AlcoholEdu

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As colleges struggle to curb student drinking, they're increasingly turning to a new weapon: a mandatory online class on alcohol for freshmen.

More than 120 colleges and universities now require first-year students to complete "AlcoholEdu," a three-hour course developed by Outside the Classroom Inc. That's up from about 30 schools just two years ago and four schools four years ago.

AlcoholEdu, adopted by schools such as the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Connecticut and Miami University of Ohio, is gaining popularity because administrators can quickly disseminate information about the risks of excessive drinking to thousands of students. Schools pay $5,000 to $50, 000 per year to offer the course, depending on the number of students, and receive survey information on the test takers' drinking habits.

The makers of AlcoholEdu, meanwhile, are compiling a massive database on college drinking behavior for researchers to probe.

The course's effectiveness has not been widely studied, and alcohol-prevention experts said such educational approaches must be combined with other strategies to effectively combat abuse. But earlier this year, a University of Illinois researcher found students who had taken AlcoholEdu reported fewer "negative consequences" related to drinking - such as missed classes and having unprotected sex - than those who had not. Some college administrators also have reported positive results.

AlcoholEdu doesn't tell students not to drink - one part of the course suggests tactics drinkers can use to avoid alcohol poisoning, such as eating a meal before consuming alcohol - and instead focuses on warning students about what can happen if they drink excessively. In recent years, high- profile deaths from alcohol abuse at schools such as Colorado State University have illuminated the issue. Alcohol contributed to more than 1,700 deaths of U.S. college students between the ages of 18 and 24 in 2001, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Colleges and universities have had alcohol-education programs for decades, though many tactics have faltered. AlcoholEdu is one of a handful of online programs schools are using - others include e-CHUG, a 15-minute "assessment tool" developed by San Diego State University, and Alcohol Wise, a 90-minute course developed by 3rd Millennium Classrooms.

Schools have also taken other approaches: Several large universities are working with local governments and liquor-industry businesses to curtail student drinking by bolstering enforcement of alcohol laws and eliminating drink specials at bars.