Alcohol-Wise On-Line Education

Alcohol-Wise

Ithaca College provides Alcohol-Wise as its on-line alcohol education program for incoming freshmen.  Alcohol-Wise is a web-based alcohol education program designed to assist students in making healthy decisions regarding alcohol use in college - all incoming freshmen are expected to take the course prior to arriving on campus.  The program takes about an hour and 15 minutes to complete and includes information on:

• How expectations influence behavior
• Alcohol’s effect on learning and memory
• Recognizing and responding to an alcohol-related emergency
• Blood alcohol concentration and low-risk drinking strategies

Based on students’ responses to a confidential questionnaire at the beginning of the program, Alcohol-Wise provides personalized information based on gender and drinking behavior.  Alcohol-Wise is relevant to students who drink and those who abstain from alcohol. 

Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about Alcohol-Wise.

Q.  How do students access the course?

A. Alcohol-Wise is only available to incoming Ithaca College freshmen. The activation period for 2009 has expired.

Q.  I am a transfer student.  Do I need to take Alcohol-Wise?

A.  We encourage transfer students to take Alcohol-Wise, but it is not mandatory.

Q.  What about students who do not have easy access to computers at home or in their community?

A.  We ask that you consider all the possibilities for accessing a computer.  A friend or family member may be willing to let you use their computer for this purpose.  Also, many local libraries have computers available with internet access.

If it is truly impossible to access a computer with necessary technical capabilities, you may receive an extension to complete Alcohol-Wise in the fall semester in order to take the course on an Ithaca College computer.  Please email healthpromotion@ithaca.edu or call Paul Mikowski at 607-274-3136.

Q.  What if a student’s home computer freezes or crashes while trying to run the program?

A.  First, contact Alcohol-Wise’s 24 hour technical support at 888-810-7990 to see if something can be done to optimize the performance of your computer.  If that does not solve the problem, please email healthpromotion@ithaca.edu or call Paul Mikowski at 607-274-3136 for an extension in order to take the course on an Ithaca College computer early in the fall semester.

Q.  Why is Ithaca College implementing Alcohol-Wise?  Is there a drinking problem here?

A.  Ithaca College is pretty typical of most college campuses when it comes to alcohol use.  Most people drink moderately or do not drink at all.  The info on Alcohol-Wise is really about helping people think through decisions related to alcohol use.

Online alcohol education is a new strategy available for addressing the college’s ongoing goal of reducing high-risk drinking and related harm.  The President’s Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs recommended that all incoming students complete Alcohol-Wise.

Q.  What does research say about Alcohol-Wise?

A.  Preliminary research on Alcohol-Wise is promising.  Research conducted with Alcohol-Wise and on one of the program’s components, e-CHUG, have shown encouraging results for college retention rates, GPA’s, and decreased weekly alcohol consumption (go to Alcohol-Wise for links to research articles).

For more information:

Nancy Reynolds
607-274-7933
 

For information about Alcohol-Wise

3rd Millennium Classrooms
Toll-free Phone: 888-810-7990                     
Email: info@3rdmilclassrooms.com