Theodore M. Newcomb Distinguished University Professor
Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age
What You'll Learn
- Apply decision-making methods from this course to your own life.
- Identify key terms that relate to causes of cognitive bias.
- Better assess probability based on contextual factors.
10 Modules
10 Hours
1 hr per module (approx.)
Rating
About Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age
Most professions these days require more than general intelligence. They require in addition the ability to collect, analyze and think about data. Personal life is enriched when these same skills are applied to problems in everyday life involving judgment and choice. This course presents basic concepts from statistics, probability, scientific methodology, cognitive psychology and cost-benefit theory and shows how they can be applied to everything from picking one product over another to critiquing media accounts of scientific research. Concepts are defined briefly and breezily and then applied to many examples drawn from business, the media and everyday life.
What kinds of things will you learn? Why it’s usually a mistake to interview people for a job. Why it’s highly unlikely that, if your first meal in a new restaurant is excellent, you will find the next meal to be as good. Why economists regularly walk out of movies and leave restaurant food uneaten. Why getting your picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated usually means your next season is going to be a disappointment. Why you might not have a disease even though you’ve tested positive for it. Why you’re never going to know how coffee affects you unless you conduct an experiment in which you flip a coin to determine whether you will have coffee on a given day. Why it might be a mistake to use an office in a building you own as opposed to having your office in someone else’s building. Why you should never keep a stock that’s going down in hopes that it will go back up and prevent you from losing any of your initial investment. Why it is that a great deal of health information presented in the media is misinformation.
Skills You'll Gain
- Adaptability
- Data Analysis
- Decision Making
- Statistical Inference
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion:
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age, an online course designed to sharpen your critical thinking skills in our information-rich world. Explore statistics, probability, cognitive biases, logic, and decision-making strategies to enhance your analytical skills. Through practical exercises and experiments, you'll learn to interpret data accurately, avoid common reasoning pitfalls, and make better decisions.
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.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Introduction
- Reading: Welcome Message and Course Syllabus
- Video: Course Introduction
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Reading: Help us learn more about you!
Module 2: Statistics
- Video: Variables - Normal Distribution
- Video: Introduction to Correlation
- Reading: Interactive Activity
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lesson Reflection
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 1 Quiz
Module 3: The Law of Large Numbers
- Graded Assignment: Pre-lecture Reflection Prompt
- Graded Assignment: Pre-lecture Quiz
- Video: The Law of Large Numbers: Part 1
- Video: The Law of Large Numbers: Part 2
- Reading: Interactive Activity
- Graded Assignment: Post-lecture Reflection Prompt
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lesson Reflection
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 2 Quiz
Module 4: Correlation
- Reading: Pre-lecture Activity
- Video: Correlations
- Video: The Draw-a-Person Test
- Video: Illusory Correlation
- Reading: Interactive Activity
- Video: Confounded Variables; Statistical Significance
- Graded Assignment: Correlation Exercises
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 3 Quiz
Module 5: Experiments
- Reading: Pre-lecture Activity
- Video: The Superiority of Experiments over Correlations
- Video: A/B Testing
- Video: Experimental Design and Natural Experiments
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lesson Reflection
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lesson Challenge
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 4 Quiz
Module 6: Prediction
- Reading: Pre-lecture Question
- Video: Regression to the Mean
- Video: Base Rate
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lesson Reflection
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 5 Quiz
Module 7: Cognitive Biases
- Graded Assignment: Pre-lecture Quiz
- Video: The Illusion of Objectivity
- Video: Heuristics
- Video: Fundamental Attribution Error; Confirmation Bias
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lesson Reflection
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 6 Quiz
Module 8: Choosing and Deciding
- Graded Assignment: Pre-lecture Activity
- Video: Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Video: Sunk Costs
- Video: Loss Aversion
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lecture Reflection
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 7 Quiz
Module 9: Logic and Dialectical Reasoning
- Graded Assignment: Pre-lecture Quiz
- Video: Logical Reasoning
- Video: Dialectical Reasoning
- Discussion Prompt: End-of-Lecture Reflection
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Graded: Lesson 8 Quiz
Module 10: Logic and Dialectical Reasoning
- Video: Concluding Thoughts
- Reading: (Optional) Companion Readings from the Mindware book
- Reading: Post-course Survey
- Reading: Keep Learning with Michigan Online!
Grading Policy
Your course grade is based on quizzes at the end of each module. Each quiz is a graded assignment with the following weight distribution:
- Module 1 Quiz – 13%
- Module 2 Quiz – 12%
- Module 3 Quiz – 12%
- Module 4 Quiz – 13%
- Module 5 Quiz – 12%
- Module 6 Quiz – 13%
- Module 7 Quiz – 12%
- Module 8 Quiz – 13%
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required
What Learners Are Saying
The course is intellectually stimulating.The lecturer simplified complex issues and prioritized practical appreciation of the concepts in everyday experience.
Michael Yeboah Ampah Learner in Ghana
