The profile of pre-service biology teacher students' ability to design digital learning media and its correlation with creative thinking skills

In the era of technological advancement, integrating innovative learning models is crucial to developing skills for the twenty-first century. This study explores how project-based learning (PjBL) is applied in a Digital Biology course and its contribution to fostering student creativity. The research involved 36 biology education students at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, using a quantitative descriptive approach. Data were gathered through assessments of student-created digital projects such as Instagram carousels, digital modules, interactive worksheets, and a creative thinking questionnaire. The creative thinking indicators based on Guilford (fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration) were used to evaluate student performance. The results showed that 31 out of 36 students (81.58%) achieved a "Creative" level (Level 3), indicating that PjBL effectively stimulated creative thinking in digital contexts. Descriptive statistics revealed that project task scores were high, with strong positive correlations between flexibility (r = 0.68), fluency (r = 0.61), and originality (r = 0.61) with the final scores. This study highlights the importance of integrating PjBL with digital pedagogy to design creative competencies in pre-service biology teacher students and suggests further strategies to promote elaborative thinking. The research provides empirical evidence that multi-format digital projects can effectively stimulate creativity in teacher education.