Do you want to think about the future with more creativity and optimism? Do you want to see what’s coming faster, so you can be better prepared for disruptions and more in control of your future? Do you want to get better at changing what’s possible today – in your company, your industry, your community, and in your own life?
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Futures Thinking SpecializationInstitute for the FutureAbout this Course
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Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 1 of 5 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
This course is for everyone! No previous experience required.
Approx. 11 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English
What you will learn
Define futures thinking and give examples of futures projects
Collect and analyze signals of change
Identify historical change in the past to predict new changes in the future
Learn how to avoid future shock - and help others avoid it, too!
Skills you will gain
ForesightCreativityStrategic ThinkingInnovationLeadership
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 1 of 5 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
This course is for everyone! No previous experience required.
Approx. 11 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English
Offered by
Institute for the Future
The Institute for the Future is the world's leading futures thinking organization. For over 50 years, businesses, governments and social impact organizations have depended upon IFTF global forecasts, custom research, and foresight training to navigate complex change and develop world-ready strategies for the future.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
3 hours to complete
Welcome to the Future
The adventure begins! This week, you'll meet some professional futurists and learn: What is futures thinking? What are the benefits of futures thinking? Who hires futurists, and where can you put your new skills to use? By the end of this week, you'll be ready to choose your own future topics to explore throughout the rest of this course.
3 hours to complete
9 videos (Total 42 min), 7 readings, 4 quizzes
9 videos
Welcome to the course! Meet your professor Jane McGonigal3m
Give me some examples of futures thinking!3m
Meet some professional futurists1m
What is futures thinking?4m
Mini-Masterclass: The Future Belongs to Everyone8m
When does the future start?6m
What are the benefits of futures thinking?7m
Choose your own future!2m
7 readings
Take our 2-minute survey about the future2m
What is Futures Thinking?10m
Who Hires Futurists?5m
How to think like a futurist: The 5 key principles15m
Why Companies Work With Futurists15m
Who Owns Your Future?15m
Six Possible Futures of Food20m
3 practice exercises
What is futures thinking?10m
When does the future start?5m
What are the seven benefits of futures thinking?10m
3 hours to complete
Signals of Change
This week, you'll learn how to collect and work with signals of change. Signals are the most important "raw material" of futures thinking. First, we'll show you some of our favorite signals and how we found them. Then, it's your turn: Collect and analyze signals related to your own future topic.
3 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 43 min), 2 readings, 3 quizzes
7 videos
Examples of Signals10m
Five Minutes in the Future of Food4m
Five Minutes in the Future of Economic Justice5m
How to Interpret Signals6m
Your Turn! Analyze a Signal2m
Where do you look for signals? And other FAQ6m
2 readings
Future of Work in 2030 - Signals Report30m
More Examples of Signals of Change10m
2 practice exercises
What's a signal of change?5m
Future of Work - Signals of Change10m
2 hours to complete
Look Back to Look Forward
It's time to strengthen your futures thinking skills by thinking about the past. It sounds strange, but to be a good futurist, you have to be a good historian as well! This week, you'll learn how to use our most powerful tool for "looking back to look forward."
2 hours to complete
3 videos (Total 17 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
3 videos
How to Look Back to Look Forward (Part I)3m
How to Look Back to Look Forward (Part II)9m
4 readings
Excerpt: Hope in the Dark10m
TOOL: Look Back to Look Forward15m
The Future of Work is Task-Based, not Time-Based10m
Who Invented Futures Thinking and Why?15m
1 practice exercise
Who invented futures thinking, and why?5m
3 hours to complete
Four Types of Futures Thinking
This week, you'll learn: What are the four different types of futures thinking, and when should you use each type? You'll also try out a fun futures thinking tool: the "Future Four-Square" game. This tool will help you dig deeper on your own future topic.... whatever you're interested in exploring the future of! Finally, get ready to help a friend or colleague think about the future. After all, the best way to learn something new is to teach someone else!
3 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 29 min), 4 readings, 3 quizzes
7 videos
The Four Types of Futures Thinking9m
Why I Future with Youth3m
Why I Future with Musicians2m
Why I Future with Incarcerated People2m
Why I Future with My City3m
Congratulations! You've finished this course49s
4 readings
The Future as a Way of Life10m
A Guide to The Four Types of Futures Thinking10m
How Professional Futurists Imagine the Future30m
An invitation to join our free Alumni Network2m
2 practice exercises
Can you identify the four types of futures thinking?10m
Why do people use futures thinking in their work?10m
About the Futures Thinking Specialization
Do you want to think about the future with more creativity and optimism? Do you want to see what’s coming faster, so you can be better prepared for disruptions and more in control of your future? Do you want to get better at changing what’s possible today – in your company, your industry, your community, and in your own life?
This Specialization will introduce you to the practice of futures thinking, as developed and applied for the past 50 years by the Institute for the Future, a Silicon-Valley-based research and learning group founded in 1968. You’ll master essential foresight techniques. You’ll meet leading professional futurists. And you’ll choose one or more future topics you want to investigate with your new foresight skills.
The Futures Thinking specialization is for anyone who wants to spot opportunities for innovation and invention faster. You can gain the skills and confidence to help YOU become someone who makes the future, instead of letting the future happen to you. You'll develop a more future-oriented mindset to make positive changes in your own life, as you start to see new possibilities more clearly and craft the personal future you want.
This specialization is based on the “How to Think Like a Futurist” workshops taught by Jane McGonigal, PhD for Stanford University Continuing Studies. By taking this specialization, you'll have access to key lessons and tools from the Institute for the Future’s professional “Foresight Training” certification program.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Is financial aid available?
Yes, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You'll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. You'll need to complete this step for each course in the Specialization, including the Capstone Project. Learn more.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
