Examining Pedagogy in Cybersecurity at Military Academies

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Examining Pedagogy in Cybersecurity (EPIC) at Military Academies project will investigate and assess how cybersecurity is taught and learned in first-year cybersecurity courses (FYCCs) at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) and United States Military Academy (USMA). USNA and USMA teach cybersecurity to all first-year students, approximately 2,100 students per year. These institutions provide an ideal population of diverse students who otherwise might not be interested in cybersecurity. As a result this population presents a unique opportunity to understand better how to teach all students cybersecurity concepts. The first goal of the project will examine the relative efficacy of traditional and simulation-based instructional approaches for teaching in FYCCs. The second goal is to develop a community of cybersecurity instructors from the military academies centered on improving teaching and learning in FYCCs by adapting simulation-based teaching practices. The EPIC project will enhance the cybersecurity preparation of our future military leaders and improve cybersecurity education for all, including those attending non-military institutions, thus strengthening national security overall. The project will conduct a large-scale (6,300+ subjects) quasi-experimental study of a diverse population of students drawn from three years of cohorts of first-year students. This large, diverse study population permits a deep examination of how simulation-based pedagogies affect different student populations. It also permits the exploration of possible student performance variations or possible bias in the assessment tools based on demographics. In year one, the project will study how the approximately 30 instructors at USNA and USMA currently teach cybersecurity in their FYCCs. In year two, the project will introduce simulation-based learning exercises and pedagogies to the FYCCs and assess their effectiveness. In year three, the project will use evaluative data to revise the newly introduced exercises and pedagogies and assess their effectiveness. The project will make all educational materials freely available, including virtual machines. The project will use, adapt, modify, and improve existing materials, carried out by instructors at USNA and USMA, supported by the interdisciplinary research team and UMBC's championship cyberdefense team members. Research methods will include classroom observations, interviews, the percentage of students receiving a D, F, or withdrawing (DFW grade rates), questionnaires, and concept inventories---especially the Cybersecurity Concept Inventory. This project is supported by the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program, which funds proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and in this case specifically cybersecurity education. The SaTC program aligns with the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan and the National Privacy Research Strategy to protect and preserve the growing social and economic benefits of cyber systems while ensuring security and privacy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.