Visualize. Organize. Communicate.
Austhink, a trademark of the Dutch firm Critical Thinking Skills B.V. (CTS), is a leader in the development of software that helps people visualize and organize their thoughts. By combining innovative graphical display tools with the latest research on how to make complex thinking more organized and accessible, Austhink’s software promotes more effective critical thinking, collaboration and communication, and helps make everyday problem solving easier.
The forerunner of CTS, Austhink Software Pty Ltd., was founded in 2004 and was based in Melbourne, Australia. Today, based in Amsterdam, CTS/Austhink has partnerships in Australia, Asia, the United States and Europe.
Based on significant research results
Austhink’s product offerings are based on research by founder and critical thinking expert Dr Tim van Gelder and his colleagues at The University of Melbourne. The team developed software that significantly improved students’ reasoning skills; research indicated that instruction using this visual thinking approach improves critical thinking about eight times more than standard university instruction and approximately double that of the best traditional critical thinking courses.
Austhink’s first software product, Rationale™, was developed specifically to help students increase their reasoning, logical thinking, and communication skills. Austhink’s next product, bCisive®, was launched in 2008 to help business leaders and managers quickly and effectively improve their problem-solving, decision-making and strategic selling skills.
Austhink is actively involved in customizing its software for educational segments to enhance the development of critical thinking skills in different levels of education. In regard to business segments Austhink is committed to support faster, more effective thinking processes that can add high value, such as business strategy and general business problem solving.