Exploring Critical Thinking

Discover how to navigate our increasingly complex and information-rich world.
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Critical thinking is consistently cited by employers as one of the most valuable skills they want to see in employees, because it enables people to effectively analyse and evaluate complex information, and use it to make meaningful, impactful and well-thought-out decisions. For agile professionals, this skill is a must because it supports lifelong learning habits by encouraging a range of core agile skills, from curiosity and self-reflection to accuracy, autonomy and empathy.

But critical thinking is not only an important skill in the workplace, it's also becoming increasingly necessary to help people navigate modern everyday life. Just think, for example, about the sheer amount of information you're exposed to on a daily basis - from TV to radio to social media and the web. At the same time, the proliferation of fake news, AI-generated content and deepfakes have further complicated matters - making it much harder for us to discern what's true and what's not.

This course, 'Exploring Critical Thinking,' seeks to equip agile professionals with the essential skills they need to navigate this increasingly complex and information-rich world. You'll explore a range of exercises designed to get you thinking, and you'll discover a range of tools that will enable you to effectively evaluate and analyse different types of information - whether that be an article, an image or a social media post - so you can be sure that the decisions you make are based on knowledge that is accurate, valid and true.

What You'll Learn

The "why" of critical thinking

You will be able to define what critical thinking is, and understand the benefits it can bring to individuals, teams and organisations.

Understanding false information and "fake news"

You will be able to differentiate between misinformation, disinformation and malinformation, and apply strategies to mitigate for them in real-world contexts.

The challenges of critical thinking

You will be able to identify some of the common challenges that can be a barrier to critical thinking, and apply relevant strategies to overcome them.

Using logic to enhance critical thinking

You will be able to apply logical reasoning to evaluate information, and to construct and deconstruct arguments.

Gain A Recognised Course Certificate

On completion of the course you will earn a Course Certificate that you can highlight on your CV, LinkedIn profile or portfolio.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course suitable for essential for anyone seeking to improve their critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, problem solving and decision-making skills. This might include anyone who is:

  • struggling to navigate the complexity of the information they are exposed to
  • seeking to improve their or their team's ability to critically analyse and evaluate information
  • seeking to boost their or their team's agility in navigating modern-day challenges relating to information analysis, complex problem solving and decision making
  • curious and wants to learn more about how to be a sharp and critical thinker.

Aimed at individuals at Explorer, Professional Level 1 of the Agile Business Consortium’s competency framework, a recognised approach to starting your business agility journey. It focuses on the basics of critical thinking and then allows individuals to reflect on how to use their new skills in practice.

At this level you will be at the start of your professional journey. You will probably be part of an agile team, or in a team working towards becoming more agile, reinforcing your knowledge via simple practical application. You will have basic factual knowledge of business agility and be using agile techniques to deal with simple problems.


Courses offered by the Agile Business Consortium have been thoughtfully crafted to include extensive and well-researched material, all while maintaining an accessible learning experience. Every participant of our learning platform is encouraged to actively engage in discussions and complete optional activities in order to maximise learning.

Meet your industry expert

Helen Sharp

Critical thinking has formed a central role in Helen’s 40 year career in university research and teaching. She has taught critical thinking at undergraduate level, mentored postgraduate students trying to develop their critical thinking skills, and applied critical thinking herself to manage, perform, report and present research in international settings. Focusing on the human and social aspects of software practice, Helen has engaged with the agile community since the late 1990s, working with industrial and academic collaborators from around the world. She also has extensive experience of distance education through her tenure at The Open University. She is a founding member of the Agile Research Network, has presented at several practitioner and academic conferences, and is joint author of one of the leading HCI textbooks, Interaction Design, now in its 6th edition.