Leveraging GenAI to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Overview

Our brains process more information each day than any generation in history, making critical thinking one of the most valuable skills we can develop. This course invites you to strengthen your ability to use critical thinking skills and make sound decisions by adopting generative artificial intelligence to support and enhance your reasoning processes. By implementing the practical, actionable framework presented in this course, you’ll discover how AI can help unpack complex ideas, highlight hidden assumptions, and facilitate the confidence and clarity of considering multiple perspectives. This course will help you strengthen your ability to evaluate, assign meaning to, discount, or reject information from a wide range of public and private sources, and better make informed decisions in both your professional and personal life.

Syllabus

Introduction to Critical Thinking and a Critical Thinking Framework

This module introduces Critical Thinking (CT), exploring its history, definition, and evolution. It explains the CT process: Recognizing assumptions, questioning evidence, developing and evaluating support, and assessing outcomes. You will adopt a foundational Critical Thinking Framework to analyze information rationally, integrate it into your thinking, and apply it effectively.

Leveraging a Critical Thinking Framework

In this module, you will deepen your understanding of the Critical Thinking Framework (CTF) and its daily application. You will personalize your CTF, integrating ethics, responsibility, and accountability. Through exercises, and AI-assisted activities, you will practice evaluating diverse information sources responsibly and applying CT to everyday decisions and problem-solving.

GenAI as a Tool for Critical Thinking

In Module Three, you will extend your understanding of GenAI and build your own Critical Thinking Framework. You’ll choose suitable models, grasp how LLMs aid CT, distinguish human intelligence from artificial intelligence, and reduce hallucinations, use AI to offload memory, access evidence, and amplify creativity while you question assumptions, evaluate support, compare perspectives, and judge outcomes responsibly.

GenAI as Your Critical Thinking Framework (CTF)

In this module, you’ll learn how to extend and personalize your Critical Thinking Framework (CTF). You’ll adapt your existing CT processes, use GenAI to enhance reasoning and efficiency, craft precise prompts, and integrate your CTF into daily thinking—developing a lasting, personalized framework to guide your critical thinking practice.

Course Summary

In the final module, you’ll review and integrate all course concepts: Ethical foundations, the Critical Thinking Framework, and GenAI’s role in enhancing your CT skills. You’ll revisit key ideas, assess your understanding, refine your personal CTF, and strengthen your ability to think critically, ethically, and creatively in everyday contexts.