The courses are free to audit. Start the first course here and click "Enroll for Free."
Subscribe to Coursera to complete hands-on assignments, get peer review feedback, and earn your certificate in Futures Thinking. The Institute for the Future is declaring 2020 “The Year of the Future,” because we believe that foresight is a human right. Every human should have the chance to develop the creative skills needed to imagine how the future can be different, and to participate in deciding what the future will be. We believe futures thinking shouldn’t be something that only happens in Silicon Valley. With our specialization in Futures Thinking on Coursera, we are the first organization ever to offer massively open, free training in futures thinking. We aim to upskill the entire planet in future thinking and future making, by teaching one million online learners via the Coursera platform.
What you will learn
As you begin to build your future thinking skills, you’ll learn to use
some of IFTF’s most powerful foresight tools. Along the way, you will:
- Discover and identify new innovation and invention opportunities
- Gain insight into new technologies, global events, and big ideas shaping the future
- Tap your own curiosity and imagination to discover possibilities for your own future
- Go behind the scenes with IFTF researchers to see futures thinking in action
- Transform your foresight into positive action
- Develop new strategies for creating a future that serves yourself and your community
Hone Your Foresight Skills with Other Visionaries
Adapted from Jane McGonigal’s ‘How to Think Like a Futurist’ workshops at Stanford University Continuing Studies and lessons from IFTF’s foresight training certificate program, Futures Thinking Specialization taps the skills and mindsets of the world’s top futurists. It delivers proven methodologies and tools to direct and navigate the future and connect with the global community of futures-thinkers.
Ready yourself for a changing world—
online and at your own pace.
Each course features stories and examples from key emerging technologies, including VR, AR, AI, robots, drones, biometrics, genetics, food innovation, and blockchain. Immersing yourself in these topics will provide solid insights and creative inspiration...as well as help you forecast more effectively.
The Futures Thinking Specialization includes five courses:
- Ready, Set, Future: Introduction to Futures Thinking
- Forecasting Skills: How to See the Future Before it Happens
- Simulation Skills: This is Your Brain on the Future
- Collaborative Foresight: How to Gamify the Future
- Urgent Optimism: How to Turn Foresight into Action