Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking
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 course 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. In this course, you’ll build your understanding of what futures thinking is and what you can do with it. You’ll master essential foresight techniques. You’ll meet some professional futurists. And you’ll choose one or more future topics you want to investigate with your new foresight skills.
This course 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.
Many thanks to the Enlight Foundation and the Enlight Collaborative, which provided a grant to support the creation of this course.
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!
Syllabus
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Welcome to the Future
Week 2
Signals of Change
Week 3
Look Back to Look Forward
Week 4
Four Types of Futures Thinking
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:
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
Thinking systematically about the future it's a skill that is really required in the time being. The curriculum of this course applies to every discipline. I highly recommend this course.
very well done - loved the videos and the reading material and the quizzes and assignments - a course that really helped gain new and crucial skills and make the learning enjoyable
Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to learn something more about the future, in other words, knowing how to differentiate it from a prediction.
This is a good course!! It helped me to learn the new method of thinking and also help me create a great imagination which I don't use this imagination part as much as I should use recently.
