Excellent for people who think what the future will be like and how they could connect the past to the present and look into the possible scenarios of the future of their choice. Great stuff!!

This is the most comprehensive course on Futures Thinking available online. I work in Innovation Consulting and so looking at trends and shifts is a key aspect of my job. I have no formal education in this area and have found this course has moved my thinking on about foresight in a significant way. For one, I thought of this skills as a specialist practitioner skill but it clear that this is a skill we all can use to create the future we want. I have particularly found the assignments very interesting and its gotten me to think about the futures domains I am passionate about which are the Future of Aging and the Future of Work and learning, which are somewhat interlinked. The instructor Jane McGonigal is a rockstar in her own field of game design and an amazing presenter. I have signed up for more than 20 courses on Coursera over the years and this has to be the best in terms of content quality and delivery. Some feedback for the course creators, if I had to find an area more improvement it with with the IFTF Research Director paired conversations, the pace felt slow and the interviewer repeated too much of what was being said by the interviewee.

This course exceeded my expectations. It was fun and engaging and immensely useful for me both professionally and personally. I immediately enrolled in the next course in the specialization.

Very good course. Concrete, practical and well thought out. Fascinating subject matter. Amazing to have virtual access through this platform to Silicon Valley's cutting edge thinking!

I really liked how this course was structured with videos, readings, and activities. It has a nice flow, and lots of helpful information. I would highly recommend this for any aspiring futurist.

Not what I expected. They are too hard trying to sell their Institute and the actual program of being a "futurist". I would recommend you try it before you buy it.

Excellent overview of foresight studies. Nothing in any of the follow-on courses is technically hard, but I suspect putting it into practice is a bit like the game of Go: the rules are the easy part.

Interesting course on how to see signals and drivers for a potential future.

Excellent introductory course and inspiring to further pursue the topic. It keeps me engaged during other chapters of the Futures Thinking specialization. I would recommend it to anyone, not only to someone from the creative industry. There are many memorable and playful tasks and activities. Additionaly there are tons of supplementary materials to read. I can see benefits of Futures Thinking approach in design and I haven't even completed the specialization yet.

The course helps you sort out ideas if you've been working on innovation for some time, using intuition to choose technologies and creating alternatives for those futures. It turns out that these explosions in my brain are signals and the course has also helped me classify them and work with alternative futures.

If you are interested in innovation do not forget to do this course

super course. my compliments to coursera to offer such first class opportunity.

I also would like to thank IFTF for such extraordinary specialisation package that will be sought after more and more every day. It feels good that the experts are striving to share their vast knowledge and experience.

I am looking forward to completing the 5 courses all together soon.

Cheers

The course has been life-changing, as it convinced me about the benefits of thinking far off into the future and how to do so, to create a world we want to live in.

HOWEVER there are little to no indications about when your essay answers will be shared publicly with other students so be careful about writing anything too personal or confidential if that's a concern.

Greate course and well thought through tuition and materials. Great introduction and perfect teaser to make on to want more. I did enjoy the course, as well incorporated interaction with other students. To be exposed to other views and ideas is so refreshing. Thank you Jane and IFTF for the generous sharing of your thinking, tools and output of your work!

The course is very good and my advice follows: 1 The main teacher is so good, but seeing her all courses as the main teacher sometimes is tired. 2. The examples sometimes look repetitive as an example future of the game, the future of education, pandemics, and so on. As a result, learn new things are complicated because the examples are the same.

It was a great course! I really enjoyed all the activities and found the learning resources to be very thought-provoking. I think that this is the perfect time to take this specialty for we need to have the ability to see different possibilities in our future. As one of the readings said, "the best way to predict the future is to invent it."

A fantastic introduction that manages to capture the polarities of the practical/understandable with the philosophical/theoretical. It should be a huge hit and I suspect many will want to continue their futures studies!

Really interesting course about the tools of foresight- lightweight, lively and interesting, with clear and satisfying assignments. Looking forward to the next course!

Peer review process is flawed and should not be a score-generating or gating process. I am stuck trying to finish a course because one assignment was graded incorrectly by a reviewer who is not using the rubric correctly.

Great introduction to futures thinking. I've really enjoyed the videos and tools so far

I do not like having to wait on other to peer review submissions because you don't know when you'll be awarded your certificate. Great information otherwise, but waiting on peer review is unnecessarily stressful rather than getting a grade right away.

please stop with the peer-graded assignment. Its unneccesary and people just randomly score its stressful to submit another post.

"Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking" is an online course offered by the Institute for the Future (IFTF), a non-profit organization that helps individuals and organizations anticipate and navigate future trends and changes. This course is designed to help individuals develop a futures thinking mindset and learn the tools and techniques for anticipating and shaping the future.

The course is self-paced and can be completed in around 4-6 hours. It consists of five modules, which cover topics such as the importance of futures thinking, the basics of foresight, how to create alternative futures scenarios, and how to take action based on foresight.

The course is well-structured and easy to navigate, with clear instructions and engaging visuals. The content is delivered through a mix of videos, readings, and interactive exercises, which help to reinforce the key concepts and encourage active learning.

Overall, the "Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking" course is a great starting point for anyone who wants to develop a futures thinking mindset and learn the basics of foresight. The course is well-designed, accessible, and engaging, making it a valuable resource for individuals and organizations looking to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing world.

The "Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking" online course offered by IFTF is an excellent introduction to the concept of futures thinking. The course is well-structured, with clear explanations and engaging content that is accessible to learners at all levels. The instructors are knowledgeable and provide practical exercises and examples that help learners apply the concepts to real-world scenarios. While the course may be too basic for more experienced learners, it is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in futures thinking.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the team at IFTF for creating such an excellent online course on futures thinking. The course has given me a solid foundation in this exciting field and has helped me develop the tools and mindset to think critically and creatively about the future. I appreciate the effort that went into designing the course, including the engaging content, practical exercises, and knowledgeable instructors. Thank you for sharing your expertise with the world and helping others develop the skills to shape the future!

"Ready, Set, Future! Introduction to Futures Thinking" is a program created by the Institute for the Future (IFTF) that aims to introduce individuals and organizations to the concept of futures thinking. Futures thinking is an approach to understanding the potential future by examining trends, drivers, and scenarios that may impact society and business. The program can help individuals and organizations prepare for uncertainties and changes that may occur in the future. It provides tools and frameworks for developing strategic foresight and thinking creatively about possible futures. Through the program, participants are encouraged to explore various scenarios, challenge assumptions, and develop new insights to help them make better decisions and create innovative solutions for the future.

"Ready, Set, Future!" is one of the most thought-provoking and empowering courses I’ve taken. It changed how I think about change itself. Rather than waiting passively for the future to unfold, I’ve learned how to actively shape it — with intention, creativity, and strategic thinking. The tools introduced in the course (signal spotting, future scenarios, future four-square, etc.) are practical, engaging, and highly adaptable across industries. What I appreciated most was the human-centered approach — from working with youth, musicians, cities, to even incarcerated individuals — this course proves that futures thinking is for everyone. Highly recommended for educators, leaders, and anyone who wants to make meaningful change!