Critical thinking skills are essential for your success in the workplace. So, if you’re looking to wow bosses with your ability to think critically, then we have spent the time researching the best critical thinking courses that are available online. We have included both free and paid courses, that are suitable for all levels, to ensure that you can find a course best suited to you!
But first, let’s answer a very important question – what are critical thinking skills? And why should you (and everyone else) be looking to develop these skills?
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally and to understand the logical connection between ideas. It means you can actively and skillfully conceptualize, apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information and data.
Why is this an important skill to have? Well, critical thinking will allow you to better express your thoughts, ideas and beliefs, which makes you a better communicator. You will also become a better problem solver, as you can connect ideas, evaluate arguments, find errors and therefore solve incredibly complexed issues. Critical thinking also allows you to be reflective, independent and competent, qualities that are highly attractive to employers.
You can learn all the critical thinking skills that you will need to thrive through online learning. Suitable for all levels, I have spent the time researching the best critical thinking tutorials out there. So, if you’re looking to progress your workplace skills, there will be an online course out there for you!
1. Critical Thinker Academy: Learn to Think Like a Philosopher (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 19h 33m
- Cost: $79.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 53,736
- Course rating: 4.5/5 (out of 4,221 ratings)
As a Udemy bestselling course, you will learn how to improve your grades, advance in your job and expand your mind.
Created and taught by Kevin deLaplante, a philosopher of science who has taught philosophy and critical thinking at university level for twenty years, this course is designed to teach you to learn how to think for yourself. You will cover why critical thinking is important, the five pillars of critical thinking, cognitive biases, tribalism, the concepts of logic and argumentation, how to reason with probabilities, formal fallacies, and so much more. You will also learn how to put all these skills into practice and write a good argumentative essay.
By the end of this course, you should be able to think like a rational human being and solve problems with a clear and level head.
2. Master Cognitive Biases and Improve Your Critical Thinking (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 2h 26m
- Cost: $79.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 32,805
- Course rating: 4.5/5 (out of 12,142 ratings)
To complete this course you don’t need any previous experience, just the willingness to learn, discuss and better yourself. You will be introduced to the cutting edge of critical thinking education, with this entertaining and enlightening introduction to cognitive biases and their importance for critical thinking.
You will begin by learning what a cognitive bias is and their importance for critical thinking. Next, you will look at the different types of biases, such as pattern seeking, confirmation bias and hindsight bias. After, you will learn how to stop using biases with effective debiasing strategies that you can use at work. Once you’ve covered all of this content you should have all the strategies in place to minimize the negative effects of cognitive biases and avoid making bad decisions.
3. Critical Thinking for Better Judgement and Decision-Making (LinkedIn Learning)
- Level: Advanced
- Completion time: 56m
- Cost: 1 month free trial
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: N/A
Join course instructor Becki Saltzman as she teaches you skills that will allow you to be innovative, tackle challenges and respond to change. In just under an hour leaders of organizations will learn all the critical thinking skills they need to be successful themselves, and they will learn how to hone this in on the entire organization for ultimate business success.
Course learning objectives include: comparing critical and strategic thinking, minimizing bad judgements, recognizing cognitive bias, using counterfactual thinking, overcoming loss aversion, avoiding logical fallacies and creating a culture of critical thinking. After meeting these objectives, you will know how to overcome and ignore the cognitive biases which lead to making the wrong decision. You will be able to use objective and rational analysis to make the wisest conclusions and you will be able to coach your entire team to do the same.
4. Master your Decision-Making and Critical Thinking Skills! (Udemy)
- Level: Intermediate
- Completion time: 4h 34m
- Cost: $79.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 17,491
- Course rating: 4.5/5 (out of 5,558 ratings)
You will need a high school education to complete this course, but other than that absolutely anyone is free to complete the course. You will learn how critical insights from research and advances in psychology, cognitive and behavioral science, and behavioral economics can help you to make better and more rational decisions.
To begin, the evolutionary context of decision making, heuristics and biases is covered so that you can learn the why to our irrational behavior. Next, the course shows its more practical side as you learn some powerful techniques and strategies to de-bias and reduce the irrationality of your judgement and decisions. So if you’re a current, future or potential aspiring leader who wants to become more informed, influential and effective, then this course is definitely the right one for you.
5. How to Think Differently: 7 Easy Steps to Master Mental Models, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving (Skillshare)
- Level: All Levels
- Completion time: 1h 26m
- Cost: 14 day free trial
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 1,654
- Course rating: N/A
In just under an hour and a half you will learn to think differently and develop better problem-solving skills for the crucial moments when you need it. You will be able to bypass others who haven’t invested in themselves by following a 7-step solutions to master mental models and make better decisions.
You will learn how to become the master of your choices, how to develop your critical thinking abilities, how to think logically and reasonably, how to learn to see the bigger picture, how to become a master strategist and how to understand the abundance and scarcity mindset.
So, if you’re ready to see things from a different perspective, then this course is for you.
6. Critical Thinking: How to Find Out What Really Works (Skillshare)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 1h 11m
- Cost: 14 day free trial
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 440
- Course rating: N/A
After this course you will have learnt to do a whole arrange of new things. You will learn how to formulate a question so that you can establish whether X will get you to Y. Next you will learn how to identify relevant evidence and interpret it correctly. Avoiding reasoning fallacies is next on the list of what you can do, followed by knowing how to eliminate alternative explanations and gather the evidence when no other evidence is available. Finally, you will be able to draw conclusions with absolute scientific precision.
To really help you walk away with practical skills, you will be asked to complete a hands-on course project. In this project you will be required to find a question that you want to answer and you will have to use the skills you’ve learnt in this class to answer the questions!
7. Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional (Coursera)
- Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Completion time: Approx. 8h
- Cost: Enroll for Free
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: 6,445
- Course rating: 4.8/5 (out of 215 ratings)
Offered by the University of California, you will learn and memorize a practical model to solve problems on your own, and with others. These 7 critical steps will ensure that you can look at a problem from every angle and considered multiple solutions.
You will walk away with the ability to make decisions, think critically, solve problems and brainstorm. The course will give you a shareable certificate upon completion and a number of graded assignments and practical quizzes to complete throughout the course. After going over this dynamic and holistic approach, you will be able to solve all kinds of complexed workplace problems once and for all!
Conclusion
So, there you have it… the 7 best critical thinking courses that are available online. These online classes are best suited to anyone who is wanting to develop their skills and thrive in the workplace with new-found confidence and the ability to problem solve.
Having excellent critical thinking skills will aid you hundreds of careers, as these skills will allow you to make decisions with confidence, become independent and be an excellent communicator. Specific careers where critical thinking skills are particularly helpful include:
- Accountant
- Actuary
- Banker
- Lawyer
- Marketing Manager
- Nurse
- Public Relations Specialist
- Project Manager
- Physician
- Sales Manager
- Teacher
To gather the critical thinking skills that will make you progress in lots of careers, there are plenty of online courses available for you. There are free courses that take as little as an hour to complete, and there are more expensive courses that much longer to complete! Some courses are suitable for those with no creative thinking experience. Whereas other courses are better suited for those who pride themselves on being creative thinkers, but are just looking for a little more direction with their skills.
Either way, the online classes in this list are the best of the best. Each is taught by an experienced and dedicated teacher, and they all have lots of satisfied and happy customers.
So, which course you decide take depends on your experience, funds and spare time. Do you have a huge amount of money to spend on your skill development? Do you have a lot of spare time, or are you just looking for a quick, but effective, skill top up?