Cyberbullying: The Problem and the Solution

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Cyberbullying affects everyone from children to adults. Anyone who uses the internet could become a victim of online harassment. This course will explore the roots of the problem with cyberbullying and examine solutions on how to handle cyberbullying when it happens. The course includes multiple activities that can be used with children in a classroom or homeschool setting. The target grade level for the course is K-12.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:

• Recognized different types of cyberbullying 
• Identified the problems caused by cyberbullying
• Discussed solutions on how to handle cyberbullying when it happens
• Explored ways to prevent cyberbullying from happening in the future

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit.

The use of artificial intelligence is not permitted. Assignment responses found to be generated by AI will not be accepted.
 

HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participants their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.

UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.

1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments 30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments 40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment 30%

CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.

AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering, determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION

REQUIRED TEXT

The text for the course is Cyberbullying Awareness and Internet Safety Lapbook, a free resource from Teachers Pay Teachers by StudentSavvy. This is a "free teaching resource that educates Upper Elementary and Middle School students about the dangers of cyberbullying! Teach students the importance of protecting themselves while using technology." Access the PDF at: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Cyberbullying-Awareness-and-Internet-Safety-Lapbook-FREEBIE-4135109

None. All reading is online.

MATERIALS FEE

None.

ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT

A. INFORMATION ACQUISITION

Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. Feel free to read and respond to others' comments. 
Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum. 

Assignment #1: Introduction

Welcome to the course Cyberbullying: The Problem and the Solution. Have you ever experienced cyberbullying?  How about your students? 

Take a moment to introduce yourself and explain why you selected this course. Also share your goals for the course and what you would like to learn.

Your submission should be 500 words.

Assignment #2: What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying happens online when people send, post or share something negative or untrue about someone else. This can include sharing information that is personal or private in order to embarrass or shame another person. Extreme cases of cyberbullying can even break the law.

According to the Pew Research Center, 46% of teens have been victims of cyberbullying. That's almost half of teenagers! 

• Name calling is the most common type of cyberbullying (32%)
• False rumors is the second most common type of cyberbullying (22%)
• Sending inappropriate images are another type of cyberbullying (17%)

Other types of cyberbullying include physical threats as well as having a non-family member contantly ask where someone is and who they are with (cyberstalking).

Answer one or more of the following:

What are some examples of cyberbullying that you've witnessed or experienced? When do you feel it is harmful? When does it cross a line and become hurtful? What kind of personal or private information might a cyberbully share online that would embarrass someone? How do false rumors hurt someone? How does a non-family member asking where you are and who you are with become cyberbullying?

Your submission should be 500 words.

Citation:

Vogels, E. A. (2022, December 15). Teens and cyberbullying 2022. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/ 

Assignment #3: Survey your Students

Create a survey about cyberbullying. You can can have simple yes or no questions or open ended questions.

Here are some examples of yes or no questions:

• Do you have access to the internet?
• Do you use social media?
• Have you ever been called a mean or unkind name online?
• Have you ever been sent a picture that made you uncomfortable?

You can also add open ended questions like:

• What is cyberbullying?
• What social media platform do you use?
• What is a time you or someone you know experienced cyberbullying? 
• What types of things have you been sent to you online that bothered you?

Have the students in your class take the survey or even one of your children at home take the survey.

What were the results of your survey? What did you learn about cyberbullying from your survey?

Your submission should be 500 words.

Assignment #4: Problems Caused by Cyberbullying

What are some problems caused by cyberbullying?

When someone is being cyberbullied, there can be some noticeable changes in behavior. People's moods can change. They might start behaving differently. They might lose their appetite. They might start struggling more in school. They might suddenly give up using a computer or phone. They might have a negative response to getting an email or text message notification. They'll avoid talking about their time spent online. Or they hide their computer from your view when using it.

Cyberbullying can be much worse than normal bullying in a couple of ways. First, cyberbullies can be anonymous. You may not even know who the cyberbully is, creating additional stress and worry about who might be attacking you. It could be anyone at school, even someone who you thought might be a friend. Another problem with cyberbullying is that it can happen any time of the day or night. It might feel like you can not escape from it. Finally, cyberbullying is online for everyone to see and share. The messages and images are difficult to remove and can be there forever.

Here is a video about cyberbullying that goes along with this assignment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuO8OeLe3bY

What are some reactions you've witnessed to cyberbullying? What other changes in behavior might someone have if they are being cyberbullied? Why do you think these changes in behavior occur? Do you agree that cyberbullying can be worse than normal types of bullying?

Do some research online to support your answers. Share what you discovered online on this topic and from watching the video.

Your submission should be 500 words.

Assignment #5: Stop Cyberbullying

The best way to stop cyberbullying is to talk about it. Encourge victims of cyberbullying to share their experiences and provide a safe environment for them to talk. You can help victims by letting them know they aren't alone. A lot of people have been cyberbullied, so give them a way to share and support each other. The victim needs support and needs to know there are others like them who can help.

If the name of the cyberbully is known, this person needs to be confronted and talked to as well. And students who see cyberbullying happening should not participate or go along with it. If you have enough support, you can all take a stand against it. 

Next, victims should collect evidence of the cyberbullying. Take screenshots of what has been said and then share it with teachers and parents. Make everyone aware of what is happening and keep proof that it happened. In some cases, the cyberbully may have even broken the law and the police could get involved, so collecting evidence is crucial.

Answer one or more of the following questions:

How can you encourage students to share their experiences about cyberbullying? How can you provide a safe environment for them to talk? How can you encourage the victims of cyberbullying to support each other? 

Research this topic online and share any additional tips you found on how to help stop cybercrime.

Your submission should be 500 words.

Assignment #6: Reporting Cyberbullying

The cyberbullying can also be reported to social media websites and flagged as a violation. Many websites have ways to report cyberbullying and harassment. First, take a screenshot of the cyberbullying, then report it. Here is an example of how cyberbullying is handled by Google and YouTube: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802268?hl=en

Answer one or more of the following questions:

What are some common websites that you and your students use? How can cyberbullying be reported on these websites? How do you make screenshots on your computer? How would you save, store and share these screenshots? How can you make reporting cyberbullying easier in your classroom and your school? 

Create a plan on how to handle cyberbullying violations in your classroom and at your school and share it here. 

Your submission should be 500 words.

Assignment #7: Cyberbullying as a Crime

Should cyberbullying be considered a crime? 

Watch the videos below to learn more police involvement in cyberbullying.

Assignment #8: Cyberbullying Stories

Go online and read about cyberbullying experiences from real people:

https://cyberbullying.org/stories

Here are some video stories as well:

Assignment #9: Cyberbullying Solutions

What are some solutions to the problem of cyberbullying?

Here are tips on how to handle cyberbullying:

• Talk to someone like a trusted adult who can help
• When you are cyberbullied on social media, take screenshots for evidence, then block and report the cyberbully
• Don't respond to the cyberbully
• If it is a friend, tell them to stop
• If you see someone being a victim, offer to help

Search for solutions to cyberbullying online. Make a list of some additional solutions you found.

Now create a poster on paper or using an online tool like Canva. Add the solutions you feel are most important that will help your students. Take a photo of the paper poster or make a PDF of your online poster and share it here.

You can also create a lesson about cyberbullying solutions and have students make their own posters and share those posters here.

Citation:

induja, S., Ph. D., Patchin, J. W., Ph. D., & Cyberbullying Research Center. (2018). Responding to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/Top-Ten-Tips-Teens-Response.pdf

Hinduja, S., Patchin, J. W., & Cyberbullying Research Center. (2018a). Responding to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/Top-Ten-Tips-Educators-Cyberbullying-Response.pdf

Assignment #10: Cyberbullying Prevention

Here are some ways to prevent cyberbullying. By promoting smart social media strategies, online dangers like cyberbullying are less likely to occur.

• Take breaks from social media. Less time on these apps means fewer chances of encountering cyberbullying.
• Meet with friends in person rather than online. Plan activities with your friends and family in person. 
• Be careful what you post. Think about what you're posting and how others might respond to it. And remember: what you post online can stay there forever sometimes. People can download and reshare it. 
• Manage your online personality. How you appear online can affect how you are treated. Sometimes we act differently online than we would in person and can create negative responses. 
• Get involved in after-school activites, church activities or community center events.
• Stay away from gossip and rumors.
• Don't join in negative comments. You might see something funny online and want to participate, but if it makes fun of a friend, think twice before joining in.
• Get involved and help a friend who is being a victim of cyberbullying. Think about how you can support your friend and encourage them to talk to you.
• Use firewalls and anti-virus software to detect malware and never open email attachments unless you know they are safe. You don't want a hacker getting into your computer and social media accounts. A hacker can take over a social media account and post negative things posing as you.
• Don't respond to messages or connection request from strangers.
• Don't share personal information online. Keep private information private. Oversharing online can lead to problems.

Answer one or more of the following quesitons:

Which of these tips do you feel are most important? Which of these tips do you follow? What are some additional tips that you follow not on this list? How could you take this list and make a classroom activity out of it? 

Your submission should be 500 words.

ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT

B. LEARNING APPLICATION

In this section, you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you do not have a classroom available to you, please contact the instructor for course modifications. Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. ​Feel free to read and respond to others' comments. Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum. 

Assignment #11: Create a Cyberbullying Awareness Lesson Plan

Using the PDF download for this class "Cyberbullying Awareness and Internet Safety Lapbook" by Student Savvy from Teachers Pay Teachers, create a lesson plan unit to your students about cyberbullying.

The Safety Lapbook has several sections that can be a good structure for your lesson plans:

• What is Cyberbullying?
• Ways to Prevent Cyberbullying
• What to do if you see bullying online
• What to do if you you're being cyberbullied
• Social Media Strategies
• Important Internet Safety Tips
• Setting Goals on How to Use Technology Safely
• Making a promise to not engage in cyberbullying

Use these topics to build your lesson plan. You can incorporate the lapbook project or come up with a project of your own.

Submit a detailed outline of your complete lesson plan unit. You may complete the outline as a slide presentation, as a document or any way you that will be useful to you as a teacher.

Your project should be around 1,000 words.

Here is an optional video you can watch if you'd like help with writing a lesson plan:

Assignment #12: Solve a Cybercrime Lesson Plan

Create a lesson plan that looks at cyberbullying as a crime. You may approach this lesson in a number of ways. Plan a lesson that works well for the age of your students and the subject you teach.

Here are some ways that you can approach this lesson:

• Examples: Teacher will provide examples of cyberbullying online from social media to share with the class.
• Collect evidence: Students search online for examples of cyberbullying and take screenshots of what they find. 
• Research: Search online for laws about cyberbullying in their state and other states. They will also research school rules locally and nationally on cyberbullying.
• Sharing: Teacher and students will share their findings of examples and determine whether or not the screenshots they found of cyberbullying broke any rules or laws.
• Extending the lesson: Have the students do a mock trial using state or school rules to determine if a fictional person committed a cybercrime.

You may take the lesson in any direction you wish. The above items are just an example of what you can do. Try out the lesson with your students. Share the lesson and results of the lesson here.

Your project should be around 1,000 words.

Example of a mock trial:

Assignment #13: Sharing Game Lesson Plan

Create a lesson plan with a game that encourages sharing and problem solving.

Research game ideas online for your lesson plan. The games can be about cyberbullying, bullying, sharing, emotions or problem solving.

Here are some additional ideas you can build from:

• I know someone who... Have students share experiences they've had with cyberbullying (personally or another person) or they can even make up a story based on what they've learned about cyberbullying. Students tell the story as if it is about another fictional person rather than naming themselves or a specific person. They start their story by saying, "I know someone who..."
• Create a list of good and bad choices. Have two sides of the room. One side is good choices. One side is bad choices. Read a choice. Students move to the good side of the room if they think it is a good choice or move to the bad side of the room if it is a bad choice. Have a class discussion about the choices where all the students didn't agree.
• Bully game: Pair up students. One student plays the bully and the other plays the victim. The bully can act tough and mean, but the bully says really nice things instead of mean things. After a few minutes, have the partners switch roles. Walk around the classroom and find a few good pairs to act it out in front of the whole class.
• Anti-bullying worksheet from https://www.mainstages.com/blog/bullying/
• Cyberbully Escape Room 

Create a lesson plan for the game and try it with your students. Share the lesson plan and the results of the lesson here.

Your final project should be around 2,000 words.

Assignment #14: Screen Time Challenge Lesson Plan

Create a lesson plan about the affects of screen time. 

You may approach this lesson you own way, but here are some suggestions below:

• Students make a chart (or use a journal) and track how much time they spend in front of a screen. This includes phones, televisions, videos and computers. Track both time at home and at school. 
• In the following week, challenge students to do less screen time and pick non-electronic activities. 
• After one week with screen time and another week with reduced screen time, have students reflect on the difference between the two weeks.
• Extend the lesson: Have kids track their parent's screen time and challenge parents to reduce their screen time for a week as well. Have students share parent's results.

These are suggestions but you may take the lesson in any direction you wish. Try the lesson with a classroom or even one child at home. Share the lessons and results here.

Your project should be around 1,000 words.

Assignment #15: (500 Level ONLY)

Create a final lesson unit about cyberbullying. Bring everything together that you've learned into one final unit that consists of multiple lessons. Include the lessons along with slide presentations or other materials that go along with the lessons. Make the lessons ready to teach.

Use at least one lesson from the unit with your students. Share your lesson plan unit and the results of using your lesson with students. The results can be a slide presentation or document.

Your final project should be around 1,000 words.

Assignment #16: (500 Level ONLY)

Research the topic of cyberbullying with an AI tool like ChatGPT. What does AI tell you about cyberbullying? Have a discussion with AI about cyberbullying. Make a list of questions about cyberbullying. What answers does AI give you? Was the information accurate?

Ask AI to create a lesson about cyberbullying. Was AI helpful in creating a lesson? Ask AI to create a quiz from the lesson. Do you feel AI was a useful tool for research? For lesson plan creation? For assessments?

You completed assignment should be 1,000 words.

Assignment #17: (500 Level ONLY)

Search online and use an AI tool like ChatGPT to find stories about cyberbullying. Which of these stories appear to be true and based on real occurances? Which ones appear to be rumor or a story and can't be validated? 

How do you know when something is accurate and from a reliable source? Which stories appear to be a reliable source and appear to be true?

Share your findings from your research. Then develop a plan on how to help students find reliable resources. What suggestions do you have for students to make sure they have a valid source of information?

Your final assignment should be 1,000 words.

C. INTEGRATION PAPER

Assignment #18: (Required for 400 and 500 level)

SELF REFLECTION & INTEGRATION PAPER
(Please do not write this paper until you've completed all of your other assignments)

Write a 400-500 word Integration Paper answering these 5 questions:

1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?

INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:

Instructors will comment on each assignment. If you do not hear from the instructor within a few days of posting your assignment, please get in touch with them immediately.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:

Doug Larson, M.S., received his teaching degree from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and taught third grade and middle school in Dubois, Idaho. He was also the drama director for both the elementary and high school creating original productions for the school as well as directing well known shows such as the Wizard of Oz. He also taught 2nd graders English in South America for a year and used drama and puppets as a way to teach conversational English.

Doug is also a published playwright. In 1988, his first play "Nicolas Brooks" had instant success by winning the Youth Division at the Spokane Civic Theatre Forum Festival. He then formed his own theatre group in 1989 called Tailors of the Imagination.

In 1990, his play "A Man and His Plant" was produced at the Spokane Civic Theatre Forum Festival in the adult division. The play went on to win third place in a national contest and then was published by the Dramatic Publishing Company as a part of an anthology "Short Stuff for Mature Actors." When relocating to New Mexico, he taught drama at New Mexico State University and taught theatre game workshops to local schools. He started a theatre group called the Poco Loco Players, which won state level awards for acting.

Doug also started the successful website called freedrama.com which has provided free plays to schools and community groups around the world. His 2002 victory as a writer was being included in the Love Creek Production's play festival in New York City.

His monologue "Pearls of Wisdom" is the true story of the struggles young women face growing up in rural Idaho. Another success was a 2004 mid-west tour of his play "The Redneck" (renamed Operation Redneck) by the professional theatre group Retroact Productions. During this time, freedrama.com became very popular receiving thousands of visitors a day.

The plays on freedrama.com (now freedrama.net) have been performed on every continent including Antarctica. He also got involved in developing film projects as a writer and producer. In 2008, he started a new series about War Veterans. The series has been featured by Apple iTunes and YouTube. The most successful episode has been "Saving Lives in World War II" which won an Emmy Award in 2009 for best Advanced Media Historical Documentary (Rocky Mountain Region).

In 2010, he won a Telly Award for his full length documentary about a wildlife park in Arizona. And in 2011, he won a second Emmy Award for his short documentary about an organization called Paws and Stripes that helps veterans with PTSD by using service dogs.

Here is a video made by my wife and I for a 48 hour film project where we had to write a short movie based on film prompts (character named Kelly, prop [measuring tape], and line of dialog: “You only live once”). See the wacky results - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXMgYV0sN4Q

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cyberbullying: The Problem and the Solution

“Cyberbullying (for Teens) | Nemours Kidshealth.” Edited by Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Aug. 2022, kidshealth.org/en/teens/cyberbullying.html. This resource offers some solutions on how to deal with cyberbullying.

“Delete Cyberbullying Scholarships.” Delete Cyberbullying, www.endcyberbullying.net/scholarship. Accessed 19 May 2025. This program offers scholarships to students who write insightful essays about cyberbullying.

“Students Archives.” Cyberbullying Research Center, cyberbullying.org/category/resources/students. Accessed 19 May 2025. Here are resources that teachers can use in the classroom to use to teach about online safety.

Vogels, Emily A. “Teens and Cyberbullying 2022.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 15 Dec. 2022, www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/. This article discusses how almost half of teenagers in the United States have been bullied or harassed online.