Future-oriented science course combining authentic emerging technology with futures-studies methods¶
Design · All designs
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative),q2· 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study
Description¶
A lesson/course-level design in which a contemporary science topic (quantum computing) provides continuity from scientific knowledge to emerging technologies and their future possibilities, intertwined with futures-studies methods. "Students were guided to employ, by turns, three fundamentally different types of thinking methods commonly used in futures studies: probable, possible and preferable futures", followed by a backcasting exercise in which students imagine themselves as active participants in reaching a preferable future. Group projects on personally chosen socio-scientific problems run throughout the module, supported by the Futures Cone visualisation and systems thinking tools.
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- A science topic offering continuity from accessible scientific knowledge to emerging technology and future possibilities
- sustained group project work on a personally relevant socio-scientific problem
Constraints¶
- The module was implemented as an extra-curricular course of about 20 hours with STEM-specialisation students
Target Learners¶
- upper-secondary school students in STEM specialisation programmes
Learning Goals¶
- futures thinking skills
- understanding of quantum computing concepts
- agentic orientation toward socio-scientific problems
Claims¶
- Course New Futures Thinking Skills Systematised [+M]
- Course Fostered Optimistic Futures Outlook [+M]
- Students Scot Views Human Steering Technology [+M]
Related Designs¶
Examples¶
-
Key Sources¶
- Tapio Rasa, Elina Palmgren, Antti Laherto. (2022). Futurising science education: students' experiences from a course on futures thinking and quantum computing. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09572-3
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
design |
id |
futures-thinking-science-course-pattern |
title |
Future-oriented science course combining authentic emerging technology with futures-studies methods |
description |
A lesson/course-level design in which a contemporary science topic (quantum computing) provides continuity from scientific knowledge to emerging technologies and their future possibilities, intertwined with futures-st... |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-18 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — tapio-rasa-2022 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.