Cybersecurity workforce development is the key to protecting information and information systems, and yet more than 30% of companies are short on security expertise. To address this need, the current authors have developed four cybersecurity education games to teach social engineering, secure online behavior, cyber defense methods, and cybersecurity first principles. These games are intended to recruit the next generation cybersecurity workforce by developing an innovative cybersecurity curriculum and pedagogical methods to provide high school students with hands-on activities in a game-based learning environment. Purdue University Northwest (PNW) offered high school summer camps for 181 high school students in June of 2016 and June of 2017. Out of 181 high school participants, 107 were underrepresented minority students, including African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans. To evaluate the effectiveness of the cybersecurity education games, post-camp surveys were conducted with 154 camp participants. The survey results indicated that the games were very effective in cybersecurity awareness training. Furthermore, the cybersecurity education games were more effective for male students than female students in raising student interest in computer science and cybersecurity.
more »
« less
Evaluation of Game-Based Learning in Cybersecurity Education for High School Students
Game based learning is a new game play mechanism that the players explore various aspects of game play in a learning context designed by the instructor or the game designer. Nevertheless, general acceptance of game based learning as a new learning paradigm was deferred by a lack of well-controlled, large sample efficacy studies. To address the increasing need of cybersecurity workforce, this paper introduces a game based learning method for high school cybersecurity education. Purdue University Northwest launched GenCyber high school summer camps to about 200 high school students in Chicago metropolitan area. The survey conducted after the summer camp indicated that the game based learning for cybersecurity education was very effective in cybersecurity awareness training. Further analysis of survey data revealed that there is a gender difference in raising students’ interests in cybersecurity and computer science education using game based learning method.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1723666
- PAR ID:
- 10378085
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn)
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2089-9823
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 150 to 158
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Safety and security education are important part of technology related education, because of recent number of increase in safety and security related incidents. Game based learning is an emerging and rapidly advancing forms of computer-assisted instruction. Game based learning for safety and security education enables students to learn concepts and skills without the risk of physical injury and security breach. In this paper, a pedestal grinder safety game and physical security game have been developed using industrial standard modeling and game development software. The average score of the knowledge test of grinder safety game was 82%, which is higher than traditional lecture only instruction method. In addition, the survey of physical security game shows 84% average satisfaction ratio from high school students who played the game during the summer camp. The results of these studies indicated that game based learning method can enhance students’ learning without potential harm to the students.more » « less
-
To both broaden and increase participation in any STEM field such as cybersecurity, we need to attract more students. Research shows that to do this, students need to be engaged with cybersecurity during middle school. There is a lack of age-appropriate and classroom-ready cybersecurity curriculum, however, and many teachers feel unprepared to teach the subject. To address this gap, the CyberMiSTS project team created a summer professional development workshop for middle school teachers that integrated a recent research-based understanding of cybersecurity into a curriculum that is accessible to both middle school students and their teachers. The project sought to encourage participation of a broad and diverse set of students in the field of cybersecurity by showing them how human relations play an important role in cybersecurity. We discuss our prior related work using branching web comics to introduce middle school students to cybersecurity concepts and careers, and the state of evidence-based research into effective approaches and methods for cybersecurity education. We identify challenges to broadening the pipeline for a truly diverse cybersecurity workforce that can meet industry’s need for cybersecurity professionals with a wide range of experience and skills. The paper introduces our approach for the teacher professional development workshop, maps how we designed the project to meet our research goals, and documents initial findings regarding what is needed to increase teacher self-efficacy about cybersecurity concepts and careers in a middle school classroom.more » « less
-
The enormous advancement of digital technology and the Internet usage have significantly improved our lives, but have threatened our security and privacy as well. Cyberattacks may have harmful long-term implications to individuals and organizations. High school students are accessible targets for various cybercrimes due to the lack of cybersecurity knowledge and cyber-safe practices. It is important that education about cybersecurity awareness and cyber hygiene practices must begin at a young age. Offering cybersecurity knowledge through interactive tutorials and game-based techniques may increase students' interest in this domain. To develop a security mindset and improve the perception and attitude towards cybersecurity, we created an interactive cybersecurity framework for high school students. Through this framework, we attempt to effectively educate students in cybersecurity through interactive animated visualization modules developed in Unity 3D engine, enabling learning of physical, software, and mathematical aspects of cybersecurity. Each topic in the visualization tool is explained in four stages including information, interaction, explanation, and assessment. Several surveys have been conducted to determine whether this framework enhances users' cognitive abilities.more » « less
-
When spending a lot of time online, all users, regardless of age, are subject to various cybersecurity threats [1]. Young individuals are a specific target for these cybercrimes due to their lack of expertise in cybersecurity and cyber-safe habits. Despite the State of Ohio’s sponsored initiatives that benefit students, including $89 million for top-notch summer and after-school activities, there has not been a lot of focus on cybersecurity education at the high school level. This NSF-sponsored initiative's main objective is to educate high school students about cybersecurity through a free summer camp that includes lectures, lab sessions, and free lunch and snacks, focusing on including students from low-income and underrepresented families. It also aims to teach students to recognize fraudulent behavior in malicious apps by exposing them to apps that behave fraudulently.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v12i1.7736
