TEDX1888X - Harassment, Bullying & Cyber-Intimidation in Schools

Course Description

Harassment, Bullying & Cyber-Intimidation in Schools will discuss definitions and the personal, social, and legal ramifications associated with sexual harassment, bullying, and cyber-intimidation. The course will address what we know about these troubling areas. We will then explore preventative strategies as well as how school staff can address these issues when they occur. A clear understanding of what constitutes harassment and the harmful effects of harassment on people and institutions is essential to providing a safe and inclusive school environment for all.

This computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice, and evaluation all on your home or school computer.  Technical support information can be found in the Help section of your course.

Our educational institutions are, ideally, places where faculty and students are able to work and learn in a setting that is free from intimidation and offensive, hostile behavior.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  Harassment, specifically sexual harassment, bullying, and cyber-intimidation, effectively prevents this type of environment.  As a result, all members of the academic community have a constant and meaningful interest in eliminating all forms of harassment. Schools have a de facto obligation to provide all persons with the promise of being able to develop professionally, intellectually, personally, and socially in egalitarian and humane surroundings.

Sadly, harassment in schools is more prevalent than we would like to imagine. A nationally representative survey of 1,965 7-12 grade students conducted in 2011 (AAUW, 2011) found that 48% of students experienced some form of sexual harassment with 87% saying it had a negative effect on them. Only 27% reported they talked with parents and family and only 23% talked with friends. About 1/2 of the students reported they did nothing afterward in response to the harassment. Project PAVE (2008) in Denver, CO reports that 5 million elementary and junior high students are impacted by bullying in the U.S. With the advent of social networking sites on the internet, sexual harassment and bullying have also moved into cyberspace. An i-SAFE America survey of more than 20,700 5^th to 8^th graders found that 37% reported that someone had said or done mean or hateful things to them online.  A study of teenagers found that 70% of those who reported being a victim of sexually harassing behavior experienced it over the internet (Kelsey, 2007).  

The risk that all public and private school environments face is high in terms of diminished productivity, lost time, and profound legal ramifications and financial liability for both the harasser and the administration.  The increasing prevalence of all forms of harassment has generated increased awareness and involvement of courts, legislatures, society, school districts, students, parents, and staff.  This increased awareness has lowered tolerance for harassment and inappropriate behavior in schools.  It is essential that institutions and workplaces confront and address harassment, as it constitutes a violation of an individual’s legal rights.  Harassment also threatens the physical and emotional well-being and performance of staff and interferes with the learning experience of students. 

This class will discuss definitions and the personal, social, and legal ramifications associated with sexual harassment, bullying, and cyber-intimidation. The following sections will address what we know about these troubling areas. The final section will explore preventative strategies as well as how school staff can address these issues when they occur. A clear understanding of what constitutes harassment and the harmful effects of harassment on people and institutions is essential to providing a safe and inclusive school environment for all.

At the conclusion of this course students will be able to:

• To trace the recent history and development of harassment and its relationship to discrimination, thereby increasing knowledge and understanding of its impact on individuals and the workplace
• To increase awareness and understanding of social and cultural factors contributing to harassment, and the response to and perception of harassment
• To know and understand the legal and operational definitions of harassment
• To know and understand the forms of sexual harassment and its relationship to prejudice, discrimination, and power differentials
• To know and understand the concepts behind the term “reasonable woman” as it pertains to sexual harassment issues
• To know and understand the problematic legal issues surrounding workplace romances
• To provide guidelines for the development and implementation of a sexual harassment policy applicable to the school or work site
• To increase knowledge of the extent and impact of sexual harassment on the victim and in the workplace
• To understand the steps that can be taken  if someone is sexually harassed
• To identify strategies/behaviors to stop sexual harassment
• To increase knowledge of the responsibilities of supervisors and organizations in preventing and responding to harassment
• To know about gender harassment on the Internet and preventative steps to take
• To identify the dynamics of bullying in general
• To know the impact of bullying on the individuals involved
• To comprehend the impact of bullying on the school environment
• To understand the definition of cyber-bullying and intimidation
• To understand the methods used in cyber-bullying
• To be aware of the types of cyber-bullying that can occur
• To identify prevention strategies for bullying and cyber-bullying that schools can implement
• To offer ways that schools can support parents in preventing cyber-bullying
• To know and understand remediation possibilities for bullying and cyber-bullying

There are no prerequisites.

As a student you will be expected to:

• Complete all three information sections showing a competent understanding of the material presented in each section.
• Complete all three section examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material presented.  You must obtain an overall score of 70% or higher, with no individual exam score below 50%, to pass this course.  *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.
• Complete a review of any section on which your examination score was below 50%.
• Retake any examination, after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.
• Complete a course evaluation form at the end of the course.

30 Hours

365 Days

3.0 CEUs

For Additional Information Visit: https://www.virtualeduc.com/html_syllabus/HBC/HBC_UP3_syllabus.htm