Boundary Erosion Timeline Simulator¶
Run the Boundary Erosion Timeline Simulator MicroSim Fullscreen
You can embed this MicroSim in your own course website with this iframe:
About this MicroSim¶
Boundary Erosion Timeline Simulator is an interactive MicroSim for this health-education textbook.
Students examine a sequence of small digital
Use the controls in the panel below the drawing to interact with the model, then talk through what changed and why. The MicroSim is width-responsive and can be embedded in any course page with the iframe shown above.
Bloom's Taxonomy level: Analyze (L4) — examine, distinguish, differentiate
Lesson Plan¶
Audience¶
This MicroSim is designed for Grades 9-12. For the K-3 bands the teacher typically drives the activity on a shared screen; older students can explore the MicroSim independently.
Learning Objective¶
Students examine a sequence of small digital
This activity targets Bloom's Analyze (L4) (examine, distinguish, differentiate).
Suggested Use (about 10 minutes)¶
- Warm up (2 min). Ask students what they already know about the topic and let one volunteer describe what they see on the screen.
- Model it (3 min). Demonstrate the interaction once, thinking aloud so students hear the reasoning behind each choice.
- Guided practice (3 min). Invite students to try the interaction and to predict what will happen before they act.
- Discuss (2 min). Ask why the result came out the way it did, connecting the on-screen result back to the learning objective above.
Check for Understanding¶
Have each student (or pair) explain their result in one sentence, using the vocabulary from this chapter. Look for reasoning that matches the Analyze-level objective rather than a lucky guess.
Specification¶
The full specification below was extracted from Chapter 9: Digital and School Safety.
Type: microsim
**sim-id:** boundary-erosion-timeline-simulator<br/>
**Library:** p5.js<br/>
**Status:** Specified
Bloom Taxonomy Level: Analyze (L4)
Bloom Verb: examine, distinguish, differentiate
Learning objective: Students examine a sequence of small digital
relationship requests and distinguish the point, if any, at which a
reasonable digital behavior becomes a boundary-eroding pattern of control.
Canvas layout:
- Top (full width): a horizontal six-step timeline of realistic requests
in a dating relationship (e.g., Step 1: "Can you share your location
when you're out late?" through Step 6: "Give me your phone password so
I know you're not talking to anyone else")
- Bottom (full width): a step-through control with a single question at
each step: "Healthy boundary, still healthy but worth watching, or
boundary erosion?"
Data Visibility Requirements:
Stage 1: Show Step 1 alone with the three-option judgment control
Stage 2: On the student's selection, reveal a brief explanation of where
professionals would place that specific step and why, without
overriding the student's own reasoning
Stage 3: Advance to the next step, showing all prior steps as a compact
timeline strip above for context
Stage 4: After Step 6, show the full six-step timeline with the
professional judgment overlay and a short synthesis noting that erosion
is usually gradual, which is exactly why noticing it early matters
Interactive controls:
- Three-option judgment buttons per step
- Button: "Next Step"
- Button: "Restart Timeline"
Default parameters: Six-step sequence, starting at Step 1, no step
pre-judged
Instructional Rationale: Distinguishing a healthy request from an eroding
pattern requires examining a sequence for a shifting relationship, which is
an Analyze-level task; a step-through timeline with reflection at each
point is used instead of animation so students can reason about each step
individually before seeing the cumulative pattern.
Implementation notes: p5.js; step and explanation data stored as an array
of {step, request, professionalJudgment, explanation} objects; tone
non-alarmist and focused on pattern recognition, not diagnosing any real
relationship.
References¶
- Chapter 9: Digital and School Safety
- List of all MicroSims
- p5.js Reference (for the interactive graphics library)