All technology professionals require basic proficiency in cybersecurity. However, typical computing curricula do not require any courses in cybersecurity. As a result, a majority of students graduate without any proficiency in cybersecurity relevant to the systems they will develop and use when they join the workforce. Moreover, cybersecurity electives often cover only technical topics, and technology professionals must understand how cybersecurity is influenced by social factors. This project will fill this curricular gap and will develop, deliver, and evaluate a suite of sociotechnical cybersecurity learning modules. These modules can then be used in standard computing curricula to create a cybersecurity proficient software workforce that can significantly enhance cybersecurity in the workplace. The modules will be used in capstone courses at Informatics at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and Indiana University (IU). The researchers will utilize the modules to create an assessment for the most critical and essential cybersecurity knowledge and skills. The outcomes of the research will advance the understanding of how students could develop sociotechnical cybersecurity proficiency as a part of their capstone experience. Since capstones are typically a graduation requirement, integrating cybersecurity learning within these courses will have the transformative effect of all students in the computing disciplines graduating with core cybersecurity knowledge. As a part of the research activities, several cohorts of undergraduates will receive cybersecurity training useful for their professional careers. The learning modules and assessments will be openly available to other educators and institutions.
SaTC: EDU: Collaborative: Incorporating Sociotechnical Cybersecurity Learning Within Undergraduate Capstone Courses