Implementing Game-Based Learning to Enhance Training for Cybersecurity Technicians and Recruit a Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce

实施基于游戏的学习，加强网络安全技术人员的培训并招募多元化的网络安全劳动力

• 批准号: 2301202
• 负责人: Mike Libassi
• 金额: $ 64.67万
• 依托单位: Sinclair Community College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-10-01 至 2026-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301202&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Implementing; Game; Based; Learning; Enhance

This project aims to serve the national interest by producing more qualified technicians to meet workforce demands in cybersecurity. Keeping computers and information systems secure is a critical need and a major challenge in business, industry, and government. The growth of cyber-threats has created a need for many more workers who have the knowledge and skills to protect both existing and emerging technologies. The use of challenges, competitions, games, puzzles, and similar highly interactive and team-oriented activities has proved to be an effective means of exciting students about cybersecurity and improving their understanding of cybersecurity concepts. These tools can supplement traditional pedagogical approaches, and they can sometimes engage students that the traditional approaches do not. In this project, educators from Sinclair Community College and Moraine Valley Community College will refine, test, and disseminate a hands-on, minds-on learning game called "Sticker Heist," in which teams of students solve cybersecurity puzzles to complete the shared quest of opening a locked box to retrieve "stickers." This quest is supported by an immersive story that locates the players in an alternate time and identity. This cybersecurity simulation game encourages teamwork, communication, and leadership while it teaches principles and skills in the cybersecurity curriculum. Role-playing and simulation games, especially escape games like "Sticker Heist," are broadly appealing to people of various ages, educational backgrounds, races, and genders and can be used to expose people of all ages to new career fields, especially cybersecurity and other areas of STEM. The learning activities in this project will increase students' engagement, promote learning outcomes, support recruitment into the cybersecurity profession by encouraging participants to picture themselves in a cybersecurity career, and address the critical need to attract more students from underrepresented populations into the cybersecurity workforce."Sticker Heist" is a hands-on learning game that consists of a self-contained, portable security system protecting a locked box of laptop stickers. The interior box is a simple, locked container containing a number of laptop stickers related to Defcon, hacking events, etc., which are often collectibles to enthusiasts. The surrounding box contains the systems that secure the first -- currently a Raspberry Pi 4, Arduino Uno, network, and other components (RFID, keypad, buzzer, lights). However, the box is not 100% secure; several common security flaws and vulnerabilities have been built in. This allows teams of high school and college students to work together to gather information (reconnaissance) on the system and then use free, open-source tools to expose and exploit the security flaws to access the system, open the box, and collect the prize. In this challenge, students work together as a team and think critically and creatively while learning the basics of cybersecurity. In the project, the investigators will pursue four related goals. First, is to refine the "Sticker Heist" learning tool, ensuring its alignment with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework as well as industry-recognized cybersecurity credentials. Second, is to deliver professional development training on the tool to high school and college faculty so that they can effectively implement the tool in their classrooms. Third, is to promote use of the tool as a means to attract underrepresented students into cybersecurity through demonstrations, recruitment events, and clubs. Fourth, and finally, is to assess the effectiveness of the tool for improving engagement and attracting a broader and more diverse population of students to cybersecurity careers. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, which focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced technology fields that drive the nation's economy.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.

该项目旨在通过培养更多合格的技术人员来满足网络安全方面的劳动力需求，从而为国家利益服务。保持计算机和信息系统的安全是商业、工业和政府的关键需求和主要挑战。网络威胁的增长催生了对更多拥有知识和技能来保护现有和新兴技术的员工的需求。利用挑战、竞赛、游戏、谜题和类似的高度互动和团队导向的活动，已被证明是激发学生对网络安全的兴趣和提高他们对网络安全概念理解的有效手段。这些工具可以补充传统的教学方法，它们有时可以吸引学生，传统的方法没有。在这个项目中，来自辛克莱社区学院和冰碛谷社区学院的教育工作者将改进、测试并传播一款名为“贴纸抢劫”的动手学习游戏。在这个游戏中，学生团队解决网络安全难题，完成打开一个锁着的盒子来找回“贴纸”的共同任务。这个任务由一个身临其境的故事支持，将玩家置于另一个时间和身份中。这个网络安全模拟游戏鼓励团队合作，沟通和领导能力，同时在网络安全课程中教授原则和技能。角色扮演和模拟游戏，尤其是像“贴纸抢劫”这样的逃脱游戏，对不同年龄、教育背景、种族和性别的人都有广泛的吸引力，可以用来让所有年龄段的人接触新的职业领域，尤其是网络安全和其他STEM领域。该项目的学习活动将提高学生的参与度，促进学习成果，通过鼓励参与者想象自己从事网络安全职业，支持网络安全职业的招聘，并解决从代表性不足的人群中吸引更多学生加入网络安全劳动力的迫切需求。“贴纸抢劫”是一款动手学习游戏，由一个独立的便携式安全系统组成，保护一个上锁的笔记本电脑贴纸盒。内部盒子是一个简单的，上锁的容器，里面装着一些与Defcon，黑客事件等相关的笔记本电脑贴纸，这些贴纸通常是爱好者的收藏品。周围的盒子包含了保护第一个系统的系统-目前是Raspberry Pi 4， Arduino Uno，网络和其他组件（RFID，键盘，蜂鸣器，灯）。然而，这个盒子并不是100%安全的；已经内置了几个常见的安全缺陷和漏洞。这使得高中生和大学生组成的团队可以一起收集系统上的信息（侦察），然后使用免费的开源工具来暴露和利用安全漏洞来访问系统，打开盒子，并收集奖品。在这个挑战中，学生们作为一个团队一起工作，在学习网络安全基础知识的同时进行批判性和创造性的思考。在这个项目中，研究人员将追求四个相关的目标。首先，完善“贴纸抢劫”学习工具，确保其与国家网络安全教育倡议（NICE）网络安全劳动力框架以及行业认可的网络安全证书保持一致。第二，为高中和大学教师提供有关该工具的专业发展培训，使他们能够在课堂上有效地使用该工具。第三，通过示范、招聘活动和俱乐部，推广使用该工具，吸引代表性不足的学生进入网络安全领域。第四，也是最后一点，是评估该工具在提高参与度和吸引更广泛、更多样化的学生从事网络安全职业方面的有效性。该项目由先进技术教育（ATE）计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。