Mindful Critical Thinking
Mindful Critical Thinking combines practical training in critical thinking with the science of mindfulness to give you the tools to make wiser decisions.
Practising mindfulness sharpens your awareness of your own thinking and strengthens your ability to regulate emotions. These are crucial skills for effective decision-making. By simultaneously honing these skills and mastering the formal features of good reasoning, you can learn to navigate your own biases, better communicate your thoughts, improve your resilience to disagreement, and, ultimately, become a wiser decision-maker.
Who should attend
This course is designed for individuals needing to improve their strategic decision-making skills and is particularly relevant to those working in teams who are looking to foster a collaborative and thoughtful work environment. Recent graduates, young professionals, and anyone aspiring to progress their career will benefit from this course.
Fees
$495* (incl GST)
2026 Course Dates
- 14 Sep – 11 Oct 2026
Discounts and group concessions
M3CS supports individuals and organisations striving to create positive impact and offers concessions and group discounts to help those with limited resources. Whether you are planning a community event, conducting research, running professional development programs or providing essential support services, we understand the challenges individuals and organisations can face. That's why we encourage you to reach out to us today and explore how we can work together to meet your specific needs and create positive change.
- 20% discount for Monash Staff, Monash Alumni and Students
- 25% discount for groups of 50-200
- 30% discount for groups 200+
* Discount codes can be applied at Checkout after Checkout Now.
** Monash staff can use a Cost Centre and Fund. Login via your Monash account at Checkout Now and select ‘Staff Cost Centre and Fund’.
*** Payment by invoice is available. Click Checkout Now and select ‘Pay By Invoice’
Contact m3cs@monash.edu and let us help you.
Learning objectives
- Apply mindfulness to improve focus, reduce reactivity and think more clearly under pressure
- Strengthen your ability to reason logically and identify common thinking traps
- Make better decisions by recognising bias and uncertainty in your own thinking
- Communicate ideas thoughtfully and work more effectively in group settings
Enhance your CV
When you complete a professional development program with Monash, you're learning from a university that combines world-leading teaching, research and experiences, and consistently ranks in the world’s top 100 universities.
Course structure
Mindful Critical Thinking is a 4 week online course that can be completed at your own pace.
Each week we provide 2-3 hours worth of core content–a combination of recorded videos, written material, guided meditations, discussion prompts and other activities.
Week 1: Cultivating an Actively Open Mind
- Dual processes of intuition (System 1) and reflective thought (System 2)
- Two ways of deploying reflective thought
- What it means to be actively open-minded
- Why cultivate an actively open mind
- Am I being actively open-minded?
- Meta-skills for maintaining an open mind
Week 2: Calibrating Confidence
- Social confidence and epistemic confidence
- What it means to have well-calibrated epistemic confidence
- Why calibration matters
- Projecting expertise without overconfidence
- Communicating confidence: the case for numbers
- Becoming calibrated and confident
Week 3: Thinking and Reasoning Clearly
- What are arguments?
- Criteria for good arguments: truth and validity
- Formal reconstruction for clear thinking and communication
- Deduction, induction and abduction
- Reasoning about causes
Week 4: Disagreeing Wisely
- Two types of conflict: relationship vs task conflict
- Keeping your identity small and holding it lightly
- How not to disagree
- A guide to disagreeing without being disagreeable
Frequently asked questions
What does the course involve?
The course includes videos, articles, practical exercises, resources, online discussion forum, and weekly feedback.
Is there any compulsory assessment in this course?
No. There is no compulsory assessment in this course.
How much time does the course take each week?
The course covers approximately 2-3 hours of content per week. This can be more or less depending on the time you choose to spend exploring additional resources, exercises and engaging in discussion with other participants. And it can be meaningfully completed either in a single sitting, or spread out over the course of the week.
I don't have 3 hours per week available, can I still do the course and benefit?
Yes. The key learnings are summarised in brief downloadable PDFs, and many of the resources are downloadable so that you can keep the learnings and practice applying them in your own time.
Is the entire course viewable when the course commences?
Yes
Do I receive a certificate at the end of the course?
Yes
How long do I get access to the course content?
You will have access to the course content for an extra 4 weeks after the course closes. Please note that the course team will only be present for the course duration (up until the last day of the course).
Our organisation would like to have a dedicated run of the course for a large number of our staff only, is this possible?
Absolutely, yes, please email m3cs@monash.edu to discuss.
Faculty biographies
Dr Andrew McKilliam
Affiliate Lead Researcher, Monash University Center for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies
Andrew (Andy) McKilliam PhD, is an affiliate lead researcher at the Center for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies and the Department of Philosophy at Monash University. His research centres around the intersection of the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mind, and the science of consciousness. Andy has extensive experience in teaching, facilitating and course design. He was a lecturer in the popular Critical Thinking unit at Monash University.
Professor Craig Hassed OAM
Professor Craig Hassed OAM is a doctor and the education director of the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies and coordinator of mindfulness programs across Monash University. Craig also works in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
Professor Jakob Hohwy
Director of the new Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies, Jakob conducts interdisciplinary research in the areas of philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience.
Associate Professor Richard Chambers
Dr Richard Chambers is a clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness. Richard is a key contributor to the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies.