People have started questioning the “wisdom” in
having students complete AlcoholEdu, an online education and
prevention program intended to reduce the harmful effects of
drinking alcohol (“UCLA tries out alcohol awareness
course,” Feb. 23).
This is a proactive, not reactive, measure. Our goal is to keep
students safe, healthy and supported in their academic careers.
Collegiate drinking has often drawn attention to the
“epidemic” of alcohol use on college campuses.
Nationally, nearly half of college students report heavy episodic
or “binge” drinking, defined as consumption of four or
more drinks in one sitting.
In contrast, most UCLA students report they either do not drink
alcohol, or only participate in “low” or
“moderate” drinking.
So why invest in AlcoholEdu? Although incidents of
alcohol-related harm at UCLA remain relatively low, we must ask
ourselves: Are we doing all that we can to minimize harm from
alcohol and to foster a campus culture that promotes student
success, safety and welfare? Do our efforts to minimize such harm
meet the best standards?
Even with UCLA in better standing than most colleges and
universities, we have long been concerned about the inadequacy of
available tools to address the “college effect.”
This effect refers to the fact that most students who engage in
risky drinking have already adopted that behavior prior to
college.
For the remaining students, the period of greatest vulnerability
is very early in their first year ““ the early weeks, in
particular, represent a critical time of socialization to the real
and perceived drinking culture on campus. This is why we’re
addressing the issue with incoming first-year and transfer
students, prior to their arrival on campus.
Developed by a private company called Outside the Classroom,
AlcoholEdu is an online course that utilizes evidence-based
prevention strategies and research in an interactive multimedia
format. The interactive nature of the course ensures that program
content is individualized to the student’s actual drinking
behaviors.
For the minority of students that have already initiated risky
drinking behaviors, the program focuses on how to reduce potential
harm to self and others. For non-drinkers, the program content
addresses issues such as staying safe and recognizing and
responding to misuse in others.
An added plus is that the university receives feedback in the
form of data. Although the student’s responses remain
anonymous, the population-level data provides valuable information
about students’ alcohol-related knowledge, attitudes and
behaviors. This data can inform us of the effectiveness of our
alcohol education and programming efforts.
Research has also taught us what doesn’t work: scare
tactics, sensationalizing alcohol use as an “epidemic,”
moralistic preaching, prohibition, and testimonials by recovering
alcoholics.
All of these approaches are unsupported by research, yet are all
too familiar to students. Unfortunately, continued widespread
reliance on ineffective approaches may fuel student skepticism
about the scientifically-grounded value of programs like
AlcoholEdu.
We hope our campus will find that AlcoholEdu will equip incoming
classes with the knowledge to make and promote safe decisions. More
broadly, we hope that AlcoholEdu will engage students in a common
educational experience that contributes to a set of shared values,
norms and expectancies that will help them achieve their academic
and life goals.
Viele is the director of health education at the Arthur Ashe
Student Health and Wellness Center.