Enhancing Our Understanding of Ecology

Enhancing Our Understanding of Ecology – By FMN Mike Mixon

National Geographic defines Ecology as, “the scientific study of how organisms interact with each other and their unique physical environments”.

As Virginia Master Naturalists we acquired a fundamental understanding of Ecology while undergoing the chapter’s basic training program. If  you would like to enhance your knowledge on this subject, I recommend you consider taking the online course offered by Universal Class entitled, “The Power of Ecology: Shaping a Sustainable Future.” I completed the self-paced course in January 2026 and was amazed at the breadth and depth of the material covered. Topics included extinction and evolution, biodiversity, conservation and adaptation, biogeography, ecosystems, and many others. The course consists of 20 learning modules, quizzes, and an end-of-course exam. Completing the course requires learners to accrue 70 percent of all possible points. Upon successful completion, a certificate was made available to me and my hours were accrued towards Universal Class continuing education. I then contacted our chapter’s Hours Committee and received approval to log 14 hours as FMN continuing education in Better Impact, using ‘Other’ as the Approved CE Organization.

Note that the online course provider—Universal Class—normally operates on a paid subscription basis. The good news is that Fairfax County Public Library cardholders can take Universal Class courses for free. If interested, you should check it out!  Universal Class offers a wide range of course topics and many of its other courses are not eligible for FMN continuing education.

If you are not familiar with the Fairfax County Public Library website, then here are steps you can follow to find the free course, “The Power of Ecology: Shaping a Sustainable Future” offered by Universal Class.
>Go to the following URL: https://fairfaxcounty.gov/library
>Under “Department Resources” click “Account | Log In”
>Login to your account
>In the far-left column, go down and find “Research Center” and click “All Databases”
>In the “Database / Key Word” search bar, search for “Universal Class”
>From the search results, click “Universal Class”
>Click “Browse Courses”
>Search “Ecology”
>From the search results, click “The Power of Ecology: Shaping A Sustainable Future” icon
>Click “+ Join This Course”
>Click “Register Now” and you are on your way.

Featured Image: “Parasitic ecology icon” by Debivort on EN wiki is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.