitter, hashtags are important for growing your fanbase on Instagram. Think of them as organic discovery drivers - a way to build a fanbase and get more followers on Instagram. People will often browse through certain hashtags to find new posts and new accounts to follow. The "Explore" tab will also use your hashtags to recommend your posts to relevant audiences. Which is especially important if you're just starting out.

Think of hashtags as organic discovery drivers.

So what are the best hashtags for musicians to use for music marketing on Instagram? When choosing Instagram tags for musicians, don't simply use what's trending. You want to choose hashtags that reach a targeted audience that's likely to be interested in your music. Relevance is key here. Going niche is always going to be better than going broad. So instead of using #music, you might use #progrock. Instead of using #guitar, you might use #fender. Instead of using #singer, you might use #acapella.

To help you choose the right hashtags, check out what hashtags similar artists are using, especially on posts that have high levels of engagement. Remember, it's not about copying someone else's hashtag list. Instead, think of this as market research. Look at what's working, think about if and how those hashtags may relate to your music, and use that information to build your own hashtag list - one that's specific to you and your story.

Another way to see if a hashtag might effectively reach your fanbase is to simply browse the posts containing that hashtag. If these posts are related to things your audience is interested in, consider adding them to your next post. You'll also see a list of related hashtags at the top of the Explore page if you search a specific tag.

If your content is relevant to a specific geographic location, you can also use geotagging to further target your audience.

Even if you're able to grow your fanbase on Instagram, it's still only one part of your music promotion strategy. If you want to effectively promote your music, you need to be thinking big picture and start getting your social followers to go deeper by signing up for emails and buying your music.

We show you how to do this in the free How to Promote Your Music guide. You'll learn how to create interesting and engaging social posts, and how to start collecting emails and emailing your fans. Plus you'll get three social media checklists with tons of post ideas to get you started!

WANT TO GO FURTHER WITH YOUR MARKETING AND PROMOTION EFFORTS?

If you want help promoting your music, sign up for one of our marketing and promotion courses including How to Build Your Audience with Cover Songs, Music Marketing 101 and the Promote and Market Your Music Super Pack.
These marketing and promotion courses will teach you:

The modern strategies for music marketing, branding and promotion that will work best for you.

Tools to identify and create goals for marketing your music.

How to build your brand and leverage the power of sponsorships to drive awareness of your music.

See exactly how to develop and enhance your website and create an electronic press kit (EPK) to attract attention.

See how to master digital marketing including how to build an email list and create effective communications for your audience.

How to effectively promote your music on social media and how you can leverage these channels to build your audience on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and via email.

Get the knowledge to understand marketing and branding and what works for you and your fanbase. Gain the confidence to excel by building alliances with people who can help you grow your audience. See exactly how to sell more music, tickets and merchandise using modern social media marketing techniques. Get more fans and sell more music. Learn how to tap into new revenue streams. See how to leverage your interests to find real fans and harness momentum. Discover the power of niche marketing and how to find your exact niche. Learn how to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd by tapping into like-minded people, sponsorships and causes to find and grow your audience.
Check out all our music marketing and promotion courses here.
These classes are part of the online music business training offered at New Artist Model.

We Welcome Your Comments

Comments

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Musician's Guide to Instagram: Growing Your Fanbase - New Artist Model

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Instagram is one of the best places to grow a fanbase for musicians. But you only have to take a trip to the explore page to realize that there is a ton of content posted on Instagram every single day. How on earth do you stand out and get noticed by new and potential fans?

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Human connection, keeping in contact with friends, family and significant others is very important for our mental health. Making a way for people to connect through music and encouraging collaboration can bring new people together who may not have collaborated before. New friendships can blossom alongside new art being created with these new collaborations.

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The importance of human connection - CMHA National

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What do you do from day to day to care for yourself? Most would say that to be healthy, you need nutritious food and exercise. But what about your social...

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The importance of human connection

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Creativity through online creative collaborative group projects

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Creativity through online creative collaborative group projects

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This study found that collaborating online with others is effective and pushes creativity. The participants all had very positive feedback and found the collaborative project fun, which is the goal with The Grand Jam.

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Copyright

License

Published in Asian Association of Open Universities Journal. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

Introduction

Creativity is commonly described as the capacity to create objects or ideas that are novel and effective ( Runco and Jaeger, 2012). It is valued highly across many disciplines and has been identified by educational institutions as an extremely important competency ( Creely and Henriksen, 2019). Creative skills are in demand in the workforce and are considered essential for both personal and professional success. According to LinkedIn, an American online business and employment-oriented service, creativity tops the list of skills that companies need the most ( Petrone, 2019). It is given priority in job recruitment processes because of the crucial role that innovation plays in business ( Wesley et al., 2017).

Higher education institutions (HEIs) should therefore prepare their students for integration into the work force by equipping them with the theory and skills that are aligned with current employers' demands ( Collet et al., 2015). While many employers are satisfied with the technical abilities of the students, they express the need to develop soft skills such as creativity ( Mareque et al., 2019).

However, the importance of encouraging creative thinking in students has frequently been overlooked. Since the view of many current educational systems is dominated by academic ability, creativity is not valued as much as literacy is ( Robinson, 2006). In educational contexts that are heavily reliant on curriculum controls, very limited opportunities are available for students to exercise their creative capacity. There is not much motivation for teachers and learners to develop a creative mind-set, and few incentives are given for manifesting creativity in educational institutions ( Cremin, 2015).

The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate whether the creative collaborative group project is a feasible, effective and acceptable learning activity for fostering the development of creative skills in a graduate course offered by a HEI through distance learning. It intends to achieve this through the qualitative phenomenological approach of understanding the experience of graduate students participating in a creative collaborative group project in a master's level course of a fully online distance education (DE) institution.

Background

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) was established in 1995 as an open university and DE institution within the structure of the national university, the University of the Philippines System. As a state university, UPOU provides quality education to individuals seeking to obtain a higher education degree or improved qualifications, but who cannot do so through traditional methods of education. Though it initially employed a print-based mode of delivery using stand-alone modules along with occasional face-to-face sessions, UPOU subsequently shifted in 2012 to a completely online mode of delivery characterized by the use of various Web technologies ( Arinto, 2013).

The digital era and globalization in the twenty-first (21st) century underscore the need for HEIs such as the UPOU to re-evaluate their pedagogical practices and use of resources and align them in ways that will improve the quality and effectivity of the learning process. Currently students need to be equipped with 21st century skills, which will enable them to seek new information from various sources, translate this information into knowledge that can be applied and communicate this knowledge in different forms and circumstances, as well as solve problems creatively while collaborating with others ( Scott, 2015).

In 2017, Bonito and Orias conducted a review of the most common learning activities designed around Web-based resources in UPOU. Their study revealed that the most common learning activities in many courses offered at the UPOU were "reading/ viewing/ answering study questions," discussion forum participation and writing critical analyses-activities, which provide students with limited opportunities to exercise creativity in using and constructing shared content ( Bonito and Orias, 2017). These observations are consistent with findings in other studies that despite efforts to encourage creative education in many Asian counties, there has been little discourse on the pedagogical strategies to cultivate creativity or the creative qualities that these strategies need to develop ( Choe, 2006; Cheng, 2011; Lin, 2011). Moreover, much of the academic literature on creativity along with the research approaches, theories and insights as to how this can be enhanced has also been based on Western methods ( Choe, 2006). There is a gap in the literature on how to develop and enhance creativity in everyday practice in the Asian context, as well as its compatibility with local educational values ( Lin, 2014).

With the aim of addressing the dearth of teaching and learning activities in UPOU, which are aimed at developing the creative capacity of students, the author looked into possible courses where an innovative approach could be introduced. The course selected was the three-unit elective on Lifelong Learning (Course Code: EDDE 211), which is offered to students in the Master of Distance Education (MDE) program. The existing design of this course included three faculty-marked assignments in addition to required module readings and discussion forums. In the three iterations of this Lifelong Learning course from 2013 onward, the learning activities in the faculty-marked assignments have revolved around the following activities: (1) a critical reflection essay, (2) a written report on needs assessment in connection with lifelong learning in one's institution or organization and (3) a research proposal on an aspect of lifelong learning relevant to the student, to be presented in a seminar. While these learning activities provided opportunities for facilitating the development of critical thinking and communication skills, there were limited opportunities for the students to exercise and develop their creativity.

Upon receiving the assignment to handle the course in 2017, the author explored the possibility of innovating the teaching and learning process by introducing the "creative collaborative group project" in lieu of one of the existing requirements.

The study addresses the lack of opportunities to exercise and develop creative skills in UPOU courses through the introduction of an innovative learning activity. The findings will benefit students by way of enhancing the learning experience, as well as various stakeholders in the workplace and industry in terms of improved creative skills in current or future members of the workforce.

Research questions

The goal of the study is to explore the use of the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity to foster creativity in a course in a HEI. On the basis of this research goal and the review of related literature, the following research questions were developed to guide the investigation:

1. How feasible is the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity for fostering creativity in a master's level course offered by a state university though a fully online distance learning mode?

2. How effective is the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity for fostering creativity in a master's level course offered by a state university though a fully online distance learning mode?

3. How acceptable is the creative collaborative group project to the students as a learning activity for fostering creativity in a master's level course offered by a state university though a fully online distance learning mode?

Literature review

Review of related literature

Creativity is the ability to come up with novel and significant ideas using a wide variety of techniques as well as develop, fine-tune, scrutinize and assess these ideas to improve on them. It is the capacity to see mistakes positively as an opportunity to learn, with the realization that innovation and creativity involve going through cycles of small successes and frequent failures and implementing creative ideas to come up with concrete and useful contributions to the field ( National Education Association, 2012, p. 25).

According to Runco and Jaeger (2012), the standard definition of creativity must include two elements: originality and effectiveness. In this regard, they favor the following definition given by Stein (Stein, as cited in Runco et al., 2012):

The creative work is a novel work that is accepted as tenable or useful or satisfying by a group in some point in time ... By "novel" I mean that the creative product did not exist previously in precisely the same form ... The extent to which a work is novel depends on the extent to which it deviates from the traditional or the status quo. This may well depend on the nature of the problem that is attacked, the fund of knowledge or experience that exists in the field at the time, and the characteristics of the creative individual and those of the individuals with whom he [or she] is communicating..."

Runco (1996) upholds the assertion of Stein that social judgment is involved since creative work is inclined to be of use for certain groups and that a creative insight may result from putting together already existing knowledge or materials in manner that results in the reconstructed version containing novel elements.

Creativity may be expressed as either eminent or everyday creativity. Eminent creativity is manifested by highly creative individuals who produce a tangible high-level output such as a work of art, invention or performance. Everyday creativity is nonformal and more personal; although the potential of an everyday creative may not result in a tangible product, it can still be original and effective for that particular individual. This creative capacity is used to deal with issues encountered in our daily lives ( Runco, 2009).

Creativity may also be conveyed in various ways within and across domains, including education. Education is considered to be a means of preparation for one's career as well as individual success and development. For this reason, different sectors of society continuously conduct research on learning dispositions, skills and abilities that have been associated with success.

Prior to the Internet age, the focus of educators had been on preparing students for acquiring content and knowledge through literacy and numeracy skills, believing that mastery of these would be enough for success. However, in the current knowledge society, although cognitive skills such as literacy and numeracy skills are still considered to be necessary and relevant, these are no longer enough to ensure success. Society is transforming radically as a result of technologies that are changing the way people behave, interact with others and process information ( Bruno and Canina, 2019). Since these digital technologies are now accessible to most people, there are increased opportunities for people to engage in creative activities ( Literat and Glaveanu, 2018).

Individuals should now be equipped with certain skills, competencies and learning dispositions that will allow them to effectively participate in the current complex and rapidly changing digital society. Twenty-first century skills such as innovative design skills and creative spirit in the work force are highly valued. This underscores the importance of fostering creative capacity in HEIs, whose students are or will be part of the work force. According to Gardner (2007, as cited in NEA, 2012, p. 24), the kind of education needed to develop a creative mind is one that encourages students to explore and solve challenging problems, as well as tolerates or even encourages productive mistakes. Robinson (2006) avers that one must be prepared to be wrong in order to come up with something original. Failure lies at the core of the creative process; it is at this point that the learner recognizes that a novel idea or design has fallen short of the expected outcome and should thus be improved upon ( Creely et al., 2019).

Unfortunately, many of the current educational systems view intelligence as being dominated by academic ability; thus, creativity is not valued in education as much as literacy is. Since a premium is placed on getting things right, mistakes are stigmatized, and students work hard at trying to avoid making them. However, for one to be creative, one must be prepared to be wrong in order to come up with something original; the end result is that the school system "educates people out of their creative capacities" and by the time people reach adulthood, many individuals have lost their creative capacity ( Robinson, 2006). HEIs should address this problem by finding ways to foster creativity in students. This is possible even in DE institutions using an online delivery platform. According to Holz (2017), the online learning environment is a good venue for facilitating the development of creativity by approaching it as a two-step process: generating creative ideas by exploring and investigating new knowledge and then applying these in novel and varied contexts.

Learning activities in an online educational institution may be done individually or as a group. Group projects have long been used as supplementary activities to improve cognitive learning among learners in a face-to-face setting. They provide practical experience, allow students to apply concepts learned as well as teach the students creative construction and group dynamics. Many teachers believe that effective communication is vital to the success of project teams ( Hoegl and Gemuenden, 2001). However, they also believe that it is much more difficult to communicate when the students cannot meet in person. Thus, the prevailing belief is that group projects and teamwork are more difficult to carry out properly if the participants are geographically dispersed and not able to meet face to face ( Whatley et al., 2001). It may be for this reason that group projects are not often used in online education courses Ekblaw, 2017).

At first, it may seem that group projects involving online collaboration may be done with little difficulty due to advances in technology. On the contrary, however, online collaboration can be quite challenging for students due to differences in schedules, work paces and time zones; different computer platforms and applications; security of file sharing; and no opportunities for face-to-face meetings. Therefore, it is important for teachers to be aware of these when planning online collaboration projects ( Whatley et al., 2001).

Theoretical framework

The theoretical framework that underpins the study is anchored on constructivism, a theory of learning that asserts that people learn by constructing their own understanding and knowledge of the world as they go through and reflect on different experiences. In the process of assimilating and accommodating new information, learners build upon the foundation of what they previously know in order to construct new and modified knowledge. Since meaningful connections are made through questioning, assessing and exploring, learning is an active rather than a passive process ( Bada, 2015). Inasmuch as learners construct their own meaning of the real world from their personal experience, with their own mental models continuously evolving to reflect the new information that they acquire, they create their own interpretation of reality, which need not correspond to real-world reality (Driscoll, 2000 as cited in Bada, 2015). This implies that a single learning activity may result in varied learning experiences for each student since each individual is processing it within different personal contexts.

Social constructivism, a branch of constructivism developed by Lev Vygotsky, posits that while knowledge is individually constructed through one's experiences, learning is a social and collaborative undertaking where people construct meaning in the course of their interactions with each another. In the context of a learning environment, the social interaction and collaboration between different students who each have their own experience of the learning activity result in various perspectives on the course content as well as multiple representations of reality ( Schreiber and Valle, 2013).

Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) may help in the understanding of constructivist teaching approaches. The ZPD is defined as "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" ( Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86). Simply put, it is an acknowledgment that students can learn skills and concepts that they cannot master on their own with the help of more knowledgeable persons such as the teacher or more advanced peers and that it is through working in collaborative activities with these more experienced persons that a student can best learn and internalize new concepts and skills ( Shabani et al., 2010). Thus, the role of the constructivist teacher is not to passively transmit knowledge, but to advise, guide and facilitate learning by creating an environment that encourages the construction of knowledge through collaboration, social interaction and participation. This provides authentic learning experiences where students are active participants in their own learning ( Schreiber and Valle, 2013).

Conceptual framework

The conceptual framework of the study is based on Lin's creative pedagogy framework ( Lin, 2011), which is informed by two propositions that underpin the creative approach to education: (1) that creativity can be developed through certain strategies ( Lin, 2011) and (2) that the potential to be creative is present in everyone ( NACCCE, 1999).

The creative pedagogy framework consists of three elements: (1) creative teaching and (2) teaching for creativity, which are two distinctive views of enhancing creativity through teaching ( NACCCE, 1999); and (3) creative and active learning (see Figure 1).

Teaching creatively (creative teaching) refers to "using imaginative approaches to make learning more interesting, exciting and effective" ( NACCCE, 1999); the focus is on the teaching practice. However, although this is an important factor in teaching well, it does not ensure that the students are developing their own creative abilities. According to Lin (2014), this practice has a supportive ethos for nurturing creativity by way of the teacher's creativity and enthusiasm.

Teaching for creativity refers to employing teaching strategies that can develop the creative skills of the students ( NACCCE, 1999); the focus is on learner agency, that is, the learning is derived from the action and initiative of the student. This addresses the development of the student's creative abilities. The supportive ethos in this practice is established when the teacher creates a learning context that encourages creative contributions from the students ( Lin, 2014).

Creative learning is stimulated when students learn spontaneously by actively and creatively engaging with their environment through activities such as inquiring, experimenting, searching, manipulating and the like, rather than passively accepting knowledge from authority in the form of teachers or books ( Torrance, 1970). It is an important element in the creative pedagogy framework because neglecting spontaneous creative learning and learner autonomy leads to difficulties in cultivating creativity in children ( Lin, 2011).

These three elements are interconnected and interact with each other in a dynamic teaching and learning process to facilitate everyday creativity ( Lin, 2014).

Framework for creative learning outcomes

The framework for evaluating the learning outcomes for creativity is based on the 21st century student outcomes of the P21 framework, a model for integrating 21st century skills into the teaching of key academic subjects. This framework was first created in 2006 and is updated continuously, the most recent being in 2015 ( Demystifying learning frameworks, 2016). Although the P21 framework was originally intended for use in the basic and secondary levels of education, it is still applicable in other education levels as a general guide for desired outcomes in terms of skills and competencies.

The theoretical basis for the P21 framework is that students should be given the appropriate opportunities and means to acquire the skills that they will need for work and careers in the current world.

A skill is an ability, proficiency or capacity to do something that is learned, developed or acquired through training and experience. Competencies include not only skills but also the knowledge, abilities and behaviors that are fundamental to the use of those skills. The P21 framework articulates the combination of content knowledge, specific skills, literacies, expertise and competencies that students need to develop and master in order to succeed in work, life and citizenship. Creativity is one of the learning and innovation skills in the P21 framework, and the elements described as "21st century student outcomes" (represented by the rainbow) are the knowledge, skills and expertise students should master to succeed in work and life in the 21st century. These specific learning outcomes for creativity used in the P21 framework will be employed to determine the presence of creative skills in the participants' self-expressed written reflections ( P21 Framework Definitions, 2009).

Research design and methodology

Research design

The study has a qualitative research design with the ontological philosophical assumption that there are multiple realities about the experience or phenomenon of being a participant in a creative collaborative group project. Specifically, it is a phenomenological research that looks into and understands how the study participants who experience the said phenomenon view their own individual experiences ( Creswell and Poth, 2007).

The research worldview is based on social constructivism, where the individual participant tries to understand the world he/she lives in and comes up with subjective meanings of their experiences. Therefore, the aim of the research is to look into one's views on the situation of being a participant in a creative collaborative group project. Since this is an initial exploratory study without any precedent, the students were instructed to write their reflections and insights about their experience of participating in the creative collaborative group project. The question is broad, general and open-ended so that the participants have the freedom to construct meaning from their lived experience.

Research setting

The study was conducted from January 6, 2018 to March 17, 2018 during the second trimester of the academic year 2017-2018 at the UPOU. The course was a ten-week master's level elective course on Lifelong Learning (Course Code: EDDE 211), which was designed to introduce graduate students to the theories, principles, approaches and perspectives that underpin lifelong learning. Course materials consisted of 11 resource-based course modules on various topics on lifelong learning. Course activities consisted of three discussion forums aligned with the modules and two faculty-marked assignments, the first of which was an individual critical reflection essay. The learning activity to be investigated - that is, the creative collaborative group project - is the second of the faculty-marked assignments.

All course materials and activities were delivered fully online through the UPOU's open-source Moodle-based virtual learning environment.

Research participants

The study participants were graduate students from the UPOU MDE program who were enrolled in the course on Lifelong Learning (EDDE 211) during the period wherein the research was conducted.

Research methodology

Thirty-eight graduate students enrolled in the course on Lifelong Learning (EDDE 211) were divided into seven groups consisting of five to six students each. The groupings were assigned by alphabetical rotation, while topic assignments based on the course modules were drawn from a pool of numbers. Each group was given five (5) weeks starting from the fifth week of the term to conceptualize, prepare and deliver a creative project presenting key points and important concepts in lifelong learning.

A creative project was defined as "any original creative effort, including writing (poetry, short story, essay, play), art (painting, drawing, collage, photography), music (songs and compositions), and mixed media (video, performance art)". It could also refer to a way of presenting important concepts and key points of the topic covered by the specified modules in any manner other than the usual straightforward written report. These creative ways may include, but are not limited to, presentations, collages, infographics, posters, wikis or blogs, websites, videos, film and songs.

All group projects were shared with the rest of the class through the course site. Members of the class were invited to view and comment on and react to the creative output of each group.

A rubric for assessment was used in the course, with performance indicators being creativity/choice and use of tools and techniques for chosen format; content; quality of sources and citation; organization; adherence to submission deadline; and overall work and effort. A peer evaluation form that included meaningful contribution to group discussions, completion of assigned work on time, preparation of work in a quality manner, demonstration of a cooperative and supportive attitude and significant contribution to the success of the project as evaluation criteria was also used by the study participants. However, an analysis of the assessment and the peer evaluation forms was beyond the scope of the study and were used only as part of the institutional requirements for the course.

Data gathering

Students gave feedback on the group experience in the form of an essay in answer to the instruction for them to write their reflections about their experience of participating in the creative collaborative group project.

Data analysis

The data was analyzed using a descriptive approach, that is, the participant's description of the experience is processed as meaning-laden statements related to the phenomenon of interest - in this case, the experience of being part of the creative collaborative group project - in order to understand the most essential meaning of participation from the perspective of those who directly participated in it ( Giorgi, 1997). Data analysis was done by reading the reflections and comments of the participants, noting of the emergent themes and searching for connections and patterns across the themes. The first cycle coding methods used were a combination of descriptive coding (wherein the topic of what the participant said is summarized into a word or phrase) and in vivo coding (which codes actual terms and phrases used by the study participants) ( Saldaña, 2009). Pattern coding, where the initial codes are analyzed and grouped into a smaller number of themes, was used as the second cycle coding method ( Saldaña, 2009). All coding methods were done manually by the study author. Emergent themes were correlated with the outcomes ascribed to creative skills and competencies in the P21 framework to analyze the effectiveness of the activity in fostering creative skills.

Ethical issues

An informed consent was obtained from all the study participants. All procedures in the study were in accordance with national ethical standards.

Results and discussion

Demographics

The ages of the study participants ranged from 21 to 54 years. Eighteen participants (47.4%) belonged to the 30-39 age group, twelve (31.6%) to the 21-29 age group, seven (18.4%) to the 40-49 age group and one (2.6%) to the 50-59 age group. The majority of the study participants were based in the Philippines (31/37), while seven were offshore students based in five other countries (i.e. three in China, one each in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Indonesia). All of the study participants were employed at the time of the study, and all but one were Filipino.

Feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness

The objectives of the study were to look into the feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability of the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity for fostering creativity in a master's level course offered fully online DE institution.

Feasibility

Feasibility is defined as the capability of an intervention to be carried out or implemented. Thus, if the groups were capable of successfully carrying out and completing the creative collaborative project that they had worked on within the given time frame, then such a learning activity can be considered feasible.

The findings revealed that all seven groups were able to complete and submit their projects by the given deadline. The resulting creative output of the seven groups was diverse; it included two websites, two videos, a wiki, a Webquest module and a PowerPoint presentation (see Table 1).

All seven groups were able to turn in creative projects, which met or even exceeded the standards set by the course within the allotted time of five weeks, despite all of the students being employed and some students being based offshore in different countries and different time zones

All groups submitted well-crafted and well-executed creative projects in various formats. Each demonstrated skillful to masterful choice and/or inventive use of tools and techniques consistent with the creative format they had selected. The projects were able to convey important key points and concepts in the assigned module, were organized and easy to understand. The materials used were derived from scholarly and reliable sources, with appropriate attribution. An exemplar of the creative output of the class is shown in Figure 2, together with a link to the actual creative collaborative group project, which was shared by the group in the public domain (see Figure 3).

These findings support the feasibility of the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity to facilitate creative output in a master's level course offered by a HEI through a fully online distance learning mode.

Effectiveness

Effectiveness is defined as the capability of an intervention to produce the desired result or outcome. The study can be seen as examining two aspects of effectiveness of the creative collaborative group project activity: (1) effectiveness in coming up with an output that can truly be considered as "creative" and (2) effectiveness in fostering creative skills in the students.

With regard to the first aspect, Savage and Fautley (2007) believe that creativity can be explained in terms of four characteristics:

1. it involves thinking or behaving imaginatively;

2. the imaginative activity is purposeful and is focused at achieving an objective;

3. the process gives rise to something original or novel;

4. the result or outcome is of value in relation to the objective.

All four characteristics are evident in the projects delivered by students. The projects were a product of their collective imaginative thinking and behavior; the activity was purposeful and resulted in a tangible creative outputs; the creative outputs were considered original and novel, since all of them utilized platforms and formats that differed from the usual written essays, reports and proposals submitted as course requirements, and the creative outputs were of value not only to the group but also to the rest of the class and the general public, in the cases of those who chose to share it in the public domain. Hence, these projects are considered to be creative output.

As regards the second aspect, effectiveness in fostering creative skills in the study participants was analyzed by correlating the themes generated from the study participants' reflections with P21 outcomes for creativity and innovation skills. The findings showed that the themes that emerged from the reflections and insights of the participants were closely correlated to and aligned with the 21st century student outcomes ascribed to creativity in the P21 framework.

Examples of actual statements from the reflections of the students are written across the relevant expanded learning outcome for each of the four skills under the creativity and innovation skill set, to illustrate the correlation between them in Table 2.

These findings support the effectiveness of the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity to facilitate creative capacity and development of creative skills in a master's level course offered by a fully online DE institution.

Acceptability

Acceptability refers to "how well an intervention will be received by the target population" ( Ayala and Elder, 2011, p. 69). Because of the broadness and the multifactorial nature of acceptability, it will be useful to look into the other emergent themes from the study participants' reflections.

Theme: initial apprehensions

Findings revealed that several study participants had initial apprehensions about the learning activity. Many expressed initial misgivings about having a task that required them to collaborate with others in a group. Others cited their apprehension about coming up with a creative project and being at a loss as to how to approach it. The reasons they cited for misgivings included the physical and geographical separation, different work responsibilities and schedules.

However, all of those who expressed initial apprehensions said that these were diminished once the group started working on the project and they actually realized that they could make it work. Many of them cited the supportive, cooperative and responsible attitudes of their group mates as well as good communication, division of tasks and adhering to the timetable as being instrumental in allaying their fears (see Table 3).

Theme: fully-online DE mode

The study participants also raised issues related to the fully online nature of the learning activity. One participant cited the advantage of being able to reflect on her responses before sending it to a group mate whom she did not get along with, as opposed to the immediate responses had they been in a face-to-face mode. Others mentioned the importance of efficient communication, commitment, time management and information and communication technology tools in bridging the distance between time and space in DE.

Theme: positive overall experience

The overall experience of most of the study participants was positive. The reflections expressed feelings of enjoyment at doing the project and learning new things, as well as gratitude for the experience and new friends gained. Some found the experience very pleasant and meaningful, while others said it was rewarding. One participant emphasized the pride she felt for their group project. Another participant who was on her first term in a DE course said that she found it "very ideal for DE students." Although there were participants who had negative feelings about certain group mates, none of the study participants had expressed a dislike for the project itself.

In analyzing the aforementioned reflections on initial apprehensions, it is apparent that a number of misgivings stemmed from the fact that they were DE students separated in time and space, with each having personal and work obligations in addition to the academic responsibilities. This is consistent with evidence from the literature on the prevailing belief is that group projects and teamwork may be more difficult to carry out properly if the participants are geographically dispersed and not able to meet face to face ( Whatley et al., 2001).

This initial apprehension was allayed once the group started working on the project and the participants realized that the task was doable. Eventually, the study participants shared that they valued the experience of engaging with the group project. The students also appreciated the discussions that they had in the course of planning the group project, as well as the sharing of insights and perspectives. They believed that these discussions enabled them to have a better understanding of the concepts, and because of this, they were able to engage more readily with the course material. These are consistent with the principles of social constructivism, which stresses the importance of collaboration with others and underscores the value of social interaction as a means by which individuals can construct new meanings from shared experiences. In spite of the distance and the fact that they were geographically apart from each other, the study participants maximized different avenues for communication. The use of applications such as Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, Google Documents and similar platforms made it possible to work as a group through chat sessions and video conferencing.

According to the participants, the creative collaborative experience underscored the importance of shared workload, cooperation and mutual support. The project became more manageable since it was broken down into smaller tasks, which were handled more easily by the individual members who each had assigned roles. They highlighted the importance of cooperation, initiative, commitment, foresight, being proactive, a positive attitude, patience, understanding, empathy, motivation and encouragement from group mates and mutual respect.

Time management and adherence to the stipulated timelines were other important factors that contributed to the success or failure of the members of the group to execute a task in the way it was originally planned. When one member was delayed in accomplishing a certain task, the rest of the group mates and the overall project itself would be affected. This realization kept the members on track because they did not want to be responsible for any delay in the submission of the project.

The creative collaborative group project also incorporated the key elements of authentic learning practice, which include real-world relevance; an ill-defined problem; complex and sustained investigation, multiple sources and perspectives; collaboration, reflection (metacognition); interdisciplinary perspective; integrated assessment; finished products and multiple interpretations and outcomes ( Lombardi, 2007).

On the other hand, the students also experienced challenges in the creative collaborative group project experience. These included instances where the student was not able to attend to other personal and professional responsibilities, creative differences between group members and clash of personalities.

Overall, the students believed that the creative collaborative group project was a positive experience for them, not only because they acquired new knowledge and information related to the course, but also in terms of acquiring competencies and skills that they could use in other courses and in their everyday life. Because of this, they look forward to having a similar activity in their other courses in the future.

These findings support the acceptability of the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity to facilitate creative output in a master's level course in a fully online DE institution from the perspective of the study participants.

Conclusion

The objective of this exploratory study was to find out whether it was feasible, effective and acceptable to use the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity for fostering creativity in a master's level course offered in a fully online DE mode.

The fact that all seven groups were able to turn in high-quality creative projects that satisfied or even exceeded the standards set by the course and were able to do so on time supports its feasibility.

The effectiveness of the creative collaborative group project may be seen from the quality of the output itself, as well as the reflections of the study participants. As mentioned, the participants turned in projects worthy of being considered "creative." The reflections of the study participants, when mapped or correlated against the 21st century student outcomes for creativity based on the P21 framework, show an almost exact direct correlation or alignment with the said outcomes, supporting the effectivity of the learning activity in fostering the development or enhancement of creative skills.

The positive overall experience of the study participants as seen in their description of the activities as a pleasant, enjoyable, meaningful and rewarding experience, together with the absence of negative feedback about working on the group project, also indicates that it is an acceptable learning activity.

These findings support the feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability of the creative collaborative group project as a learning activity for fostering creativity in a master's level course offered by a state university though a fully online distance learning mode.

The research study has the following limitations: it involves a specific cohort of graduate-level students, all of whom belong to a specific program of study (i.e. the MDE program) in UPOU, the national university. The nature of the discipline, the program, the type of students accepted in the program and the institution may be factors that could influence the student's perception of their learning experience. The fact that all except one of the study participants are Filipino may also be a factor in terms of certain cultural traits that may influence group dynamics and interaction. The course was also offered at a fully online DE mode at well-established distance learning institution. Because of these limitations, the results of this study cannot be generalized to all populations.

The findings of the study can inform the instructional design of graduate-level courses in the future by paving the way for fresh and innovative options for learning activities, which would foster the development of creative skills and enable learners to benefit from an improved learning experience. It will also benefit various stakeholders in the workplace and industry, in terms of improved creative competencies of learners who are either current or future members of the workforce.

Recommendations for future research are as follows:

1. Explore the use of the creative collaborative group project in other contexts (i.e. different courses, programs and institutions).

2. Investigate the feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability of collaborative group projects in fostering other 21st century skills and competencies.

3. Explore the use of other new and innovative learning activities to develop 21st century skills for courses delivered in the fully online DE mode, notwithstanding existing prevailing preconceived notions.

Figures

Figure 1

The conceptual framework of the study based on Lin's creative pedagogy framework ( Lin, 2011)

Figure 2

The P21 framework for 21st century learning reprinted with permission

Figure 3

An example of a website creative output of graduate students enrolled in a UPOU Lifelong Learning course (Wiki)

References

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Demystifying learning frameworks (2016), https://remakelearning.org/blog/2016/04/29/demystifying-learning-frameworks-the-p21-framework/ ( ).

Lifelong Learning in Developing Countries (2019), https://projectmodule10.weebly.com/ ( ).

(2007), "Authentic learning for the 21st century: an overview", Educause learning initiative, Vol. 1, pp. 1-12, http://cf2015.bhcarroll.edu/files/session-2-toward-a-learning-century/authentic-learning-for-the-21st-century.pdf ( ).

P21 Framework Definitions (2009), https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED519462.pdf ( ).

(2009), The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Sage, Singapore.

(2007), "Creativity in secondary education", Learning Matters, http://golshanlc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Creativity-in-Secondary-Education.pdf ).

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(1970), Creative Learning and Teaching, Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, NY.

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Corresponding author

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Fostering creativity through online creative collaborative group projects

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Copyright Published in Asian Association of Open Universities Journal. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors.

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Instagram organizes the page neatly, it's easy to navigate. A short, sweet bio along with the link to download each riff video so the viewers don't lost interest.

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The logo alongside a more in depth description of what the project is and the reasoning for those interested.

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A more in depth description of the project and reasoning behind it with relevant hashtags to boost the post's visibility, targeting the post towards people interested in these topics

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Pushing to join in with the project and tagging the musicians who took part, directing viewers to their personal profiles. Here they can make contact if they wish to collaborate further

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Insights from each post is shown, how far the posts reach, where each interaction and view comes from

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These tools could be adopted next time to make the collaboration easier. One overlooked problem for this project was some people do not have a DAW or knowledge of recording. Quality of video and audio recordings were different for each person. If there was an easy-to-use, accessible program for each musician to use together would help.

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Fast, flowing flute and piccolo performances combine with dazzling legato patches on Abbey Road ONE: Wondrous Flutes - the latest release in our collection with Spitfire Audio which is available now! Captured within the acoustics of Studio One by London's first-call session players, this classic pairing of flutes and piccolo is showcased as pre-orchestrated patches giving you instant access to an immediately recognisable sound as heard in scores by John Williams, John Powell and countless others. ...

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Music at Long Distance - Online Creation and Collaboration Tools from Abbey Road Red

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In these uncertain times of isolation, many artists and musicians are likely to be asking how to jam, write or record a song together with other musicians as seamlessly as possible and in (almost) real-time.

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Share and share alike non commercial

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By exercising the Licensed Rights (defined below), You accept and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License ("Public License"). To the extent this Public License may be interpreted as a contract, You are granted the Licensed Rights in consideration of Your acceptance of these terms and conditions, and the Licensor grants You such rights in consideration of benefits the Licensor receives from making the Licensed Material available under these terms and conditions.
Section 1 - Definitions.

1. Adapted Material means material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights that is derived from or based upon the Licensed Material and in which the Licensed Material is translated, altered, arranged, transformed, or otherwise modified in a manner requiring permission under the Copyright and Similar Rights held by the Licensor. For purposes of this Public License, where the Licensed Material is a musical work, performance, or sound recording, Adapted Material is always produced where the Licensed Material is synched in timed relation with a moving image.

2. Adapter's License means the license You apply to Your Copyright and Similar Rights in Your contributions to Adapted Material in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Public License.

3. BY-NC-SA Compatible License means a license listed at creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses, approved by Creative Commons as essentially the equivalent of this Public License.

4. Copyright and Similar Rights means copyright and/or similar rights closely related to copyright including, without limitation, performance, broadcast, sound recording, and Sui Generis Database Rights, without regard to how the rights are labeled or categorized. For purposes of this Public License, the rights specified in Section 2(b)(1)-(2) are not Copyright and Similar Rights.

5. Effective Technological Measures means those measures that, in the absence of proper authority, may not be circumvented under laws fulfilling obligations under Article 11 of the WIPO Copyright Treaty adopted on December 20, 1996, and/or similar international agreements.

6. Exceptions and Limitations means fair use, fair dealing, and/or any other exception or limitation to Copyright and Similar Rights that applies to Your use of the Licensed Material.

7. License Elements means the license attributes listed in the name of a Creative Commons Public License. The License Elements of this Public License are Attribution, NonCommercial, and ShareAlike.

8. Licensed Material means the artistic or literary work, database, or other material to which the Licensor applied this Public License.

9. Licensed Rights means the rights granted to You subject to the terms and conditions of this Public License, which are limited to all Copyright and Similar Rights that apply to Your use of the Licensed Material and that the Licensor has authority to license.

10. Licensor means the individual(s) or entity(ies) granting rights under this Public License.

11. NonCommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation. For purposes of this Public License, the exchange of the Licensed Material for other material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights by digital file-sharing or similar means is NonCommercial provided there is no payment of monetary compensation in connection with the exchange.

12. Share means to provide material to the public by any means or process that requires permission under the Licensed Rights, such as reproduction, public display, public performance, distribution, dissemination, communication, or importation, and to make material available to the public including in ways that members of the public may access the material from a place and at a time individually chosen by them.

13. Sui Generis Database Rights means rights other than copyright resulting from Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases, as amended and/or succeeded, as well as other essentially equivalent rights anywhere in the world.

14. You means the individual or entity exercising the Licensed Rights under this Public License. Your has a corresponding meaning.

Section 2 - Scope.

1. License grant.

1. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Public License, the Licensor hereby grants You a worldwide, royalty-free, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable license to exercise the Licensed Rights in the Licensed Material to:

1. reproduce and Share the Licensed Material, in whole or in part, for NonCommercial purposes only; and

2. produce, reproduce, and Share Adapted Material for NonCommercial purposes only.

2. Exceptions and Limitations. For the avoidance of doubt, where Exceptions and Limitations apply to Your use, this Public License does not apply, and You do not need to comply with its terms and conditions.

3. Term. The term of this Public License is specified in Section 6(a).

4. Media and formats; technical modifications allowed. The Licensor authorizes You to exercise the Licensed Rights in all media and formats whether now known or hereafter created, and to make technical modifications necessary to do so. The Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any right or authority to forbid You from making technical modifications necessary to exercise the Licensed Rights, including technical modifications necessary to circumvent Effective Technological Measures. For purposes of this Public License, simply making modifications authorized by this Section 2(a)(4) never produces Adapted Material.

5. Downstream recipients.

1. Offer from the Licensor - Licensed Material. Every recipient of the Licensed Material automatically receives an offer from the Licensor to exercise the Licensed Rights under the terms and conditions of this Public License.

2. Additional offer from the Licensor - Adapted Material. Every recipient of Adapted Material from You automatically receives an offer from the Licensor to exercise the Licensed Rights in the Adapted Material under the conditions of the Adapter's License You apply.

3. No downstream restrictions. You may not offer or impose any additional or different terms or conditions on, or apply any Effective Technological Measures to, the Licensed Material if doing so restricts exercise of the Licensed Rights by any recipient of the Licensed Material.

6. No endorsement. Nothing in this Public License constitutes or may be construed as permission to assert or imply that You are, or that Your use of the Licensed Material is, connected with, or sponsored, endorsed, or granted official status by, the Licensor or others designated to receive attribution as provided in Section 3(a)(1)(A)(i).

2. Other rights.

1. Moral rights, such as the right of integrity, are not licensed under this Public License, nor are publicity, privacy, and/or other similar personality rights; however, to the extent possible, the Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any such rights held by the Licensor to the limited extent necessary to allow You to exercise the Licensed Rights, but not otherwise.

2. Patent and trademark rights are not licensed under this Public License.

3. To the extent possible, the Licensor waives any right to collect royalties from You for the exercise of the Licensed Rights, whether directly or through a collecting society under any voluntary or waivable statutory or compulsory licensing scheme. In all other cases the Licensor expressly reserves any right to collect such royalties, including when the Licensed Material is used other than for NonCommercial purposes.

Section 3 - License Conditions.
Your exercise of the Licensed Rights is expressly made subject to the following conditions.

1. Attribution.

1. If You Share the Licensed Material (including in modified form), You must:

1. retain the following if it is supplied by the Licensor with the Licensed Material:

1. identification of the creator(s) of the Licensed Material and any others designated to receive attribution, in any reasonable manner requested by the Licensor (including by pseudonym if designated);

2. a copyright notice;

3. a notice that refers to this Public License;

4. a notice that refers to the disclaimer of warranties;

5. a URI or hyperlink to the Licensed Material to the extent reasonably practicable;

2. indicate if You modified the Licensed Material and retain an indication of any previous modifications; and

3. indicate the Licensed Material is licensed under this Public License, and include the text of, or the URI or hyperlink to, this Public License.

2. You may satisfy the conditions in Section 3(a)(1) in any reasonable manner based on the medium, means, and context in which You Share the Licensed Material. For example, it may be reasonable to satisfy the conditions by providing a URI or hyperlink to a resource that includes the required information.

3. If requested by the Licensor, You must remove any of the information required by Section 3(a)(1)(A) to the extent reasonably practicable.

2. ShareAlike.
In addition to the conditions in Section 3(a), if You Share Adapted Material You produce, the following conditions also apply.

1. The Adapter's License You apply must be a Creative Commons license with the same License Elements, this version or later, or a BY-NC-SA Compatible License.

2. You must include the text of, or the URI or hyperlink to, the Adapter's License You apply. You may satisfy this condition in any reasonable manner based on the medium, means, and context in which You Share Adapted Material.

3. You may not offer or impose any additional or different terms or conditions on, or apply any Effective Technological Measures to, Adapted Material that restrict exercise of the rights granted under the Adapter's License You apply.

Section 4 - Sui Generis Database Rights.
Where the Licensed Rights include Sui Generis Database Rights that apply to Your use of the Licensed Material:

1. for the avoidance of doubt, Section 2(a)(1) grants You the right to extract, reuse, reproduce, and Share all or a substantial portion of the contents of the database for NonCommercial purposes only;

2. if You include all or a substantial portion of the database contents in a database in which You have Sui Generis Database Rights, then the database in which You have Sui Generis Database Rights (but not its individual contents) is Adapted Material, including for purposes of Section 3(b); and

3. You must comply with the conditions in Section 3(a) if You Share all or a substantial portion of the contents of the database.

For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 4 supplements and does not replace Your obligations under this Public License where the Licensed Rights include other Copyright and Similar Rights. Section 5 - Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability.

1. Unless otherwise separately undertaken by the Licensor, to the extent possible, the Licensor offers the Licensed Material as-is and as-available, and makes no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the Licensed Material, whether express, implied, statutory, or other. This includes, without limitation, warranties of title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, absence of latent or other defects, accuracy, or the presence or absence of errors, whether or not known or discoverable. Where disclaimers of warranties are not allowed in full or in part, this disclaimer may not apply to You.

2. To the extent possible, in no event will the Licensor be liable to You on any legal theory (including, without limitation, negligence) or otherwise for any direct, special, indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, exemplary, or other losses, costs, expenses, or damages arising out of this Public License or use of the Licensed Material, even if the Licensor has been advised of the possibility of such losses, costs, expenses, or damages. Where a limitation of liability is not allowed in full or in part, this limitation may not apply to You.

The disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability provided above shall be interpreted in a manner that, to the extent possible, most closely approximates an absolute disclaimer and waiver of all liability.
Section 6 - Term and Termination.

1. This Public License applies for the term of the Copyright and Similar Rights licensed here. However, if You fail to comply with this Public License, then Your rights under this Public License terminate automatically.

2. Where Your right to use the Licensed Material has terminated under Section 6(a), it reinstates:

1. automatically as of the date the violation is cured, provided it is cured within 30 days of Your discovery of the violation; or

2. upon express reinstatement by the Licensor.

For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 6(b) does not affect any right the Licensor may have to seek remedies for Your violations of this Public License.

3. For the avoidance of doubt, the Licensor may also offer the Licensed Material under separate terms or conditions or stop distributing the Licensed Material at any time; however, doing so will not terminate this Public License.

4. Sections 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 survive termination of this Public License.

Section 7 - Other Terms and Conditions.

1. The Licensor shall not be bound by any additional or different terms or conditions communicated by You unless expressly agreed.

2. Any arrangements, understandings, or agreements regarding the Licensed Material not stated herein are separate from and independent of the terms and conditions of this Public License.

Section 8 - Interpretation.

1. For the avoidance of doubt, this Public License does not, and shall not be interpreted to, reduce, limit, restrict, or impose conditions on any use of the Licensed Material that could lawfully be made without permission under this Public License.

2. To the extent possible, if any provision of this Public License is deemed unenforceable, it shall be automatically reformed to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. If the provision cannot be reformed, it shall be severed from this Public License without affecting the enforceability of the remaining terms and conditions.

3. No term or condition of this Public License will be waived and no failure to comply consented to unless expressly agreed to by the Licensor.

4. Nothing in this Public License constitutes or may be interpreted as a limitation upon, or waiver of, any privileges and immunities that apply to the Licensor or You, including from the legal processes of any jurisdiction or authority.

Creative Commons is not a party to its public licenses. Notwithstanding, Creative Commons may elect to apply one of its public licenses to material it publishes and in those instances will be considered the "Licensor." The text of the Creative Commons public licenses is dedicated to the public domain under the CC0 Public Domain Dedication. Except for the limited purpose of indicating that material is shared under a Creative Commons public license or as otherwise permitted by the Creative Commons policies published at creativecommons.org/policies, Creative Commons does not authorize the use of the trademark "Creative Commons" or any other trademark or logo of Creative Commons without its prior written consent including, without limitation, in connection with any unauthorized modifications to any of its public licenses or any other arrangements, understandings, or agreements concerning use of licensed material. For the avoidance of doubt, this paragraph does not form part of the public licenses.

Creative Commons may be contacted at creativecommons.org.

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Creative Commons - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International - CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Creative Commons Corporation ("Creative Commons") is not a law firm and does not provide legal services or legal advice. Distribution of Creative Commons public licenses does not create a lawyer-client or other relationship. Creative Commons makes its licenses and related information available on an "as-is" basis.

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This study also provides evidence for social connectivity improving mental health.

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Music can portray raw emotion and gives people a form of expression and a way of communicating. Encouraging musicians to collaborate with new people can form new friendships, new music, more creativity.

Using something short and simple, like a minute-long riff, keeps people interested and gives the collaborators a talking point to start this new musical journey or friendship.

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Music is a powerful means of communication. It provides a means by which people can share emotions, intentions, and meanings even though their spoken languages may be mutually incomprehensible. It can also provide a vital lifeline to human interaction for those whose special needs make other means of communication difficult. Music can exert powerful physical effects, can produce deep and profound emotions within us, and can be used to generate infinitely subtle variations of expressiveness by skilled composers and performers.
This new addition to the music psychology list brings together leading researchers from a variety of academic and applied backgrounds. It examines how music can be used to communicate and the biological, cognitive, social, and cultural processes which underlie such communication. Taking a broad, interdisciplinary look at all aspects of communication, from the symbolic aspects of musical notation, to the use of music in advertising, the book is the first of its kind. It will be valuable for all those involved in music cognition, music education, and communication studies.

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Music is a powerful means of communication. It provides a means by which people can share emotions, intentions, and meanings even though their spoken languages may be mutually incomprehensible. It can also provide a vital lifeline to human interaction for those whose special needs make other means of communication difficult.

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Through the help section of Instagram, tips can be found on how to boost and promote posts to best grow the page. Using hashtags, stories and keeping active, replying to any comments and commenting on other related posts is a great way to gain new followers and get noticed.