Collaborative Research: Developing and Assessing Educational Simulations to Enhance Cyber Security Learning in Computer Science Programs

网络安全教育对国家和个人安全越来越重要。学院和大学需要让学生为他们将面临的计算机和网络安全挑战做好准备，未来的劳动力需要拥有更多的网络安全技能，以最好地保护国家利益。计算机模拟已经成功地应用于教育的许多领域，以吸引学生并衡量他们的学习情况。虽然有许多模拟可用于提高网络安全意识，但大多数模拟要么针对高中生，要么需要高水平的知识才能使用。因此，很难找到针对大学生的、专注于高级安全主题的严肃模拟。然而，教育界需要这种类型的工具来帮助激励和吸引学生学习困难的安全概念。这种接触对于吸引和留住学生进入网络安全领域尤为重要。这个由温斯顿-塞勒姆州立大学和北卡罗来纳州立大学合作的项目旨在开发三种内置评估的教育计算机模拟，有效地教授关键的网络安全概念。这两所大学都是历史上的黑人大学。该项目将使两所参与大学的学生直接受益，使他们既能成为模拟的开发者，又能成为模拟的使用者。该项目将有助于网络安全有效教学的知识库，并为毕业生未来的工作做好更好的准备。该项目的目标是：1)开发三个内置评估的教育模拟，以有效地教授有关访问控制、网络漏洞和缓冲区溢出的网络安全概念。2)将模拟纳入两所大学现有的计算机科学课程。3)制定和实施评估方法，以衡量模拟的有效性。模拟的设计将有不同的难度，目标是从一年级到大四的所有级别的本科生。对模拟的有效性的评估将使用准实验设计，结合定量和定性数据来回答两个研究问题：1)模拟是否比讲座更有效地实现学习结果、高质量的学习者体验，并影响学生的态度和动机？2)模拟是否比其他体验式学习方法(例如，案例研究、实验室)更有效地实现学习结果、高质量的学习者体验，并影响学生的态度和动机？模拟和研究结果将通过项目网站和其他在线场所公开提供，并将通过会议演示、期刊出版物和夏季教师研讨会向教师传播。该项目将加强北卡罗来纳农工州立大学的网络防御中心，这是一个由美国国家安全局和国土安全部指定的信息保障教育学术卓越中心。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Cybersecurity education is increasingly critical to national and personal security. College and universities need to prepare students for the computer and network security challenges they will encounter, and the workforce of the future needs to have additional cybersecurity skills to best protect the interests of the nation. Computer simulations have been successfully used in many areas of education to engage students and measure their learning. Although many simulations are available to increase cybersecurity awareness, most either target high school students or require high levels of knowledge to use. As a result, it is hard to find serious simulations for college students that focus on advanced security topics. However, the education community needs this type of tool to help motivate and engage students in learning difficult security concepts. This engagement is especially important for attracting and retaining students to the field of cybersecurity. This collaborative project of Winston-Salem State University and North Carolina A&T State University, both historically black universities, aims to develop three educational computer simulations with built-in assessments that effectively teach key cybersecurity concepts. The project will directly benefit students at the two participating universities, by enabling the students to be both developers and users of the simulations. This project will contribute to the knowledge base of effective teaching in cybersecurity and better prepare graduates for the future workforce.The objectives of the project are to: 1) Develop three educational simulations with built-in assessments to effectively teach cybersecurity concepts involving access control, network vulnerabilities, and buffer overflow. 2) Integrate the simulations into the existing computer science curriculum at both universities. 3) Develop and implement assessment methods to measure the effectiveness of the simulations. The simulations will be designed with different levels of difficulty to target undergraduate students at all levels, from first-year students to seniors. Assessment of the simulations' effectiveness will use a quasi-experimental design together with both quantitative and qualitative data to answer two research questions: 1) Is the simulation more effective than a lecture for achieving learning outcomes, a quality learner experience, and influencing student attitudes and motivation? and 2) Is the simulation more effective than other experiential learning approaches (e.g., case study; lab) for achieving learning outcomes, a quality learner experience, and influencing student attitudes and motivation? The simulations and research findings will be publically available through the project website and other on-line venues, and will be disseminated to faculty via conference presentations, journal publications, and a summer faculty workshop. This project will strengthen the North Carolina A&T State University's Center for Cyber Defense, a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education designated by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.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.