Leveraging GenAI to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Welcome to Leveraging GenAI to Develop Critical Thinking Skills! In today’s fast-paced information landscape, the ability to think critically is more essential than ever. This short course invites you to explore critical thinking not as an abstract concept, but as an everyday practice that enhances how you evaluate, interpret, and respond to information from countless sources.

Your instructor is John K. Thompson, a lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Information with more than 38 years of experience in data, analytics, and AI. Formerly Global Head of AI at EY and an Executive Partner at Gartner, he has authored several books and led innovation, strategy, and digital transformation initiatives globally.

Throughout the course, you’ll discover how generative AI can serve as a partner in deepening your critical thinking skills. You’ll learn to define critical thinking in simple yet meaningful ways, apply a practical framework for evaluating information, and see how consistent practice can make critical thinking a natural part of your thought process. By the end, you’ll understand how generative AI can complement human intelligence to support faster, more confident, and well-reasoned decisions in both personal and professional contexts.

This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.

Module 1: Introduction to Critical Thinking and a Critical Thinking Framework

• Defining critical thinking
• Introducing the critical thinking process
• Introducing a critical thinking framework
• Progressive Prompting Exercise

Module 2: Leveraging a Critical Thinking Framework

• Defining ethical use in the critical thinking process
• Codifying mental models into a GenAI environment
• Creating a personal critical thinking framework
• Progressive Prompting Exercise

Module 3: GenAI as a Tool for Critical Thinking

• Selecting GenAI models for specific purposes
• Exploring illusions created by GenAI models
• Understanding the importance of prompting
• Progressive Prompting Exercise

Module 4: GenAI as Your Critical Thinking Framework (CTF)

• Segmenting the critical thinking processes
• Critically evaluating information and sources
• Progressive Prompting Exercise

Each module includes short lecture videos and suggested readings.

Learners must earn an overall grade of 80% to pass the course. Graded assignments consist of multiple-choice quizzes, each worth 25% of your final grade.