Ever since the very beginning of humanity, tools have played a pivotal role in who we are and what we do. Tools for recording, processing and communicating information have a time-honoured history – from the clay tokens used in Mesopotamia to mechanical calculating machines. The invention of the digital computer has boosted the scale, speed and reach with which thinking tools extend our natural capabilities. This  free course,  Digital thinking tools for better decision making, starts by placing thinking tools in their historical context and concludes with an examination of their future. During the course, you’re introduced to a wide variety of digital thinking tools. You will apply these tools in many practical activities and case studies, solving problems that involve finding and evaluating information, performing calculations and drawing reasoned conclusions.

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• describe how digital thinking tools extend our natural capabilities
• use digital thinking tools to find information
• use digital thinking tools to analyse information
• use digital thinking tools to reason about information
• discuss the future of digital thinking tools in relation to artificial intelligence.