Discussion continues about requiring a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) as the minimum requirement for entry into registered nursing practice. A Magnet® recognized hospital located in the Northeast United States is requiring all registered nurses without a BSN (n = 284 or 28%) to obtain their BSN by 2022 as a condition for employment. The…

Future studies are an holistic approach to problem solving, examining interrelationships and interdependence of events. They establish a broad conceptual framework within which planning can occur in an extended time frame. Examples include model building, game theory, trend extrapolation, and normative planning. (BP)

Content analysis and trend extrapolation using case studies of 18 workplace literacy programs in Canada were used to develop a framework of good practice. Elements included program orientation, partnerships, equity, change agents, assessment, ongoing learning, adult education foundations, content, delivery, professional development, and…

A brief review of current techniques for forecasting trends and planning ways in which training can facilitate technology and human resource change--trend extrapolation, scenario forecasting, relevance trees, and technology assessment--is followed by a discussion of the Delphi Technique, its development, advantages and disadvantages, and how the…

This curriculum unit aims to introduce students to the study of the future by teaching about some of the tools that futurists use. Through the small group activities in the unit, students will become familiar with and proficient in using the following tools: historical analogy, trend extrapolation, cross-impact matrix, and decision-maker's…

This study developed a variation of the DELPHI approach, a polling technique for systematically soliciting opinions from experts, to produce a technological forecast of developments in the information-processing industry. SEER (System for Event Evaluation and Review) combines the more desirable elements of existing techniques: (1) intuitive…

The use of futures research to improve a college's ability to deal with changes brought about by social, economic, political, and technological developments is discussed, with attention to new planning strategies and forecasting methods. While traditional long-range planning tracks and forecasts the institution's internal development, strategic…

Today's enrollment situation is uncertain, especially in comparison with recent past. Some institutions experience growth in student numbers, while in others enrollments plateau or decline. Nontraditional students challenge a variety of institutional arrangements. Many past assumptions for predicting enrollments are inadequate. Projection studies…

A brief introduction to futures education, an annotated listing of resources, and three ready-to-use student activities are provided. The introduction discusses the benefits of futures education; for example, it encourages students to make responsible decisions about the future. Next, it lists a variety of techniques developed by futurists to…

As part of an effort to reassess its enrollment forecasting methodology and techniques, the Florida Division of Community Colleges conducted a national survey of state directors of community/junior colleges to identify successful forecasting practices. A conceptual framework for analyzing responses was developed from a review of the literature on…

This guide is designed to help elementary and secondary school teachers and curriculum developers plan units on the future. It is presented in five sections. Section I discusses the origins of the modern futures movement and the concepts of future studies, time dimensions, global approach, self-fulfilling and self-defeating forecasts, and types of…

While scholars are not in accord on the basic causes of contemporary drug abuse among minority Americans, most do agree that the social milieu of the drug abuser is fundamental. It has been urged that racism, poverty, police brutality and harrassment, the economics of addiction, the hopelessness of ghetto life, peer pressure, educational…

Alternative means of compliance available to organizations to bring their manpower uses into line with existing equal employment legislation are discussed in this paper. The first area addressed concerns the classical approach to selection and placement based on testing methods. The second area discussed reviews various nontesting techniques, such…

The basic sources and types of demographic data available for future planning for the developmentally disabled are reviewed and a frame work for data organization is suggested. It is explained that future forecasts may be undertaken by the following principles: trend forecasting or extrapolation; scenario construction; models, games, and…