<p>For what it’s worth, I thought I’d let you know that my son took this required online course last night to get Part 1 out of the way before leaving for Bama. He said that much to his surprise, the time (2.5 hours) passed pretty quickly and he actually found a few portions of the course entertaining and engaging.</p>
<p>And yes, whew, he passed! :)</p>
<p>I don’t know how effective courses such as these are, but I appreciate UA addressing the issue of problematic drinking at college. I see plenty of it in my professional work.</p>
<p>They send you to Auburn (JUST KIDDING–one of my dear friends is an Auburn alum).</p>
<p>I don’t actually know the answer, but I imagine you just keep re-taking the course until you do pass. I also think you’d have to be pretty intoxicated while taking the course not to pass. It’s meant to educate, not trick you.</p>
<p>Son wants to know if there is a way to take the course without actually “taking” the course. Can you just play the videos, leave the room, and come back 2 1/2 hrs later for the test. Or is there a lot of interactive stuff going on?</p>
<p>I know that if you fail AlcoholEdu the first time, you have to retake the course. If you keep on failing it, you may have to do something else.</p>
<p>There is a Part 2 to AlcoholEdu that your son must take a few weeks after move-in. It won’t be scored, but it is required. An e-mail reminder will be sent. I agree that the program is very useful for teaching the students both the dangers of drinking and how to drink responsibly.</p>
<p>NJBama: D said that her Avanti leaders at orientation said it was set up so you HAD to watch the whole thing; there’s apparently some interaction during the 2 1/2 hours that is required. She hasn’t done it yet so I don’t know the extent of it.</p>
<p>^^^Yeah, I just asked my son about it and he said there’s no way to just walk away from it and let it run for 2.5 hours. He also said it was no big deal to sit through it and check it off the list.</p>
<p>The interaction (I’ve taken about half of it) consists of quizzes, having to click next, etc. You definitely wouldn’t be able to leave the room and complete it.</p>
<p>I completed it and passed…it’s definitely not hard, but I did it in two days because I had to take a break in between. I thought it was pretty boring. I hate the fact that they ask pretty much the same questions over and over just switched around in order and format.</p>
<p>I think schools are fighting a losing battle, but I think they are requiring these things (other schools have this or similar as well) as some sort of “protection” if sometime in the future someone tried to hold them liable for not doing anything to discourage binge drinking and underage drinking.</p>
<p>I agree that they are probably fighting a losing battle, but I applaud them for fighting. I wish more entities (parents, friends, the alcohol industry, etc.) would join the fray with a sense of purpose and commitment. </p>
<p>If but one life is spared because a UA student was influenced to make a healthy decision as a result of this educational program, it will have been worth all the production costs, administrative costs, and otherwise “wasted” student study hours that went into it, IMHO. I talk to many families who’ve lost a loved one to a senseless drunk driver or who have lost a child to alcohol poisoning. Those lives were priceless and irretrievable.</p>