Critical Thinking Skills

Free Course

Critical Thinking Skills

Learn to think clearer, spot fallacies, evaluate evidence, and make better decisions — with practical tools you can use every day.

Instructor: Mason Carter

Code GC107

Level Beginner

Price Free

Modules 9

Start Learning Get Certificate

Course Description

This free course develops practical critical thinking skills for academic study, media literacy, and everyday decisions. You will learn how to analyze arguments, spot common fallacies, evaluate evidence, and recognize cognitive biases. Class discussions and short exercises focus on clearer reasoning, better questions, and more careful conclusions — so you can think more rigorously and communicate more persuasively.

What You’ll Learn

• ✓ Identify claims, reasons, and assumptions
• ✓ Spot logical fallacies & cognitive biases
• ✓ Evaluate evidence and sources
• ✓ Build clearer, more persuasive arguments

Course Modules

1. Defining Critical Thinking
2. Why Critical Thinking Matters
3. Habits of a Critical Thinker

1. Skepticism and Intellectual Humility Live
2. True, False, Opinion Live
3. The Four Sources of Knowledge Live
4. What is Reality Itself Live
5. Validity, Soundness & Strength

1. Ad Hominem, Straw Man & Red Herring
2. False Dilemma, Slippery Slope & Hasty Generalization
3. Appeal to Authority, Emotion & Popularity

1. Ad Hominem, Straw Man & Red Herring
2. False Dilemma, Slippery Slope & Hasty Generalization
3. Appeal to Authority, Emotion & Popularity

1. Types of Evidence
2. Source Credibility & Bias
3. Correlation, Causation & Statistics

1. Confirmation Bias & Availability Heuristic
2. Anchoring, Framing & Sunk Cost
3. Overcoming Bias in Practice

1. Spotting Misinformation & Disinformation
2. Reading Charts, Headlines & Spin

1. Framing Problems Clearly
2. Weighing Options & Trade-offs
3. Reflective Judgment & Revision

1. Analyzing a Real-World Argument
2. Building Your Own Argument
3. Course Review & Next Steps

Practice Quizzes

One quiz for each module. Test yourself and reinforce what you learned.

1

What Is Critical Thinking?

Module 1 Quiz

Start Quiz →

2

Arguments & Reasoning

Module 2 Quiz

Start Quiz →

3

Process of Abstraction

Module 3 Quiz

Start Quiz →

4

Logical Fallacies

Module 4 Quiz

Start Quiz →

5

Evidence & Evaluation

Module 5 Quiz

Start Quiz →

6

Cognitive Biases

Module 6 Quiz

Start Quiz →

7

Media & Information Literacy

Module 7 Quiz

Start Quiz →

8

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Module 8 Quiz

Start Quiz →

9

Putting It Into Practice

Module 9 Quiz

Start Quiz →

Ready to level up your thinking?

Finish the modules, take the quizzes, and claim your certificate.

Get Your Certificate