Futures Thinking (Coursera)

Futures Thinking (Coursera)

You can’t always know what’s coming, but you can imagine it. You have the ability to embrace new ideas and stay hopeful about the future. That’s what futures thinking is all about. By exiting your default frame and asking the right questions, you can start to imagine new scenarios and use those to inform your decisions. For anyone trying to think ahead and act strategically, this kind of thinking is a must.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

With the expertise of Dr. Timiebi Aganaba from the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society, the Futures Thinking course will put the tools, knowledge and strategies for imagining possible futures directly into your hands. You’ll learn the fundamentals and get acquainted with your futures thinking toolkit. Then, you’ll directly apply them in hands-on scenarios.
Relying on your usual framework will not produce every possible future. Instead, you need to open your mind and remain hopeful. You also need to learn which questions to ask. By the end of your process, you should be able to exit your usual frame of mind and imagine new scenarios that you can plan for — skills that anyone can learn and apply anywhere. Jump-start your futures thinking journey today!
Course 1 of 4 in the Strategic Thinking for Everyone Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Welcome to Futures Thinking!
WEEK 2: Imagining the future with a frame
WEEK 3: Asking the right questions
WEEK 4: Harnessing imagination in scenarios
WEEK 5: Regaining power over the future
WEEK 6: Course Conclusion

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Perspective-Taking (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Perspective-Taking (Coursera)

You can plan what you want to accomplish, but other people will always be a factor. Planning for the actions of others can’t be taken lightly. You need to understand what people want, but you also need to have your influence on the conversation. Ultimately, you can use this knowledge to plan for each scenario.

May 25th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Advanced Information Literacy (Coursera) Coursera
The State University of New York

Advanced Information Literacy (Coursera)

This course is designed to build upon a learner's search skills and expertise in the information literacy concepts that underpin scholarship at college or university. This badge incentivizes them to continue improving their information literacy competencies over their academic and workplace career. By participating in this course, one can use these advanced search skills to save time conducting literature reviews, efficiently gather and organize information, ethically use sources, and protect their own intellectual property. Learners will work independently on a topic of their choosing and receive feedback from their peers throughout the process.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Science of Training Young Athletes (Coursera) Coursera
University of Florida

The Science of Training Young Athletes (Coursera)

Seventy percent of kids drop out of sports before their high school graduation. Only 15% leave because they feel they are not good enough. Almost 70% leave because they were not having fun, or due to problems with the coach. Injuries cause 30% to give up sports. This course is packed full of practical sports science information that provide youth coaches and parents with the practical pediatric sports science insights to successfully retain young athletes and develop their sport potential while avoiding injury and overtraining.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
How to Jumpstart Your Hidden Creative Genius (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

How to Jumpstart Your Hidden Creative Genius (Coursera)

Despite what you may think, there is evidence that everyone has the capacity to think creatively. This course will teach you to be much less predictable in your thinking and have the confidence and ability to generate unique, workable ideas to solve complex problems. Society impels us to conform to its written and unwritten rules for thinking and behaving in a certain way, which makes too many of the ideas and solutions we generate fairly predictable and ineffective.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Solving Problems with Creative and Critical Thinking (Coursera)

In order to find a solution, one needs to be able to analyze a problem. This short course is designed to teach you how to solve and analyze problems effectively with critical and creative thinking. Through the use of creative and critical thinking you will learn how to look at a problem and find the best solution by analyzing the different ways you can solve a problem. By taking this quick course you will gain the skills you need to find the root cause of a problem through the use of a five-step method. You will learn the process you must go through in order to find the problem, which leads to finding a solution.

Jun 1st 2026
1 Week
Speaking to persuade: Motivating audiences with solid arguments and moving language (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Speaking to persuade: Motivating audiences with solid arguments and moving language (Coursera)

In the professional realm, we need to be able to argue without being argumentative. Whether you are fundraising for a nonprofit, pitching a business proposal, or suggesting a change to company policy, you are making arguments. In making the case for your topic, you often want to raise awareness, identify a pressing problem, discuss appropriate solutions, and outline specific steps for the audience.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Success (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Success (Coursera)

Do you want to be more successful? This course was designed to help you define what success means to you, and to develop a plan for achieving it. Wharton Professor G. Richard Shell, an award-winning author and the creator of the popular Wharton School course on the meaning of success, created this course to help you answer the questions that arise when you consider how best to use your life. Drawing on his decades of research and mentoring, Shell offers personalized assessments to help you probe your past, imagine your future, and measure your strengths.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Information Gathering and Vetting (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Information Gathering and Vetting (Coursera)

Information is key to every decision and every strategic move you make. But ensuring you have the right information takes work. Don’t look in every direction for an answer, and don’t force the solution you’re looking for. Instead, you can use a hypothesis and test it with data until the data fits the situation you’re looking at.

May 25th 2026
5-12 Weeks
De-Mystifying Mindfulness (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

De-Mystifying Mindfulness (Coursera)

Interest in meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation has grown exponentially in recent years. Rather than being seen as mystical practices from ancient Buddhism or esoteric philosophy, they are increasingly seen as technologies rooted in evidence from psychology and neuroscience. Mindfulness has become the basis for numerous therapeutic interventions, both as a treatment in healthcare and as a means of enhancing well-being and happiness. For millions around the world, mindfulness has become a life-style choice, enhancing and enriching everyday experience. Mindfulness is big business.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Personal Finance (Coursera) Coursera
SoFi

Introduction to Personal Finance (Coursera)

This course is a general overview of a variety of personal finance topics - including budgeting, the importance of your credit score, cash flow, setting financial goals, and taxes. Taught by two CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professionals, the concepts are broken down through videos, readings, and activities so you can apply what you are learning in real time.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Exploring Emerging Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Success (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

Exploring Emerging Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Success (Coursera)

This learning opportunity is an open-access resource for lifelong learning. The aim is to identify the value and implications of using established and emerging technology tools for personal and professional growth and acquire strategies to develop lifelong learning habits to keep pace with technology change.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Risk Management in Personal Finance (Coursera) Coursera
SoFi

Risk Management in Personal Finance (Coursera)

This course is primarily aimed at those who want to understand more about how they can protect their finances from unexpected events. Taught by a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, this course covers the role insurance plays into your financial plan, including what kinds of insurance to explore, how to determine how much insurance you need, and how different kinds of insurance works. The course includes life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, auto insurance, and umbrella insurance.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks