At last! A distributed on-line learning course designed by Edward de Bono. The course is divided into three parts or modules and developed from the most powerful and effective CoRT Thinking Tools.

"Peter - Thank you very much for this excellent course. To be honest I did not expect it to be as effective as it turned out to be. Very useful in all areas of life and work. I would certainly recommend this course to others.

- Jukka (Finland)"

The course now has a 'voice accompaniment' by Edward de Bono. Each of the sections is described and given another dimension.

The course consists of three modules:

This module consists of sections on:

1. Are you a thinker? This section looks at your self image as a thinker and at thinking skills

2. P.M.I. Analysis of Plus, Minus and Interesting points. This is a powerful tool for considering new ideas

3. A.G.O. The examination of Aims, Goals and Objectives. A.G. O. is used to clarify thinking , for example, when considering new initiatives

4. CAF. CAF involves a structured process to the Consideration of All Factors. It is often used when considering situations prior to developing ideas. CAF helps ensure that no possibilities have been overlooked.

5. O.P.V. O.P.V. is an extension of CAF that gets you to consider Other People’s Views. Almost any thinking activity involves other people, at least indirectly: choices, decisions, plans, and so forth. O. P. V. tries to get the thinker inside the heads of those involved.

6. FIP. FIP is a basic tool like the others. It provides a deliberate instruction to you (or to others) to focus directly on priorities (in general or at a particular moment). FIP stands for First Important Priorities.

7. A.P.C. A. P. C. is another of the convenience tools that we can use with ourselves or with others in order to direct our minds to carry out some task. A.P.C. involves looking for the Alternatives, Possibilities or Choices (whichever is appropriate) in that situation.

8. C. & S. " C" stands for Consequences, " S" stands for Sequel. Doing a " C&S" means focusing upon and spelling out the consequences that might arise from a decision, course of action or change of any sort.

This module consists of sections on:

This module consists of sections on:

1. THE NEED FOR LATERAL THINKING: Realising the need to improve the quality of our thinking. Application of thinking to different areas.

2. BASIC LEVEL CREATIVITY: The cure for arrogance and the deliberate search for alternatives: concepts and explorations. The mechanics of new routes.

3. JUDGEMENT AND MOVEMENT: The difference between perception and processing. Patterning systems, and the concept of idiom. humour, logic and lateral thinking.

4. ESCAPE: The first technique of lateral thinking.

5. STEPPING STONE: The second technique.

6. RANDOM JUXTAPOSITION: The third technique.

7. THE TREATMENT OF IDEAS: Constraints, shaping, using and harvesting.

8. FOCUS: How to define the creative thrust. The creation of idea sensitive areas for the generation of creative thinking.

Edward de Bono is regarded by many as the leading authority in the world in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. He has written 62 books with translations into 37 languages and has been invited to lecture in 54 countries. He is the originator of lateral thinking which treats creativity as the behaviour of information in a self-organising information system - such as the neural networks in the brain. From such a consideration arise the deliberate and formal tools of lateral thinking, parallel thinking etc. on which this course is based.

In this course you will use basic thinking tools and develop skills in their use by practising them on the sort of problems that you might encounter in real life. You will then be able to apply the tools to scenarios that you may face in your studies, at home or in the workplace.

This course is based on thirty years' experience in the teaching of thinking to thousands of youngsters and adults. These have included top scientists, engineers, designers and architects and also senior executives of many of the largest corporations in the world (Shell, IBM, Du Pont and Bank of America among others).

The course is on the CoRT Thinking Programme (CoRT stands for Cognitive Research Trust) which is the widest used programme for the teaching of thinking worldwide it has been developed by Edward de Bono.

The course is primarily designed for adults for their own use, and possibly for younger people, such as families. It is also very important for individuals and Think Clubs or the equivalent. The depth to which the course goes for basic thinking and creativity 'tools' makes it ideal for learning thinking skills and for providing a substantial foundation for the understanding and use of the rest of Dr de Bono's work.

This course is the international version available in English. Negotiations are going on to make 'Effective Thinking' available in a number of languages and geographical regions through joint venture agreements. Each language version will be altered to suit the culture of the 'target' participants, sometimes there will a number of cultural differences within a single language.

These modules are basic foundation modules and as such should be taken in sequence. A participant can take one or more modules. A certificate will be given to each successful participant for each module. A further comprehensive certificate will be awarded to successful participants in all three modules.

It is suggested that each module would take about two months to complete. It is required that each module be completed within four months. It is also suggested that you work through a section a week which means working through one or two exercises a day.

This course is administered by Cavendish Information Products Ltd, 10 Cavendish Road, Oxford OX2 7TW, UK. Fax +44 (0) 1865 515644.

The course promotes a "systematic" approach to the development of thinking skills. In other words it walks you through a step by step process, starting with the introduction of thinking tools and then systematically considering thinking situations before going on to explore creativity and lateral thinking. The result is a highly effective programme that will improve your thinking abilities.

The course distribution has been designed so that you can print the material sent to you by email. Every section have activities designed to help you develop your skills and knowledge. When you come to answer the activities go back to the original email and select the appropriate activity and 'click'. Do not change the email address and enter the exercise code on the subject line.

To help you a Mind Map® supplement has been included.

In each section there is a number of exercises. Some of the exercises are 'self-assessed' and others are 'tutor-assessed'. In both cases the exercises need to be submitted. In both cases a sample answer will be sent to the participant and if the exercise happe4ns to be the last exercise in a section then the next section will be sent together with the sample answer. This is only a sample answer and is by no means the only appropriate answer as in 'thinking situations' there are many alternatives even when using similar tools. It is a condition that all exercises are worked in a proper and significant manner. All exercises must be worked and in the right order otherwise sample answers etc may be withheld.

In order to be successful in a module the participant has to obtain an aggregate of 50% of the marks available. If a participant obtains less than 50% but more that 44% then the self-test exercises will be assessed - these could provide an additional 5% of the marks. Failing this, additional tutor-assessed tests can be provided if it is felt that these would be of benefit.

Once a participant has been enrolled the first section of the module will be emailed within 45 seconds! It is also estimated that once a worked exercise has been received from a participant the sample answer and the next section, if appropriate, will be dispatched within 45 seconds! Tutor assessed exercises will be commented upon within a maximum of four days.

Apart from organising the course a special delivery system has been developed by Peter de Bono (who has 31 years experience as an IT Consultant) and Steve Smith. This system to ensure the most effective and friendly manner for delivery of the materials and communication to and from the participant for online courses.

The delivery system is based on email and designed for the least sophisticated systems to ensure speed and accuracy.

Through a sophisticated control system a tutor will always be available to mark an exercise. There will be general tutors and there will be specialised tutors all of whom have been selected by and work under the personal control of Peter de Bono.

The first module costs GBP 200.00 (incl VAT), the second module GBP 182.00 (incl VAT) and the third module GBP 164.50 (incl VAT) - this avoids complications of discounts etc. Payment may be made by credit card - VISA or Mastercard, by cheque (UK only) or by International Money Order (by arrangement).

The laws of England will govern agreements between the provider of the course and a course participant.

The charge for the module will only be made on the participant submitting the first worked exercise within one month of the initial enrolment. In other words the first section of a module will be sent free of charge. This will ensure that the participant becomes reasonably familiar with the course material and a fruitful study relationship will ensue. The receipt of the worked exercise will then irrefutably signify that the participant commits to the terms and conditions for the particular module of the course. A participant will not have any rights to the materials of the module for which the participant is enrolled unless the participant submits all the appropriate exercises that have been answered in a scholarly manner. There will be no refund either in whole or in part once the participant has signified an intention to be bound by the terms and conditions.

Part 2 (Thinking Situations) : Enrolment form and Payment details

Part 3 (Creativity and Lateral Thinking) : Enrolment form and Payment details