Collaborative Foresight How to Game the Future
You’ll never have a complete picture of what’s possible in the future if you look at it from just one point of view. The best way to expand your vision? Engage as many people as you can, and “game out” the possibilities together. In this course, you’ll learn how to use collaborative gaming techniques to go beyond your own thinking and see many, many different sides of the same future. Over the past decade, the Institute for the Future has pioneered new methods in “massively-multiplayer foresight.” You’ll learn how to adapt these methods to get diverse, surprising views of what’s possible, build your empathy for other people’s futures, and reduce your risk of being “blindsided” by the future.
This course features content from the Ethical Operating System, a tool created by the Institute in collaboration with Omidyar Networks’ Tech and Society Lab. It’s designed to help technology companies anticipate risks and prevent unwanted consequences of the things they build. Whether or not you work in tech, the Ethical Operating System will give you the chance to participate right now in an urgent future forecasting game. The stakes of the game are the future of truth, privacy, democracy, security, and our collective well-being. It’s a unique opportunity to join creative and strategic forces with people who are making the tech that’s inventing the future, and with fellow futures thinkers like you.
Many thanks to the Enlight Foundation and the Enlight Collaborative, which provided a grant to support the creation of this course.
Design and run a multiplayer forecasting game
Game out hard-to-predict consequences in any future scenario
Anticipate long-term harms of new technologies and how to prevent them
Create diverse, inclusive futures thinking communities
Syllabus
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Introduction to Collaborative Foresight
Week 2
How to Game Out Surprising Consequences
Week 3
Positive and Shadow Imagination
Week 4
Tools for Seeing the Future from a Different Point of View
Week 5
Epic Wins
FAQ
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
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.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Reviews
One of the best course I did on Coursera. Thanks for Institute for the Future Team and especially to Dr Jane McGonigal.
This course is amazing. And the lecturer also telling everything very clearly. It was very fun. Having lots of games to do. Recommend everyone.
Engaging and thought-provoking with useful tools and approaches to use in the workplace
Very good course, But the review takes some time. Waiting for the review result make us unrestful. Good. Happy to move forward
