Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Community College of Allegheny Co. emphasize the need for shared cybersecurity teaching resources. They introduce the innovative CyberSim Lab course, aiming to integrate technical and non-technical skills, profoundly impacting the cybersecurity workforce.
The modern cybersecurity landscape demands professionals who are equipped with both technical prowess and social intelligence. In an article, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Community College of Allegheny County have emphasized the importance of integrating technical and non-technical skills in cybersecurity education.
Their findings are presented in the Proceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education.
“Most cybersecurity education at the postsecondary level is focused on technical knowledge and skills without enough attention to vital non-technical skills,” co-author Lee Branstetter, a professor of public policy and economics in Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, said in a news release. “Cybersecurity education has to integrate teaching and practicing non-technical competencies alongside technical knowledge and skills to ensure that both technical and non-technical skills transfer to cybersecurity workplaces.”
In response to this educational gap, the researchers have designed a course that facilitates the sharing of resources to teach these essential competencies.
The CyberSim Lab, a one-semester course, uses experiential learning, role play, collaborative learning, technical simulation and metacognitive engagement to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application.
The study underscores the significant role community colleges play in training entry-level cybersecurity professionals, especially for students who may not pursue a four-year degree. By identifying specific learning outcomes and suggesting research-based pedagogical approaches, the researchers aim to support learning and skills transfer effectively.
The innovative CyberSim Lab allows students to work in small groups to identify vulnerabilities in systems, create and present change management plans, and implement feedback to fortify network security.
This hands-on approach mirrors the complexities and collaborative nature of actual cybersecurity work environments.
Co-author Judeth Oden Choi, who recently received her doctoral degree from Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, highlighted the critical importance of this educational evolution.
“Gaps in the cybersecurity workforce threaten national security, commercial innovation and the nature of public discourse in the digital age,” she said in the news release. “The CyberSim Lab serves as a curricular bridge between the classroom and the workplace, supporting cybersecurity curriculum designers by sharing learning outcomes and teaching strategies drawn from the educational research literature and tailored to the cybersecurity educational context.”
Co-author Rotem Guttman, a doctoral student at the same institute, underscored the value of these resources, particularly for community colleges.
“The resources we identify are especially useful for under-resourced cybersecurity programs, such as those in community colleges,” he added.
Source: Carnegie Mellon University