The Maryland Collaborative Measurement System Underway
We would like to give a big shout out to all the college representatives who are working with our staff on rolling out the Maryland College Alcohol Survey. If IRB approvals come through as expected, some colleges are expected to start collecting data in early February, with all data collection ending prior to the end of March.
Our meeting about the measurement system, held on November 7th, was a big success. Turnout was excellent and campuses began discussing the best strategies for their own campus implementation plans for the student survey. While most of the colleges will be using the online data collection system, a few will be using paper and pencil methods. Colleges discussed their plans for a publicity campaign prior to the survey that might help boost student participation. The feedback that we received from the colleges regarding the content of the survey was invaluable.
We have named the final version of the survey “MCAS” for the Maryland College Alcohol Survey. It takes about 11 minutes to complete and includes standardized questions on quantity and frequency of alcohol use as well as a host of alcohol-related consequences. Most importantly, we have included questions that assess four suspected “drivers” of college drinking – namely: 1) easy access and availability; 2) early exposure to alcohol; 3) attitudes and expectations about alcohol’s purported “benefits”; and 4) parental permissiveness. The survey data will be very useful in helping us to understand better which of these drivers to target with interventions to reduce excessive drinking and the problems associated with it.
The MCAS is one of three components of the overall Maryland Collaborative Measurement System. While hearing from the general population of students about their experiences with alcohol is certainly the cornerstone of the measurement system, we also have decided to gauge the extent to which alcohol is involved in academic-related harms across the state. For that component of the measurement system, we will be designing ways of surveying students who are at high risk of academic failure. The survey methods will differ across campuses in order to accommodate significant variations among campuses in the ways these students come to the attention of administrators. Finally, the third component of the measurement system will involve collecting available administrative data on alcohol-related harms in the community.
This comprehensive measurement of alcohol use and related consequences among individuals, campuses, and communities surrounding the campuses will enable us to assess the progress that Collaborative campuses are making in implementing evidence-based interventions and reducing excessive alcohol use and related consequences across the state.
The Maryland Collaborative Measurement System Underway
We would like to give a big shout out to all the college representatives who are working with our staff on rolling out the Maryland College Alcohol Survey. If IRB approvals come through as expected, some colleges are expected to start collecting data in early February, with all data collection ending prior to the end of March.
Our meeting about the measurement system, held on November 7th, was a big success. Turnout was excellent and campuses began discussing the best strategies for their own campus implementation plans for the student survey. While most of the colleges will be using the online data collection system, a few will be using paper and pencil methods. Colleges discussed their plans for a publicity campaign prior to the survey that might help boost student participation. The feedback that we received from the colleges regarding the content of the survey was invaluable.
We have named the final version of the survey “MCAS” for the Maryland College Alcohol Survey. It takes about 11 minutes to complete and includes standardized questions on quantity and frequency of alcohol use as well as a host of alcohol-related consequences. Most importantly, we have included questions that assess four suspected “drivers” of college drinking – namely: 1) easy access and availability; 2) early exposure to alcohol; 3) attitudes and expectations about alcohol’s purported “benefits”; and 4) parental permissiveness. The survey data will be very useful in helping us to understand better which of these drivers to target with interventions to reduce excessive drinking and the problems associated with it.
The MCAS is one of three components of the overall Maryland Collaborative Measurement System. While hearing from the general population of students about their experiences with alcohol is certainly the cornerstone of the measurement system, we also have decided to gauge the extent to which alcohol is involved in academic-related harms across the state. For that component of the measurement system, we will be designing ways of surveying students who are at high risk of academic failure. The survey methods will differ across campuses in order to accommodate significant variations among campuses in the ways these students come to the attention of administrators. Finally, the third component of the measurement system will involve collecting available administrative data on alcohol-related harms in the community.
This comprehensive measurement of alcohol use and related consequences among individuals, campuses, and communities surrounding the campuses will enable us to assess the progress that Collaborative campuses are making in implementing evidence-based interventions and reducing excessive alcohol use and related consequences across the state.