Internet course on alcohol now offered

Posted 10/21/02, by James Donnelly

AlcoholEdu gives the facts about drinking, has been popular at Dartmouth

A new web-based program that provides information on alcohol use to students will be offered this year to all Dartmouth first-year students.

AlcoholEdu is a three-hour interactive, multimedia course that offers information in a nonopinionated format about the medical and social consequences of drinking. Through videos, interactive quizzes and readings students inform their perceptions of alcohol use and abuse. Taken from their personal computers, over the Internet, students can choose to complete small portions of the course, divided into six chapters, over the entire term.

"This is a wonderful way to educate students so they can make more informed choices," said Jack Turco, Director of the Health Service at Dartmouth.

Last spring, 25 Dartmouth students tested the pilot version and suggested enthusiastically that all first-year students be given access to the program. Turco notes that some of their comments included:

"I don't use alcohol but I still gained a lot of valuable information."

"AlcoholEdu was a great way to take a study break."

"At first I dreaded doing the program, but once I got started it was fun."

The College strongly encourages first-year students to complete the program by term's end. To facilitate participation, all students who complete the program by the end of fall term will be given two free movie-theater tickets along with entry in raffle drawings for gift certificates throughout the term. Every first-year student will receive an e-mail containing log-in instructions and information on how to get started.

"The entire Dartmouth community is concerned about the dangers created by excessive alcohol use," said Turco. "Our goal is to encourage as many students to participate as possible. This course, along with Dartmouth's other programs, is a valuable primary prevention tool to promote either abstinence from or responsible use of alcohol."

AlcoholEdu is produced by Outside The Classroom, Inc., a Massachusetts-based health education company founded to address critical behavioral health issues. Schools using the program for their entire first-year classes include Dartmouth, Northwestern, Duke, Tufts, Villanova, and the University of Connecticut.

- James Donnelly