I-Corps: CyberExercises, Instructional Modules Development for Exercise-based Teaching of CyberSecurity Concepts

Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX

Investigators

Abstract

At the present time there is a lack or absence of comprehensive offering of online/offline cybersecurity related exercise-based training and a certification program. Offering such a curriculum can have a broad impact on promoting cyber security education and practices across various organizations. This learning technology can have a significant impact on elevating the quality and the quantity of cyber security courses offered by two and four-year colleges and thus fosters an exponential increase in the number of nationally demanded cyber security professionals. This I-Corps team intends to enhance the curriculum in cyber-security pedagogies and raise the knowledge dissemination prowess of the national and international community in academia. The proposed project introduces online/offline training instructional modules to train individuals interested in learning various aspects of cyber-security through specialization tracks along with a leveling certification program carefully crafted to address the needs of students of two and four-year college students. The project also offers scientifically developed course materials for instructors with the aim of facilitating teaching. The primary target audiences in this project are community college, upper division and four year collegiate faculty. This online/offline learning development project is codenamed, "CyberExercises" and has several features that rectify the previously mentioned issues and consequently, provides a relatively unique position in the market to commercialize our certification program. The first and leading competitive advantage with this project is the development of cyber-security simulations, exercises, and attack use cases designed to replicate real world problems. This allows hands-on expertise in areas specifically relevant to the participant and raises the ability of these individuals to negate the malicious effects caused from them. A second relevant competitive advantage is the creation of specific tracks customized to each individual. Several cyber-security certification programs exist, but the competition usually has a generic program that lead individuals to focus on irrelevant material, in fields unrelated to their own, and often results in ineffectual information retention.