Assessing the Impact of AlcoholEdu on Student Drinking Behavior: A Qualitative Examination

In an effort to reduce college student drinking and associated alcohol-related consequences, many universities are turning to eInterventions. Among the currently available alcohol eInterventions, AlcoholEdu has gained the most prominence. To date, however, results of evaluations examining the impact of AlcoholEdu are mixed. Among these evaluations, there is a paucity of qualitative assessments examining the experiences and perceptions of students who complete AlcoholEdu.  The purpose of this investigation was to assess students’ experiences with AlcoholEdu and whether participants implemented specific strategies learned from participation. Ten distinct focus group sessions were completed with approximately 75 students who completed AlcoholEdu at one large public 4-year Midwestern University.  Overall, participants found the program to be informative; however, their alcohol-related behaviors did not change as a result of participation. In fact, several limitations associated with the course, such as students ignoring video segments altogether and/or haphazardly completing surveys without regard to either the question stem or response provided, highlight potential threats to internal validity.  Future investigations, therefore, should not only assess changes in alcohol-related behaviors, but also link these changes to the dosage of program actually received. Overall, the current investigation highlights several critical issues which undermine one’s confidence in AlcoholEdu to be the catalyst for positive change in college student drinking.