Institute For The Future

IFTF and ACT Foundation challenge you to imagine the future of learning in 2026

Play the game. Make the future.

Based on the map, Learning is Earning

On March 8 and 9, Institute for the Future and ACT Foundation will be joining forces with students, workers, and educators across the country for Learning is Earning 2026—a 36-hour interactive forecasting experience that re-imagines the future of learning—a new reality where, instead of going into debt for a college degree, students are paid to learn.

The game will run from Tuesday, March 8 at 9am CST through Wednesday, March 9 at 9pm CST.

The reality for many young people in the U.S. is that the traditional path of earning a four-year college degree prior to entering the workforce is simply not an option. In reality, millions of young people aged 14–29 are working while they are learning. These “working learners” are balancing earning both an education and an income simultaneously— often with the pursuit of one at the expense of the other.

Learning is Earning 2026 foresees an emerging reality where disruptive technologies enable students to earn while acquiring in-demand market skills and competencies. Players envision a future where, by 2026, working and learning are fused, creating increased education and economic opportunities—and then are asked to imagine what happens next.

The game uses IFTF’s Foresight Engine™ platform, designed by world-renowned game designer Jane McGonigal. This is a powerful but easy-to-use gaming environment for imagining a variety of different futures. Participants in the experience use “cards” to play brief, Twitter-length ideas. They can expand upon one another’s cards to create “builds” as players debate, extend, and pose questions about other players ideas. The longer the chains, the richer the ideas—and the more points players win.

When

• Foresight Engine Game Starts: March 8, 2016 - 9am CST | 7am PST
• Foresight Engine Game Ends: March 9, 2016 - 9pm CST | 7am PST
• Jane McGonigal Keynote, “How to Think (and Learn) Like a Futurist” at SXSWedu in Austin, TX: March 9, 2016 - 9:30am CST

Where

• Register and play the game: LearningIsEarning2026.org
• Play in-person: SXSWedu Expo, Austin Convention Center, Booth #301

Related Research

• Learning is Earning map
• From Educational Institutions to Learning Flows
• Future Work Skills 2020
• Foresight Engine

Media

• Download Media Kit (PDF)
• IFTF Media Contact: Jean Hagan at [email protected] | 650-854-6322

More Information

• For more information about IFTF’s Future of Learning program, contact Sara Skvirsky at [email protected]
• For more information about IFTF’s Foresight Engine™, contact Rachel Hatch at [email protected]