Los Angeles County Learning Academy

Enrollment Currently Closed

The Academy is offering this voluntary skill-building course to all County employees as a tool to aid in developing the ability to effectively solve problems, make decisions, and think creatively. The program is being offered on the campus of Los Angeles City College. This course has been customized for the County and will incorporate assignments that are relevant to the workplace, including a real-work continuous improvement project.

This is regular college course customized for the County and you will earn college credit when you successfully complete the course. The typical timeframe consists of 56 hours of classroom instruction over a 12-week period. Classes meet one day per week in the late afternoon/evening as well as several Saturdays on the campus of Los Angeles City College. In addition to the class time, you will be assigned reading and homework assignments to be completed on your personal time.

This program is intended to be a shared commitment, partially on County time and partially your personal time; however, management approval will be required to attend the program.

The Academy pays for your enrollment, books, materials and campus parking. This program is open to all County employees who want to develop their critical thinking skills and are able to commit the time and energy to this college-level course.

This course applies the theories and research evidence in cognitive psychology to enhance critical thinking skills. Practice with a wide variety of problems and simulations will take place to ensure learning and retention. As a result of completing this course, you will have the improved ability to:


	Enrollment Currently Closed The Academy is offering this voluntary skill-building course to all County employees as a tool to aid in developing the ability to effectively solve problems, make decisions, and think creatively. The program is being offered on the campus of Los Angeles City College. This course has been customized for the County and will incorporate assignments that are relevant to the workplace, including a real-work continuous improvement project. This is regular college course customized for the County and you will earn college credit when you successfully complete the course. The typical timeframe consists of 56 hours of classroom instruction over a 12-week period. Classes meet one day per week in the late afternoon/evening as well as several Saturdays on the campus of Los Angeles City College. In addition to the class time, you will be assigned reading and homework assignments to be completed on your personal time. This program is intended to be a shared commitment, partially on County time and partially your personal time; however, management approval will be required to attend the program. The Academy pays for your enrollment, books, materials and campus parking. This program is open to all County employees who want to develop their critical thinking skills and are able to commit the time and energy to this college-level course. This course applies the theories and research evidence in cognitive psychology to enhance critical thinking skills. Practice with a wide variety of problems and simulations will take place to ensure learning and retention. As a result of completing this course, you will have the improved ability to:

	Remember, learn, and comprehend new information. Understand the way language and communication directs and misdirects thought. Draw inferences from data and evidence. Use rational criteria when making decisions. Systematically apply multiple plans for problem solving. Generate creative approaches, i.e., novel and useful responses to problems. Use diagrams and matrices to analyze problem solving and decision making. Recognize and resist common reasoning fallacies. Manage emotional and stress responses in order to facilitate problem solving, decision making, and creativity. During this course, you will be encouraged to bring real issues from your workplace to the classroom activities. A focal point of this course is a continuous improvement project where you will apply class concepts to your own workplace environment.
	When you submit your application, we will schedule you for a placement test. Your assessment results will be used to determine whether or not you are immediately qualified to participate in the Critical Thinking course. Qualified candidates will be randomly selected to participate in one of the upcoming sessions. For those individuals not immediately qualified, counselors will recommend courses to be taken in preparation for this course. When you are selected for a session, we will send you a schedule of classes that must be approved by your management.

	Norma Gonzales: ngonzales@hr.lacounty.gov