Chevron Left
Back to Model Thinking

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Model Thinking by University of Michigan

4.8
stars
2,241 ratings

About the Course

We live in a complex world with diverse people, firms, and governments whose behaviors aggregate to produce novel, unexpected phenomena. We see political uprisings, market crashes, and a never ending array of social trends. How do we make sense of it? Models. Evidence shows that people who think with models consistently outperform those who don't. And, moreover people who think with lots of models outperform people who use only one. Why do models make us better thinkers? Models help us to better organize information - to make sense of that fire hose or hairball of data (choose your metaphor) available on the Internet. Models improve our abilities to make accurate forecasts. They help us make better decisions and adopt more effective strategies. They even can improve our ability to design institutions and procedures. In this class, I present a starter kit of models: I start with models of tipping points. I move on to cover models explain the wisdom of crowds, models that show why some countries are rich and some are poor, and models that help unpack the strategic decisions of firm and politicians. The models covered in this class provide a foundation for future social science classes, whether they be in economics, political science, business, or sociology. Mastering this material will give you a huge leg up in advanced courses. They also help you in life. Here's how the course will work. For each model, I present a short, easily digestible overview lecture. Then, I'll dig deeper. I'll go into the technical details of the model. Those technical lectures won't require calculus but be prepared for some algebra. For all the lectures, I'll offer some questions and we'll have quizzes and even a final exam. If you decide to do the deep dive, and take all the quizzes and the exam, you'll receive a Course Certificate. If you just decide to follow along for the introductory lectures to gain some exposure that's fine too. It's all free. And it's all here to help make you a better thinker!...

Top reviews

AA

Jun 7, 2016

Wonderful course and equally wonderful instructor. I really like how Scott builds up from a very simple model and by explaining the intuition behind how we got the math, explains the maths.

JG

Apr 8, 2018

This is a great introduction to the types and uses of models. The lectures are clear, and the examples given show good applicability to real world problems. Thanks for making it available!

Filter by:

376 - 400 of 505 Reviews for Model Thinking

By Paulo H S

•

Jun 11, 2020

great course

By Parthi k S

•

Apr 28, 2018

The best !!!

By Alvaro E

•

Aug 2, 2017

Simply deep.

By 孙超

•

Jun 1, 2017

这个课程太强了，值得学！

By Santiago M

•

Aug 26, 2016

great people

By PANAGIOTIS D

•

Apr 26, 2022

Exceptional

By hubinchao

•

May 16, 2018

very useful

By Pedro E S O

•

Oct 20, 2018

Excellent!

By Leila N

•

Aug 26, 2018

Very nice!

By yinyue171

•

Nov 25, 2016

very nice.

By José M P F

•

Aug 10, 2016

Muy bueno.

By Nuno S

•

May 5, 2016

Brilliant!

By IOAN D

•

Jan 30, 2016

Very good.

By Murat E

•

Nov 25, 2022

Thank You

By Flt L G R

•

Jun 29, 2020

THANKS...

By Grace H

•

May 6, 2020

Excellent

By Mohammad H E

•

May 21, 2018

Excellent

By Jakub K

•

May 9, 2017

fantastic

By Tomasz K

•

Apr 30, 2016

excellent

By 박성준

•

Oct 26, 2015

HIS speak

By Shripad N

•

Dec 20, 2024

best one

By Milad K

•

Jul 26, 2022

The best

By Carlos G F

•

Jul 16, 2019

Great!!!

By Filipe M P M

•

Nov 24, 2015

Excelent