Detecting Flaws in Reasoning
Enhance your decision-making skills and learn to detect flaws in arguments and intelligence analysis.
TBC (inc GST)
What you will learn
Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.
Whether in high-stakes matters of national security or in key business initiatives and projects, flaws in reasoning can severely undermine an argument or strategy.
This 100% online micro-credential introduces the Reasoning Stress Test (RST) – a new method of argument evaluation co-developed with an agency in the National Intelligence Community to identify and fix key reasoning errors.
Ideal for intelligence analysts and professionals employed across risk and security analysis, this 4-week course will equip you with high-level practical skills to pinpoint flaws in arguments and make sound rigorous judgements.
Understand common reasoning flaws
Examine a range of significant and pervasive reasoning flaws to gain a deeper understanding of how to efficiently analyse arguments. Draw on real-world case studies, from national security to business, to identify flaws in arguments and enhance your ability to expertly pick apart conceptual connections in reasoning.
Detect argument flaws with the Reasoning Stress Test
Gain hands-on practical experience using the Reasoning Stress Test to detect flaws in arguments. You’ll be trained in how to use this method to hone in on specific parts of complex arguments, clarify judgements, and evaluate intelligence analysis.
Use your new skills to identify flaws in intelligence analysis
Apply the concepts you’ve learned in this course to fictionalised national security intelligence assessments. Evaluate arguments, identify potential reasoning flaws, and present your findings to your peers. You’ll gain expert professional feedback from your course facilitators and subject matter experts.
The Hunt Lab offers a range of short courses for groups and individuals that cover the essential technical training and theory top-quality analysts need. Learn more.
Who you will learn from
Learn from skilled academics and professional experts who will share invaluable knowledge you can use in your job.
Ashley Barnett
Researcher, The Hunt Laboratory for Intelligence Research
Ashley researches the evaluation of reasoning in intelligence analysis, focusing on the Reasoning Stress Test (RST), which he formulated for measuring the quality of reasoning in reports. He's previously researched how to teach argumentation to intelligence analysts, which involved developing and delivering training courses to agencies and professional analysts around the world.
Fees
For individuals
Take multiple courses to deepen your knowledge or stack towards a full degree.
TBC (inc GST)
Please contact Student Support to discuss discounts and payment options for University of Melbourne staff or alumni, or to pay by invoice.
For teams
If you have three or more team members who are keen to upskill with Detecting Flaws in Reasoning, get in touch to discuss pricing. For large groups, we can also deliver and contextualise this course exclusively for your organisation.
Dates
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Course details
Want to know more about micro-credentials? See our Frequently Asked Questions.
This micro-credential is ideal for anyone seeking practical skills to improve their reasoning and enhance their decision-making skills. Professionals working toward a career in intelligence will find this course particularly valuable, as well as those employed in risk assessment roles in industries such as security (including national, corporate, & cybersecurity), insurance, government, immigration, the police, banking and investments.
There are no eligibility requirements.
This micro-credential has been co-developed by a National Intelligence Community agency which also co-developed the Reasoning Stress Test.
Throughout the course, you'll gain a strong grounding in the Reasoning Stress Test, which will help you identify and correct the most important and common reasoning errors that can undermine analytical assessments. You'll gain concrete guidance on how to master this crucial part of argument evaluation and gain essential skills to apply this knowledge to your career, whether you work as an analyst or in a related field.
Learning in this course is aligned with the Analytics Standards set out in the USA’s Intelligence Community Directive 203 – a framework for developing education and training in analytic skills.
By the end of this course, you'll have a greater understanding of how to efficiently detect common reasoning errors, using the Reasoning Stress Test. You'll be able to:
- Detect reasoning flaws in complex arguments, judgements, and intelligence analysis
- Analyse and evaluate reasoning in arguments in text and presentations.
This course runs over four weeks, including two weeks of guided and self-directed learning, and two weeks to complete assessment tasks.
Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:
- 12 hours of interactive, self-paced online study and practice activities with feedback
- 10 hours self-directed learning
- 20 hours assessment tasks.
Assessment:
- Analysis task: Review three fictionalised national security intelligence assessments and identify any flaws present (80%)
- Reasoning test: Short multiple-choice tests to identify flaws in short analytic judgements and analysis (20%).
Argument evaluation is best mastered with hands-on practice and expert feedback. Throughout this course, you'll practise the skill via short, constructed examples, and work up to real and complex intelligence assessments.
Videos and discussions further emphasise and explore the application of the skills. You'll also undertake flexible, self-directed learning, and receive valuable guidance and feedback from your course facilitators.