Alcoholedu Course example essay topic

Reaction to AlcoholEdu. com AlcoholEdu. com offers an online course that provides students with the information they need to make appropriate decisions about drinking. As the instructions for the course indicated, the program took about two to two and a half hours-however, it seemed like five hours. The creators of this website also put much effort into the overall design of the course through the use of bright colors, fonts, and pictures, but unfortunately it was still difficult to remain focused on the presentation. Some of the topics presented in the program were helpful and interesting, while others seemed like a waste of time. For example, Chapter 1, section 1 discusses how advertising shapes our decisions about drinking. Out of all the arguments advocating abstinence from alcohol, the advertising section was the weakest.

This section was frustrating because no young person is going to change their mind about drinking based on statements like "they just want your money" and "they are laughing all the way to the bank". At the end of this first section, the course ended with statements such as "they [advertisers] never show the problems like hangovers, sexual assaults, DUIs". What advertiser of any product ever shows the problems or possible malfunctions? At this point, I had to take a break-I did not look forward to the rest of the course if it was to be presented in the same corny and preachy manner.

To my surprise, the rest of the course did provide interesting information. Some facts did not surprise me (i.e. Caucasian members of fraternities are at an increased risk for binge drinking), Section 2, which discussed BAC (Blood Alcohol Content), was the most enlightening. The BAC calculator and BAC curve made the most impact on my attitude towards drinking. These interactive tools required my sex, age, height, and weight therefore, the outputs from the calculator and curve applied directly to me. I learned that according to my body size, even a small amount of alcohol would seriously disorient me. Section two, was helpful because it will help me gauge how much I will drink when I turn 21.

Overall, the AlcoholEdu course was not significantly beneficial to me. Although, I learned some new information, I have already taken several alcohol awareness classes in the past and have learned about responsible drinking from my parents. Because I abstained from alcohol in a school with a significant drinking population, "peer pressure" means nothing to me, I have no family history of alcohol abuse, and I am not depressed, I do not believe I will drink here at Hopkins. Either way, the program will have little impact on my future decisions. For a person who has not had the benefit of my experience, however, AlcoholEdu. com might be an effective tool to dispel myths and disseminate the facts about drinking. The website and course is quite boring, but I must admit, it contains many valuable resources to those who need it.

Since it is not feasible to determine which students should take the test, the mandatory requirement is probably necessary. Take note-as Summer Scholars, we received a special presentation from Dean Boswell, where she explained the concepts behind the course. Since the other incoming freshmen will have to complete the course at home without the explanation, I doubt that many students will take the test seriously.