Teaching development grants final and financial report: Mobilizing future educators to combat cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has become a serious public health concern. Past studies suggested that teachers’ intervention can significantly mitigate the harmful effects of cyber-bullying. Nevertheless, teachers can only detect or feel competent in intervening cyberbullying by possessing the relevant knowledge and awareness. As a leading university of teachers’ education, we have the obligation to train our students, the future educators, to acquire the necessary skills and self-efficacy to combat cyberbullying.

An innovative 6-session anti-cyberbullying programme through peer learning on an online platform was developed and implemented among students of EdUHK. Interactive course materials including specially designed vignette and interactive games of cyberbullying were viewed, commented and discussed by students with the aim to help them develop their own anti-cyberbullying initiative. The main goal was to enhance students’ knowledge and their self-efficacy in combating cyberbullying. Materials used for training were developed, and implemented, while the learning outcomes of the students were gathered and uploaded onto a website to demonstrate the fruitful outcome and to raise awareness of cyberbullying. It is believed the successful development of the e-learning materials will result in a huge potential for extensive implementation in the university and in other areas of the education sector in the future.