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.
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This content will become publicly available on June 26, 2025
Equitable Access to Cybersecurity Education: A Case Study of Underserved Middle School Students
Existing research has primarily delved into the realm of computer science outreach aimed at K-12 students, with a focus on both informal and non-formal approaches. However, a noticeable research gap exists when it comes to cybersecurity outreach tailored specifically for underserved secondary school students. This article addresses this void by presenting an iterative pilot of a cybersecurity curriculum. This innovative curriculum integrates a one-week summer camp and a series of 1.5-hour workshops designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity. The overarching goal of this approach is to foster wider participation in the field of computing, particularly in the realm of cybersecurity. This research aims to spark interest among students who may currently face limited access to computing resources. The cybersecurity lessons featured in this curriculum adhere to the standards set by Cyber.org, an organization supported by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). Key topics covered include networking, the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) triad, and operating system security. This paper not only outlines the process of creating and implementing these cybersecurity lessons but also emphasizes the iterative refinement process they underwent. The discussion primarily revolves around the valuable insights gained from implementing this curriculum at two prominent public universities in the eastern United States. By bridging the research gap and focusing on practical applications, this initiative contributes significantly to the broader discourse on cybersecurity education for underserved secondary school students.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2207008
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10517458
- Publisher / Repository:
- IEEE
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2024 Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1 (ITiCSE 2024)
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Milan, Italy
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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