Evaluation of an Internet of Things Device-Based Educational Approach to Engage a More Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce

Abstract

Cybersecurity education heavily utilizes competition-based approaches, such as capture-the-flag (CTF) games to support the need for a skilled cybersecurity workforce. Although CTFs expose students to cybersecurity work competencies, their competitive nature may contribute to the lack of diversity in cybersecurity programs. In response, we developed a technology-based, experiential learning approach utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) devices to educate learners about cybersecurity concepts. We evaluated the approach’s effectiveness in engaging and sparking interest in a diverse sample of high school students. Our results indicated that (a) all participants reported a moderate challenge-skill balance, (b) underrepresented minorities (URMs) reported significantly higher engagement than non-URMs, and (c) significantly more female students compared to male students reported increased levels of intent to pursue cybersecurity after participating in the learning activity. We present the approach, methods, results, implications, and recommendations for the use of IoT devices in cybersecurity education to train a more diverse workforce.

Keywords:

• Cybersecurity
• technology-based learning
• internet of things
• engagement
• minority
• diversity

Acknowledgments

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this manuscript are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ONR.

Disclosure statement

The authors report that there is no known conflict of interest that is financial or personal that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) under contract #N00014-21-1-2732.

Notes on contributors

Maureen Namukasa

Maureen Namukasa is a PhD student of Aviation Sciences at Florida Tech and a research scientist at ATLAS Lab. She has a B.S. in Industrial Psychology and an M.S. in Aviation Human Factors. Her research areas include training development, human performance, human-centered design, and Advanced Air Mobility.

Maria Chaparro Osman

Maria Chaparro Osman received a BS in Technical Communication and New Media from the University of South Florida, an M.S. in Aviation Human Factors, and a PhD in Aviation Sciences from Florida Tech. Her research areas include decision-making in novel conditions, training, Advanced Air Mobility, and remote-controlled unmanned systems.

Cherrise Ficke

Cherrise Ficke received a BS in Aviation Management and an MS in Human Factors in Aeronautics from Florida Tech. She also holds a Private Pilot’s License (PPL). Her research areas include decision-making, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations, human-agent teaming (HAT), augmented reality (AR), and virtual environments (VE).

Isabella Piasecki

Isabella Piasecki received a BS in Aviation Human Factors from Florida Tech’s College of Aeronautics. She holds a Private Pilot’s License (PPL) and her research background includes human-agent teaming (HAT) and training development.

TJ OConnor

TJ OConnor’s research has centered on computer security, emphasizing cybersecurity education, the security and privacy of IoT devices, wireless protocols, and software-defined networking. He is active in cybersecurity competitions and is the current coach for the FITSec Cybersecurity Team and previously coached the US Cyber Games Team.

Meredith Carroll

Meredith Carroll is a Professor of Aviation Human Factors at Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics. She has nearly 20 years of experience, both in industry and academia, studying human performance, human-computer interaction, and learning in complex systems within commercial aviation, military, and space applications.