eLearnAfrica
A Beginner’s Guide to Critical and Creative Thinking
New Scientist
  • Start Date: 11 Jul, 2022
  • 3 weeks
  • Study Content: Videos


Learn the skills needed to improve both decision-making and problem solving, using critical and creative thinking.

Course Fee: Free
Certificate Cost: See Fees and Eligibility
Enrol Now

Course Description

Develop your creative and critical thinking skills with New Scientist


Critical thinking and creativity are key skills needed to improve decision-making, whether in a personal context or in the workplace.


This three-week course will help sharpen your ability to analyse information and increase your capacity to problem solve creatively.


Learn from experts in cognitive science and creative problem solving


Guided by Dr Denise Cummins, Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and Professor Gerard Puccio from Buffalo State, you’ll explore various models of thinking in different contexts.


With this knowledge, you’ll be able to approach problems more logically, rationally, scientifically, and creatively.


Refine your decision-making process using logical and rational thinking


There are a variety of cognitive biases that can hinder decision-making.


On this course, you’ll examine them in detail, as well as learning to recognise red herrings, false dichotomies, ad hominem attacks, and motivated reasoning.


With this knowledge, you’ll be able to spot flaws and fallacies in others’ arguments and avoid biases in your own thinking. This will strengthen your own arguments and help justify your decisions.


Explore critical and creative problem solving techniques


By strengthening both your analytical reasoning and your creative thinking, you’ll have the tools necessary to solve problems in any situation.


You’ll bring together your critical and creative thinking skills to analyse the differences between convergent and divergent thinking and apply them appropriately.


By the end of this course, you’ll have learned key models of creative and critical thinking, as well as the factors that can impact decisions. Having learned how to combine creative and critical thinking, you’ll be able to supercharge brainstorming sessions and problem solving tasks.


This course is designed for learners at all levels with an interest in evaluating information and increasing their capacity for creative thinking.


It is particularly useful for professionals who want to improve their problem solving and decision-making in the workplace.


    • Certificate cost may vary. You will be redirected to the host page for cost and payment options.

    • New Scientist

      This university is part of the partnership between eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn.

    • You may be able to download course materials after enrolling in this course. If not, all of the necessary course materials provided by the course instructor will be available on the provider's course page.
    • COLLABORATION POLICY

      By enrolling in a course on or through eLearnAfrica, you are joining a special worldwide community of learners. The aspiration of eLearnAfrica is to provide anyone with an internet connection access to courses from the best universities and institutions in the world and to provide our learners the best educational experience internet technology enables. You are a part of the community that will help eLearnAfrica achieve this goal. eLearnAfrica depends upon your motivation to learn the material and to do so with honesty and academic integrity. In order to participate in eLearnAfrica, you must agree to the Honor Code below and any additional terms specific to a class.

      ELEARNAFRICA HONOR CODE PLEDGE

      By enrolling in a course, program, or degree hosted on the eLearnAfrica App or Site, I agree that I will:

      • Complete all tests and assignments on my own, unless collaboration on an assignment is explicitly permitted.

      • Maintain only one user account and not let anyone else use my username and/or password.

      • Not engage in any activity that would dishonestly improve my results, or improve or hurt the results of others.

      • Not post answers to problems that are being used to assess student performance.

      • Abide by any and all requirements of the eLearnAfrica Participants as may regard the expectations of civil or academic behavior or of community standards.

      VIOLATIONS

      If you are found in violation of the Terms and Conditions or Honor Code, you may be subject to one or more of the following actions:

      • Receiving a zero or no credit for an assignment;

      • Having any certificate earned in the course withheld or revoked;

      • Being unenrolled from a course, learning program or degree program; or

      • Termination of your use of the App and/or Site.

      • Additional actions may be taken at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica and eLearnAfrica course providers. 

      No refunds will be issued in the case of any corrective action for such violations.

      Honor code violations will be determined at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica, the Partners, or Members. You will be notified if a determination has been made that you have violated this honor code and you will be informed of the corresponding action to be taken as a result of the violation.

      CHANGING THE HONOR CODE

      Please note that we review and may make changes to this Honor Code from time to time. Any changes to this Honor Code will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the App and/or Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified Honor Code and any changes contained therein. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Honor Code.

      Effective Date: September 22, 2016