For the first time ever, incoming freshmen at the University of Colorado at Boulder this fall are required to complete an online alcohol education course before classes begin Aug. 23.
The three-hour "AlcoholEdu" course, created and administered by a private company, is intended to address alcohol abuse and related problems not by preaching but by focusing on educating students to make informed decisions.
"It is a non-opinionated course that aims not to tell students what to think but to help them make decisions for themselves and address the drinking behavior of their peers," said Ron Stump, CU-Boulder vice chancellor for student affairs.
AlcoholEdu uses interactive surveys to customize educational content for each individual user. The course is tailored to each individual's experience and knowledge of alcohol's effects and potential consequences. Â鶹ÒùÔº must earn at least an 80 percent exam grade at the end of the course to successfully complete the program.
Â鶹ÒùÔº are expected to complete the course before fall classes start, and won't be allowed to register for spring 2005 classes until they do.
The course was first available for students July 19, and about 1,000 students -- nearly one-fifth of approximately 5,548 freshmen -- completed it during the first week, according to Robert Maust, director of CU-Boulder's "A Matter of Degree" alcohol education program.
Organizers already have received some interesting feedback.
"We've received messages from some students who felt offended by the requirement, that it implied they had a problem with alcohol and we expected them to cause problems on campus," Maust said. "It seems like some people have that reaction, but after taking the course they realize that it's intended to inform, not discipline."
Maust recalled an exchange with a student who had e-mailed to complain. "After I replied to the message to address the student's concerns and explain the program, the student wrote back to say, 'Wow, I didn't think my message would be read. I appreciate my school doing these types of things.' It was a nice turnabout," Maust said.
Â鶹ÒùÔº' responses are completely confidential and school officials will only receive statistical results about the incoming freshman class as a whole, according to Stump. "Â鶹ÒùÔº can feel confident that providing truthful answers -- no matter what they are -- will not put them at any risk for any university repercussions," he said.
The course is not available to the public. CU-Boulder freshmen and their parents received information and access codes for AlcoholEdu during the summer. In a letter to parents, Stump encouraged them to take the course and talk about alcohol with their son or daughter.
"While we are committed to making a difference with our students, we also understand that parents can be a first line of defense against alcohol misuse and abuse," Stump said.
Maust said the AlcoholEdu initiative is an experiment and is part of a larger effort to spread awareness of alcohol abuse and related issues on campus. AlcoholEdu's parent company, Outside The Classroom Inc., claims the course is successful in reducing the number of high-risk drinkers and increasing the number of abstainers on college campuses. The course is used at more than 350 colleges across the country.
More information about AlcoholEdu is available at . For more information about CU-Boulder's "A Matter of Degree" alcohol education program, visit .