"Gamified" Digital Forensics Course Modules for Undergraduates

网络安全和数字取证是对国家具有重要意义的关键领域，对知识渊博的专业人员的需求越来越大。对这些领域高素质工人的需求促使两年制和四年制大学开发了许多网络安全和数字取证课程和证书。社区大学通常提供应用科学副学士(A.A.)计算机取证或理科副学士学位(A.S.)转到四年制大学的学位。然而，由于数字取证是一个相对较新的领域，这些课程只涵盖有限的课程材料，而且这些课程主要是为高水平的本科生设计的，他们对处理抽象概念和复杂的取证技术有更好的准备。在这个试点项目中，三个机构--罗切斯特理工学院、康宁社区学院和奥农达加社区学院--将合作改进数字取证课程，为入门级学生引入一套小型的“基于游戏的”数字取证模块。这种基于游戏的模块化方法将使大学能够向入门级学生提供数字取证培训，从而培养出更多熟练的取证技术人员和专业人员，以满足劳动力需求。调查人员预计，该项目将直接影响来自至少20所两年制和四年制大学的500多名学生，其中包括农村地区的社区大学。该项目使用基于游戏的学习(GBL)方法，通过技术将取证概念和实践设计为游戏来吸引学生的学习。一系列有趣而有教育意义的数字取证模块将被构建到游戏中，在真实的计算环境中，可以直接访问最新的取证软件。100级模块将涵盖计算机取证调查的原则，包括事件反应以及收集、保存、分析和向法院报告数字证据的过程和程序。200级基于游戏的模块侧重于系统和网络取证，将特别帮助一年级和二年级学生更好地理解取证概念，并让他们以用户友好的方式获得动手体验。这些模块还将为社区学院的学生在转到四年制大学后进行高级取证培训奠定坚实的基础。与传统的教学方法相比，利用GBL和可视化技术的模块化教学方法将帮助学生理解无形和难以接触的抽象概念，如删除/隐藏/加密/覆盖数字证据，并有效地传达计算机取证的关键方面。这种方法还将鼓励学生通过动手技术探索取证调查技术和程序。当学生针对手头的问题采取适当的行动时，解决谜题和达到里程碑将提供奖励和积极的强化。与其他视频游戏不同，这些教育取证游戏将被开发为与真实计算环境交互，允许学生使用最先进的取证软件调查真实案件。通过这项研究和开发工作，研究人员旨在研究GBL和可视化方法在吸引和改进入门级学生在数字取证等高级领域的学习方面的有效性，这些领域涉及理解抽象概念和动手实践。此外，这项研究还试图扩大关于成功学习发生的条件的知识基础。

Cybersecurity and digital forensics are critical areas of national importance, with an increasing demand for knowledgeable professionals. The demand for well-qualified workers in these areas has prompted the development of many cybersecurity and digital forensics programs and certificates by two-year and four-year colleges. Community colleges often offer an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in computer forensics or an Associate of Science (A.S.) degree for transferring to four-year colleges. However, as digital forensics is a relatively new field, only limited curricular materials are covered in these programs, and the courses have been primarily designed for upper-level undergraduate students, who are better-prepared to deal with abstract concepts and complex forensics technologies. In this pilot project, three institutions -- Rochester Institute of Technology, Corning Community College, and Onondaga Community College -- will collaborate to enhance digital forensics curricula by introducing a small set of "game-based" digital forensics modules for entry-level students. The game-based, modular approach will enable colleges to offer digital forensics training to entry-level students, therefore producing additional skilled forensics technicians and professionals to meet workforce demands. The investigators expect this project to directly impact more than 500 students from at least 20 two-year and four-year colleges, including community colleges in rural areas.This project uses the Game-Based Learning (GBL) approach, which presents forensics concepts and practices designed as games through technology to engage students' learning. A sequence of entertaining yet educational digital forensics modules will be built into games in a real computing environment that has direct access to the latest forensics software. The level-100 module will cover principles of computer forensics investigation, including incident response and processes and procedures for collecting, preserving, analyzing, and reporting digital evidence to the courts. The level-200 game-based modules, focusing on system and network forensics, will especially help freshmen and sophomores to better understand forensics concepts and engage them to obtain hands-on experience in a user-friendly way. These modules will also lay a solid fundation for community college students to undertake advanced forensics training if they transfer to a four-year college. In contrast with the traditional teaching approach, the modular approach utilizing GBL and visualization techniques will help students to understand intangible and inaccessible abstract concepts such as deleted/hidden/encrypted/overwritten digital evidence, and to effectively convey critical aspects of computer forensics. This approach will also encourage students to explore forensics investigation technologies and procedures via hands-on techniques. Solving the puzzles and reaching milestones along the way will provide rewards and positive reinforcement when students take actions appropriate for the problem at hand. Unlike other video games, these educational forensics games will be developed to interface in a real computing environment that allows students to investigate real cases using state-of-the-art forensics software. Through this research and development effort the investigators aim to study the effectiveness of the GBL and visualization approach in engaging and improving entry-level students' learning in advanced fields such as digital forensics, which involve understanding abstract concepts and hands-on practice. In addition, the study seeks to broaden the base of knowledge regarding the conditions under which successful learning occurs.