Fracking knowledge available online

Shale Gas and Fracking: the Politics and Science course starts this week

Nottingham University has launched the UK’s first qualification in shale gas and fracking, a free online course that will enable those who take it to be better informed about the controversial subject.

Shale Gas and Fracking: the Politics and Science starts this week and can be joined at Futurelearn.com, a website funded by the Open University that hosts MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). MOOCs use video, discussion and other learning resources as a way of teaching thousands of people simultaneously online.

Upon completion of the four-week fracking course, students will be offered the chance to buy a certificate to show they have completed the studies.

The course includes a detailed examination of how shale gas was formed, how it is extracted through hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and the impact it has on energy markets and energy security. It will then cover the politics and public opinion of shale gas, such as water contamination, seismic activity and its long-term environmental effect. It features the input of government, energy companies and environmentalists.

Professor Sarah O’Hara, from Nottingham University’s School of Geography, said: “The prospect of exploited shale gas has been viewed by many as a blessing that heralds the dawn of a new energy revolution. 

“Yet, despite all that may be in its favour, shale gas is mired in controversy around the world.

“In this course we will explore the issues and debates surrounding this increasingly important yet highly controversial energy source.”