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lørdag 6. august 2016

Training in Critical Thinking & Descriptive Intelligence Analysis

Level 1 Intelligence Analyst Certification

About This Course

Course Description

The views expressed in this course are the instructor's alone and do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, the Intelligence Community, or the Department of Defense.

Although anyone can claim the title of “intelligence analyst,” there are currently few commonly understood, standardized certifications available to confirm analytic skill and proficiency. Some may argue that each analytic assessment should be judged on its content and not on the certification or reputation of the author. However, an analytic product can often read well even though its analytic underpinnings are flawed. Also, it would be beneficial to have some objective measure of an analyst’s skill before selecting him for a task, rather than to discover afterwards that the analyst was unable to meet the task. Having addressed why certifications are needed and assuming certifications would provide a worthwhile benefit, the discussion then turns to how and in what areas should one attain certification. Through an analysis of the concept of analysis, the author proposes that three basic divisions should be created to train and certify one as either a descriptive, explanative, or predictive analyst. This course provides level 1 certification as a descriptive intelligence analyst.


What are the requirements?
No prior preparation is necessary; however, a strong academic background, understanding of the scientific method, and an open mind will help the student perform well in this course.

What am I going to get from this course?

Apply critical thinking skills throughout the analytic process
Identify and mitigate biases to reveal unstated assumptions
Refine and clarify intelligence questions
Conduct research to identify existing data and gather new evidence
Select and apply appropriate analytic techniques
Reevaluate and revalidate previous analytic conclusions.Full details

What is the target audience?

This course is intended for the new intelligence analyst who has little to no prior experience. This course will provide the basic analytic skills necessary to produce basic, logically sound, descriptive intelligence analysis.
More experienced intelligence analysts will also find this course provides great "back to basics" refresher training.

Full details

Curriculum

Section 1: Introduction
Lecture 1
Welcome and overview 05:02
Lecture 2
The need for intelligence analyst certifications Article
Lecture 3
Course administration and supplemental material 02:45
Section 2: Critical Thinking and Avoiding Bias
Lecture 4
Thinking about thinking I; critical thinking 16:31
Quiz 1
Critical thinking quiz 5 questions
Lecture 5
Thinking about thinking II; logical, probable, and plausible reasoning 06:42
Lecture 6
Analytic pitfalls 14:19
Lecture 7
Insights into problem solving 15:34
Quiz 2
Section review quiz 5 questions
Section 3: Getting the Question Right
Lecture 8
Problem restatement 06:23
Quiz 3
Section review quiz 5 questions
Section 4: Intelligence Research and Collection
Lecture 9
Gathering the evidence 08:42
Lecture 10
Evaluating the evidence 08:40
Quiz 4
Section review quiz 5 questions
Section 5: Intelligence Analysis
Lecture 11
Selecting the right technique 03:03
Lecture 12
Realizing the power of analytics: arming the human mind Article
Lecture 13
Sorting, chronologies, and timelines 05:43
Lecture 14
The matrix 06:25
Lecture 15
Decision/event trees 07:57
Lecture 16
Link analysis 03:23
Lecture 17
Analysis of competing hypothesis (ACH) 16:27
Section 6: Conclusion
Lecture 18
Argument evaluation and reevaluation 10:30
Quiz 5
Final certification exam 25 questions
Lecture 19
Bonus Lecture Article

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