Exploring Creative Pedagogies in Higher Education: Creative Posters and the Quest of Enhancing Students’ Understanding of Southeast Asian Geopolitical Dynamics

1. Introduction

Teaching IR subjects has never been more demanding than the present. From the level of substantive coverage, the dynamics that have surfaced in world politics have led to complexities within international affairs that require a great deal of skill for lecturers to simplify in substance for the students. With events taking place in Asia ranging from trade wars between the US and China, great power rivalries in regional areas to the contestation of resources and boundaries (Mistreanu, 2025; SETKAB, 2019; Shambaugh, 2020; Zha, 2022), mastering the complexities of IR subjects can be a daunting task for students.

To add to such complexities, how one teaches IR subjects is a topic less explored within academia. There is a general expectation that students who enroll in IR courses express interest in working as a diplomat in the future (Clausen, 2021; Hagmann & Biersteker, 2012). However, graduate profiles of IR tend to be diverse, ranging from policymakers in the government sector, managing non-government organizations (NGOs) to working as researchers. Because of the uncertainty of the IR graduate profile, higher education institutions demand that IR graduates are equipped with a long list of skills that ensure all potential job employment prospects remain open. These skills include communication, language, teamwork, negotiation, creativity, and cross-cultural understanding (Alencar et al., 2016; Campillo et al., 2021; Varghese et al., 2017). To maximize a graduate’s prospects of securing an ideal job in the workforce, special attention is needed to review the methods undertaken within the class.

Two prominent factors highlight the issues faced by students vis-à-vis their IR courses. At the first level, the focus has been on what is being taught. IR is predominantly a euro-centrism scholarship, looking at theories and concepts derived from the West. This is primarily why scholars from the Global South have voiced such concerns and called for more inclusive IR studies by seeing what norms, histories, and values can the Global South teach us in the understanding of IR (Acharya, 2014b; Putra, 2024). A second issue is how the substantive is being taught. One of the signature pedagogy of IR studies is the traditional one-way teaching method, in which the instructor provides all the information needed to students, with the expectation that students would maintain focus and understanding throughout a class (Ala et al., 2021; Horn et al., 2016; She, 2021; Simpson & Kaussler, 2009). This pedagogy is problematic. For one, studies have looked at the significance of student-centered learning as the basis of creative teaching in the social sciences (Asoodeh et al., 2012; Bhardwaj et al., 2025; Morris et al., 2025; Shah et al., 2024). Redefining the teaching method in classes allows students to grasp ideas less pressurized, with a higher chance to elevate their long-life learning skills (O’neill & McMahon, 2005).

The IR subject that this study is concerned with is Southeast Asian studies. Regional dynamics of the Southeast Asian region tend to be adopted in IR programs in Asian higher education institutions, especially Southeast Asian universities. One thing to highlight is that this is a diverse region, consisting of states with different histories, political systems, economic outlooks, and differing alignment strategies in realism’s terms. Consequently, teaching Southeast Asian studies requires not only the lecturer’s virtues but also incorporates students’ active participation in the learning process to maximize the teaching and learning output of the class.

Against such a backdrop, this explanatory study explores the prospects and benefits of adopting a creative pedagogy in Southeast Asian studies courses through creative posters. As scholars noted in the past, the use of innovative methods such as posters, simulations, and policy briefs can be beneficial for students as it requires students to place value on what practitioners are doing (Calder, 2006). A large portion of the Southeast Asian regional politics study is also future-oriented, in which students are expected to analyze past occurrences and provide recommendations as to the best means of resolving a particular tension arising in the region. Several examples in the case of Southeast Asian studies are the South China Sea conflict, border tensions (land and sea) among Southeast Asian states, regional solidarity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), regional norms, and responses to great power influences (Edwards & Bradford, 2023; FAO, 2017; Johnson et al., 2021). Therefore, the course could benefit from elevated creativity from the students, centering their opinions as prominent in the teaching and learning process. As past studies opined, creative methods in pedagogy would lead to the idea that no correct answers exist, the importance of collaborative work, countering stagnation in the classroom, and the exploration of topics that excite the students (Alencar et al., 2016; Clausen, 2021).

This study argues that adopting creative posters can be one of the creative pedagogies that could be adopted in one of IR’s most elected courses, Southeast Asian Studies. In doing so, this study will provide some step-by-step guidelines on its implementation, situated within the discourse of creative posters as a student-centered learning method. This is followed by explaining the unique benefits of using creative pedagogy in IR classrooms. The following section will first explore how existing studies have interpreted the vast pedagogy of IR. It looks first at the one-way teaching method, the signature pedagogy of IR studies, its deficiencies, the importance of creativity to be imposed in classrooms, and how existing studies perceive posters as potentially complementing past methods. In the discussion section, this study starts by exploring the idea of new thinking in IR, in which knowledge can be generated from a non-West perspective that allows diversities in opinions on how to engage in IR studies. It then provides an example of a step-by-step approach to adopting creative posters in Southeast Asian studies, including the vast benefits that it promises for IR students.

2. Enhancing creativity in international relations studies: A literature review

What is the most common pedagogy in the study of IR? The most preferred teaching means within the academic discipline can be understood by bridging the ‘signature pedagogy’ conception introduced by Lee S. Shulman. Shulman stated that signature pedagogies are the most common teaching method in a given academic discipline (Shulman, 2005). Within IR teaching, it is definitely the traditional one-way teaching that dominates the teacher and learning process. Nevertheless, with the exploration of new pedagogies in social sciences, IR’s signature pedagogy has encountered many criticisms. Clausen, for example, stated that lecturers in IR act as the ‘master,’ while students maintain the role of listening (Clausen, 2021). The dominance of talk does not undermine the knowledge disseminated by the lecturers. However, a critical examination of such a teaching method looks deeply into how the students perceive such a method and questions to what extent they can absorb the knowledge provided (Clausen, 2021; Freire, 1970).

The consideration of the outdated modes of teaching is what inspired many studies in the past to explore creativity methods as an alternative IR pedagogy. The aim of adopting more creative modes of teaching has been to attract divergent thinking and counter stagnation in the process of teaching and learning (Baer & Garrett, 2010). It is precisely because of such considerations that creative learning has been introduced in many of the science subjects in higher education institutions, as well as in understanding social changes (Cropley, 2014; Kaufman & Baer, 2004; Lundin, 2009; Nakano & Weschsler, 2018). In the context of IR teaching, the incorporation of creative methods provides the unique opportunity to establish a learning environment in which no right answers exist, the opportunity for collaborative work, and a challenging and fun learning environment to ignite critical thinking (Alencar et al., 2016).

Against the backdrop that IR’s signature pedagogy depends on the methods imposed by IR lecturers in classrooms, one could explore the potential different teaching strategies that would ignite creativity. In a study by Ludert and Stewart in 2017, they showed how using alternative student-learning activities, such as posters, simulations, debates, and creative presentations, can enhance students’ understanding of the given case studies (Ludert & Stewart, 2017). Similarly, past studies have also seen the success of using games and simulations to enhance familiarity with key concepts within the study of IR, which can be difficult to grasp by students (Arnold, 2015; Newmann & Twigg, 2000; Simpson & Kaussler, 2009). Another creative method is the graphic novel. Several past studies have assessed graphic novels’ benefits, particularly their importance as a method in the social sciences and other academic disciplines (Hecke, 2011; Rocamora-Pérez et al., 2017). Perhaps the highlight of such a method is that it allows the use of images to enhance students’ creativity, training students to construct a sense of empathy and emotional attachment to topics evaluated within the class (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004; Williams, 2008).

The last discourse related to this study is using creative posters in classrooms. Within the study of IR, there have not been many studies exploring the benefits of such an approach for students. Studies from Kodabux and Bleiker have assessed how using such a method visually illustrates IR theories and provides a better understanding of world politics through art (Bleiker, 2018; Kodabux, 2019). Their study is also concerned with the dominance of texts within the IR discipline and how the teaching method that has become the signature pedagogy of the study leads to a one-way linear flow of information (Bleiker, 2018). Therefore, by adopting creative posters, students can make mind maps and other visual illustrations to comprehend the complex concepts of IR better and are pushed to situate their ideas in a poster’s diagram. Through posters, students are demanded to display their ideas visually, which would encourage creative reasoning.

Meanwhile, the discourse on classroom posters provides some unique benefits, as assessed by past studies. Scholars such as Justina Osa and Linda Musser, for example, opined that posters are an attractive learning media that allows for the enhancement of the learning environment (Osa & Musser, 2004). Other studies looked at the significance of this tool through the argument of developing critical skills by pushing students to link between different media, images, and texts, structured based on their preferences and understanding of a given topic (Hasio, 2015). Meanwhile, in 2015, Howard opined that through posters, students can find enjoyment in class and simultaneously promote higher-order thinking to prepare the students for the challenges to come (Howard, 2015).

Nevertheless, one thing that seems to be missing within the relevant discourses is the question of how creative posters should be adopted as IR subjects. Creative posters have the potential to ignite creativity and develop the workforce-required skills for IR graduates. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of clarity regarding imposing such a method within IR subjects. Sally Duchin and Gwen Sherwood opined that whatever the form, the message displayed in posters must ensure that it is brief, interactive, and constant (Duchin & Sherwood, 1990). This conclusion is essential, but more elaboration is needed to guide lecturers in adopting such a method, a task that this article aims to do precisely. Taking the study case of Southeast Asian studies, this study will provide the steps and essential elements of the creative poster method in enhancing students’ understanding of the regional complexities and dynamics in Southeast Asia.

3. Analytical framework: Situating creative posters within student-centred learning

Considering the vast opinions within academia, the prospects of adopting creative posters in Southeast Asian Studies subjects within the IR curriculum are understood in this study as consistent with the conception of student-centered learning. In doing so, this study bridges the thoughts of Geraldine O’Neill and Tim McMahon’s 2005 chapter, ‘Student-Centered Learning: What Does it Mean for Students and Lecturers?’ (O’Neill & McMahon, 2005). The term itself can indicate different terms used in the past, such as ‘experiential learning’ or flexible learning (Burnard, 1999; Taylor, 2000). Nevertheless, student-centered learning can be defined as the shift of power from the teacher to the students as actors of learning (Barr & Tagg, 2023; Rogers, 1983). Therefore, the expectation is that lecturers change their roles in the class by becoming facilitators of learning.

The student-centered learning has been understood differently. Nevertheless, Brandes and Ginnis’ guide provides some essential basics to consider when lecturers plan to adopt this in their classes. They include (Brandes & Ginnis, 1986), students are responsible for their learning, active involvement of students in learning, equal relationship between teachers and students, teachers shift their roles becoming facilitators, and the flow of affective and cognitive domains in conjunction. Situated in cognitive theories, studies have argued the significance of this form of learning as it leads to learning activities that are “computed in the head” (O’neill & Mcmahon, 2005, p. 32), allowing for deeper understanding of the topic (Cobb, 1999).

Two conceptions of student-centered learning will be connected with using creative posters in the Southeast Asian studies subject. First, the logic that O’Neill and McMahon mentioned as the “either end of a continuum” (between teacher-centered learning and student-centered learning) (O’neill & Mcmahon, 2005, p. 32). The understanding is that the practice of whether to center the learning on the teacher or the student is not a black-and-white option. Instead, the focus is on what teacher-centered or student-centered learning will create in relationship to the student’s learning experience. On the latter, the argument introduced is that student-centered learning leads to a higher level of student choice, active participation of students, and the power mainly in the hands of the students (O’neill & McMahon, 2005). A continuum that leans slightly more toward student-centered learning benefits IR students, considering the expectations of their skills once they graduate. Therefore, using creative posters in IR classes is perceived as providing more room for students to be active in the learning process to maintain their motivations.

The second concept used in this study is the student-centered learning approach in classrooms: Problem-Based Learning. Creative posters can discuss many different aspects within the substantive coverage of Southeast Asian studies. However, to enhance critical thinking, this study perceives that introducing a set of problems or issues could trigger students to undertake more serious independent learning and develop their own learning goals (Boud & Feletti, 1997). The students, therefore, aim to fill in a gap in existing knowledge and enhance the student’s responsibility due to the creative thinking needed to address the problem. Hence, the choice of topic is important not only when it comes to creative posters but also the enhanced responsibility given as resolving problems and visualizing the solution will need the student’s active participation throughout the learning process.

4. Creative posters in Southeast Asian studies subject

There are multiple ways and approaches to adopting the creative poster method in Southeast Asian classes. Therefore, it is by no means the intention of this study to establish the following guidelines as the only means to ignite student’s creativity through posters. The term ‘posters’ itself can refer to different forms. Within academia, the most common that is known is ‘academic posters,’ which are a form of poster that tend to be made by researchers and postgraduate students to simplify the project that they are working on, with other researchers being the viewers (Gundogan et al., 2016; Sousa & Clark, 2019). The creative poster recommended in this study differs from such a form. This is primarily because the topic of those academic posters tends to be advanced and deeply invested in explaining a novelty within their respective field of study. They situate their solutions through creative displays. However, one thing that can be taken from such a poster is the keyword ‘simplifying.’

Bridged to the study of Southeast Asia, one can look at the benefits of creative posters by their aim of simplifying a set of complex explanations, histories, and concepts relevant to Southeast Asia’s context. The form, therefore, should not be confined to certain substantives or elements. The key for lecturers in determining the content within the creative poster should only consist of guidelines on an ideal structure. This could include, for example, background, timeline, problem setting, and solutions. For example, the case assessed by a student in their creative poster is democracy in Southeast Asia. Rather than delving into the complex definitions of democracy imposed by Southeast Asian states (Emmerson, 2005, 2007), one could simply display a map of the Southeast Asian region and pinpoint the unique developments of democracy in different parts of the region. It could point to the success of democracy in Indonesia’s history (Rosyidin, 2020; Rosyidin & Kusumawardhana, 2024) and also look into the unique case of authoritarianism established by the military junta of Myanmar (Abdelkader, 2017; Guilloux, 2010; Maizland, 2022). With the diversity of forms and ideas that the students can use, students’ creativity is not confined, allowing them to dig deep into their creative toolbox.

Having seen that the structure of a creative poster should not be fixed, one then turns to the question of what needs to be prepared before launching the project to IR students. In a typical Southeast Asian course, lecturers are expected to cover relevant background issues such as the region’s history, demographic divides, systems of nations, and how Southeast Asian states respond to global dynamics. This phase is typically undertaken using the traditional teaching method. However, some essential concepts are vital to consider before allowing students to work on their creative posters. The first, and perhaps the most significant regarding IR teaching and learning, is ‘contrapuntal reading.’ As described in Bilgin’s study, bridged into IR studies by Ettinger in 2024, contrapuntal reading is the idea that multiple histories exist simultaneously and influence one another (Bilgin, 2016; Ettinger, 2024). Exploring these different histories allows students to uncover an integrated understanding of world and regional politics and that there is no single right or false answer when it comes to interpreting history.

Contrapuntal reading on Southeast Asian studies is vital to establish that students can engage in a topic differently. As in the case of IR paradigms, once a student is encountered with the task of understanding global politics, one can use a realist, liberalist, or constructivist paradigm. In the case of Southeast Asian studies, lecturers introducing different means of analysis would assist students in understanding that whatever route they choose for their creative posters will not be interpreted as wrong. As in the case of the ‘new thinking’ in IR studies, there is a whole range of opinions out there that questions what IR would look like if the discipline were not invented in the West (Acharya, 2014a; Acharya & Stubbs, 2016; Blaney & Tickner, 2017a, 2017b; Buzan, 2016).

The next step is to create themes for the students’ creative posters. In this process, learning from the concept of a ‘renegotiated curriculum’ could provide some interesting insights into the active involvement of students in determining what they will learn (Clausen, 2021; Nunan, 2013). Rather than imposing that a particular student/group present a particular creative poster theme, it would be wise for the lecturers to give a list of options that students can choose from. Doing so allows students’ motivations to remain high, considering that they would be selecting a topic of interest, which could lead them to independent learning throughout the process of constructing the poster. Ideally, creative posters are presented in groups. Doing so opens up the opportunity to learn from one another, discuss and weigh advantages and weaknesses to the substantive of the creative poster, and negotiate to find common ground. Considering that this is a region-focused course in IR programs, which tends to be elected in a later phase of one’s undergraduate studies, igniting creativity within teamwork would be beneficial to develop the necessary skills required as an IR graduate.

Perhaps the question of what themes students can choose from needs the most attention. Southeast Asian studies programs among universities differ in the specific curriculum being taught or in the outcome of the class. However, several themes should represent most of the substantives taught. These include the history and system of ASEAN as the most prominent regional organization in the region. ASEAN was established by the founding of five nations out of concerns for the Cold War and the influence of great powers in the region (Anwar, 1994). Although understanding this could be a relatively straightforward task for the typical IR student, understanding the complexity of the organization’s structure could be a daunting task, considering the hundreds of forums that ASEAN hosts on an annual basis (Acharya, 2015; Haacke, 2003; Leifer, 1996).

Therefore, one topic that students can elect for their creative posters is hovering around the theme of ASEAN as a regional organization, its systems, decision-making process, and perhaps, how it compares with other regional inter-governmental organizations such as the European Union (EU) and African Union (to name a few). Such a topic demands a group to delve deep into understanding how ASEAN works, the unique norms that it upholds (non-interference, consensus-based decision-making, pacific settlement of disputes), and the extra-regional forums that ASEAN hosts. Students can also have the option of choosing a specific case study in regards to the ASEAN, with adoptable questions ranging from “Is the ASEAN Way relevant today,” “Should the pacific settlement dispute norm be tweaked to be an active resolver of disputes,” or “How is ASEAN different to the EU?” These forms of questions are consistent with Problem-Based Learning, as students seek creative solutions to the given problem and demand to simplify their opinions through visual arts. As mentioned earlier in this article, as the lecturers do not determine what specifically the creative poster should look like, it would depend on the student’s creativity to determine the visual content that would address the questions they wish to answer.

Another option that could be of interest for students undertaking the Southeast Asian studies course in their IR programs is the issue of the South China Sea. The South China Sea has been a source of contestation among claimant states, which includes China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, and Malaysia (Fravel, 2011; Li, 2017; Yahuda, 2013). However, it has also affected the intensity of conflict management efforts in the body of ASEAN, as they have struggled for decades to manage tensions at sea (Odgaard, 2003; Parameswaran, 2016; Storey, 2018). As a topic for students to explore in their creative posters, the specific sub-themes that can be addressed include measures for ASEAN to increase their chances of managing the tensions, the national interests at stake for Southeast Asian states, the history of the tensions, or how individual Southeast Asian states have responded to the crisis. As the creative poster outlines the importance of visualization, the group of students displaying the South China Sea, including the different claims held among the claimant states, provides a better picturization for the students working on the topic being presented. Students can choose various items, including textual summaries, images, dialogues, explanatory tables, etc.

Another security concern in the Southeast Asian region that tends to be covered in IR programs is the presence of non-traditional security threats. These include issues of terrorism, illegal fishing, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and environmental damage (Caballero-Anthony, 2018). Within the Southeast Asian region, all of those cases mentioned are prominent cases that have been difficult for Southeast Asian states to counter. In this, students can explore different options of sub-themes, including addressing the concerns of the non-traditional security threats faced by other Southeast Asian states, the regional approaches undertaken (including failure or success of the approaches), and how different cultural contexts respond to the emerging challenges. While researching these topics, students can benefit from investigating different state systems in Southeast Asia, including the divergences of governmental stakeholders involved in addressing a crisis. Non-traditional security threats have existed in the region for decades, and a creative poster pushes students to conclude those dynamics in a few strips without losing accuracy in the actual data.

Lastly, students can explore the topic of great power rivalries and the exertion of influence in the region. Indeed, this is one of the topic flashpoints when it comes to Southeast Asian studies within IR, considering the rise of China and the increase of the US’s presence in Asia (Goh, 2016; Kuik, 2022). As a result, academics within the IR discipline have introduced some complex theories and concepts to make sense of such developments, which could be challenging to teach to undergraduate students. To solve this, creative posters can address the hedging issue, for example, by looking into a country’s favorable foreign policies targeted towards multiple great powers in the region. Or, students can opt to choose a sub-theme that focuses on seeing the development and reach of China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI), which has significantly affected the politics of the smaller nations of Southeast Asia, such as Laos and Cambodia (Kuik, 2021; Mit, 2024). This topic is interesting, as it helps students grasp complex IR concepts relevant to Southeast Asian studies and use their creative thinking to re-explain those dynamics in simple visuals and terms.

Besides those topics, other options could be explored. They include human rights issues in Southeast Asia, environmental challenges in the region, emerging and challenging Southeast Asian norms, democracy, etc. The given examples in this discussion simply act as a guideline and ways in which the big topics can be cut into small sub-themes so that students can focus their work and dig deep into the research process for their creative posters. With the diversities of dynamics in the Southeast Asian region, creative posters give an innovative platform for students to explore their curiosity and enhance their skills to simplify complex concepts and dynamics into visuals understandable for their peers.

These creative posters are expected to be presented to other students later. For lecturers, how creative posters are presented can take two forms. First, groups present their poster in front of the lecturer, and second, students move to one group and the other, giving opportunities for different members to explain how their version of the creative poster. This article favors the latter. By providing a chance to see different creative posters closely, students benefit from learning something new through a simplified manner in the form of visually information-dense posters. By facilitating different students, a group member could also enhance their interpersonal skills by making small talks on their poster and addressing questions that may arise from other groups. As mentioned earlier in this article, the key to IR teaching is to ensure that IR graduates are equipped with the required skills to prevail in their respective workforce. Negotiation, interpersonal skills, confidence, speaking, and research are all essential skills that the creative poster method enhances throughout the process of constructing the poster and during its presentation. As a study mentioned in 2021, “The use of images generates interest and greater awareness in the reader” (Campillo et al., 2021).

The methods proposed in this study are aligned with the two conceptions of student-centered learning. On the first level, which is the use of Problem-Based Learning, this can be seen with the election of themes that the students would eventually explore. Although there should be an option to uncover elements of history and systems, the themes that can be elected should range around a particular problem that is being set. Doing so would enhance the students’ creativity in exploring different options for solutions and develop their critical thinking skills in proposing the most feasible solution when it comes to a given crisis. Potential themes for the creative posters include the South China Sea, great power influences in the region, the evolution of regional norms, and the issue of non-traditional security threats, which are all recurring issues that policymakers have not resolved. By electing those problems as themes, students can place themselves in the position of policymakers and discuss with their teams outcomes that are visually possible to display to the class.

Second, it is also important to perceive this suggestion of using creative posters within a continuum between teacher and student-centered learning. First, this does not mean that the teaching of Southeast Asian studies needs to adopt one form or another. As shown in this study, lecturers are still expected to undertake a leading role in the learning process in the first several weeks of the class to provide the fundamental guidelines for the students to effectively engage in understanding Southeast Asian studies. However, the student-centered learning continuum is highlighted in this case, as it provides some distinct benefits that are rare to see within the traditional teaching method of IR classes. This includes how student-centered learning, which in this case is through creative posters, leads to a higher level of student choice, active participation of students, and the power of learning in the hands of the students. As seen with the guidelines of this study, students have the right to select a theme that suits their team’s preferences. As the questions are primarily a problem that they need to address, the team members engage in the process of learning with one another, actively undergoing research and weighing different solution options. Visualizing the results of their research and discussion is also something that needs to be negotiated among the team members without the involvement of the lecturers.

Therefore, using creative posters in IR classes leads to effectiveness. As studies on student-centered learning have shown, there are distinct benefits to adopting such a method within the class. Studies have shown that the approach is effective as it builds a greater understanding of the students, increases participation, and boosts confidence (Hall & Saunders, 1996; Lea et al., 2003; Lonka & Ahola, 1995). These benefits form a great foundation of advantages for the development of skills needed by IR graduates. Demanded to fit in the skill descriptions of a diplomat, the use of creative posters as student-centered learning allows students greater control over the learning process, which enhances skills, including research, negotiation, teamwork, visual presentation, and oral communication.

5. Conclusion

What is the best approach to teaching IR subjects in undergraduate studies programs? In IR teaching, the problem lies not only within the substantive coverage as proposed in the ‘new thinking’ of IR but also in how the study is taught. Looking into the case study of teaching Southeast Asian studies, this study perceives that more unique and creative methods are needed in order to equip IR graduates with the required skills to undertake the skills-demanding workforce of the status quo. In doing so, one needs to evaluate to what extent existing methods have been consistent with the development of negotiation, creative, research, and independent learning skills, which would be beneficial skills to be equipped with once graduated.

In doing so, this study bridges the importance of creative posters, situated as a student-centered learning that can be used to shift the power of learning predominantly to the hands of the students. In the case of the subject of Southeast Asian studies, multiple themes can be explored. They include the question of outcome in the South China Sea, managing tensions amid non-traditional security crimes, responding to regional environmental degradations, countering the exertion of great power influences in the region, etc. With creative posters, the method proposed is that students have the right to select, as a group, a topic that suits their team’s preferences. Creative posters themselves do not have a fixed structure; therefore, it would depend on the team members’ creativity to decide what features to include within the poster, considering that the aim is to address the question problem elected. This study perceives that such a method ignites creative thinking, which would elevate the skills expected as an IR graduate in the future.

Two conceptions of student-centered learning are connected to enhance the argument shown in this study. First, the creative poster should adopt a Problem-Based Learning concept when it comes to the election of themes explored in the creative poster. Take, for example, if students are interested in visualizing solutions to the South China Sea. Doing so would put students in the position of Southeast Asian foreign policymakers, aiming to find common ground around different conflicting national interests of Southeast Asian states against China. As studies in the student-centered learning discourse have seen, with Problem-Based Learning, there is greater independence given to the students throughout the learning process.

Equally impactful is student-centered learning’s conception of teacher-centered learning and student-centered learning constituting a continuum. In this perception, rather than seeing the option as black and white, the focus of the discourse is knowing at what phase the lecturers or the students should dominate the learning process. As in the case of Southeast Asian studies, there is an acknowledgment that a teacher-centered learning method is required in the early weeks of the class to provide background information on the topics that students can elect for their creative posters. However, at a later phase of the course, the expectation is that a student-centered learning continuum would take over, considering its benefits in enhancing student participation in the learning process by electing a theme that would ignite their creativity.