When my adviser first told me about the COPLAC digital courses, I was excited because it sounded like an interesting learning opportunity. I had taken online courses through Mansfield, but never experienced a virtual classroom like this one. Originally, she suggested that Claire and I sign up for the science-related course, but it didn’t fit in our schedules. She then suggested Conflicts in America and though Claire and I didn’t have a lot of experience with the field, we decided to give it a try! Mansfield University requires a general education component to our degrees, so why not try a digital course? The course sounded very interesting and it was a unique opportunity to work on a type of research project outside our field of study and outside our comfort zone. When the classes first started, I was hesitant. Claire and I had very hectic and overwhelming semesters and we were not sure if we could handle the work-load accompanying this course. I’m happy to say that we proved our past selves wrong! While it was difficult finding time to conduct interviews, visit well-sites, and design our website; we managed. The time was well spent because we have a finished product now that we are very proud of.

One of the largest skills I have acquired from this course is an entirely different approach to research. We were able to get out and talk to people about their personal experiences and opinions. We searched our entire library for literature sources and even went out to explore the community and see first-hand how these well sites impact the area. Though we hit some bumps along the way, Claire and I found ways to work through them. The way we collected information, sorted through it, and presented it is completely different from our current undergraduate research in our majors. It’s something that we can take with us and apply to graduate school and our future careers. I also learned how to use various online tools, such as the mapping tool and the timeline builder. I also learned how to navigate WordPress and build a website that will genuinely interest people and hold their attention. I learned recently that a recent graduate in our major designed a blog and website in graduate school. This just emphasized how applicable these skills will be in the future.

One of the biggest surprises I experienced was through our research. As we stated in our presentation, Claire and I originally thought that fracking would be a scientific or environmental issue. We both did not have a strong background in the conflict and came to these conclusions from what we know as scientists and from passing opinions we have heard. After our research, we learned that this conflict is truly a social issue. Companies have to communicate the known positive and negative impacts of fracking as well as the changes in the community that people should expect while fracking is ongoing in their area. This is applicable across many conflicts, not just fracking. Poor communication in various situations can cause tension and knowing how to properly inform people can help ease tensions and better the situation.

All in all, I learned a lot through this course and I am thankful that Claire agreed to be my partner for the course and that we both decided to stick with it this semester. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the conflicts in other towns around the country and seeing the websites my fellow classmates have created.