CYBERSECRITY IN EDUCATION AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirement for the degree of
Bachelor of Education
, ABSTRACT
Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important as we rely more on digital devices and
programs to conduct our daily lives, including the transfer and storage of personal information.
According to research, one of the most critical stages in improving cybersecurity is to implement
an effective security awareness program. In this work, we seek to understand the existing level of
security knowledge among college students, industry professionals and create a module to help
raise the awareness. Our module's primary elements are interaction and the display of alarming
effects of reckless cyber behaviors among common Internet/technology users. This report
presents a simple systematic literature analysis to examine the current position on cybersecurity
education. In our study, we evaluated and studied 25 research articles and publications that we
deemed to be the most relevant to the subject in order to extract and derive useful material with
instructional and practical value to cybersecurity education.We designed a survey and
interviewed 4 industry experts who are currently working in the cybersecurity field. More than
100 people participated in our survey and the results indicated that the majority of the
respondents are either non-cybersecurity majors or had not enough hands-on experience in cyber
security. It has raised a red flag for the future generation of our country. As a result, we have
designed a course based on the research, industry review and survey respondents on what needed
to be done to raise awareness and motivate students to pursue a career in cybersecurity.
Key words: Cybersecurity, cyber safety, cyber education, cyber awarenesss
,CHAPTER NO. 1
INTRODUCTION
Education is no longer limited to traditional classrooms in today's digital world. The incorporation
of technology into educational processes has created limitless possibilities, but it has also exposed
educational institutions to cybersecurity dangers. Education's cybersecurity has become critical, as
educational institutions hold massive amounts of sensitive data such as student records, financial
information, and intellectual property. Furthermore, cyber threats can interrupt learning settings,
halting academic activity and resulting in severe financial losses. Cybersecurity is one of the most
in-demand skills for Information Systems graduates, making it crucial to the Information Systems
curriculum. There is a significant shortage of qualified cybersecurity graduates. It is anticipated that
there would be a global shortage of nearly3.5 million cybersecurity specialists by 2025.
Organizations are having difficulty filling security personnel. According to Homeland Security's
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), firms are having difficulty filling
cybersecurity positions, posing a risk to national security.
Developing training programs that incorporate effective theoretical learning frameworks adapted to
meet industry goals is difficult. Previous research has shown outcome-based educational systems as
an effective strategy to teaching and learning. This strategy prioritizes the targeted results or
objectives that students should achieve by the course's end. These educational objectives determine
the course material, teaching methods, and evaluation systems.
Backward course design, a method of outcome-based educational design, is a deliberate and focused
approach to instructional course design that requires a fundamental shift in education. This transition
requires first considering the learning objectives before designing the teaching and learning
activities.
, To address this shortage, the research proposes strategies for promoting cybersecurity education in
schools, including integrating cybersecurity topics into existing curriculum subjects, organizing
cybersecurity awareness events, and establishing cybersecurity organizations or clubs, aiming to
prepare students to fill the cybersecurity talent gap; who can meet the industry demands.
The motivation of this paper is to look into the development of a cybersecurity curriculum that
effectively integrates technical, professional, and theoretical elements to meet industry needs while
also cultivating enthusiasm and engagement among students interested in pursuing a career in
cybersecurity. The objectives are as follows:
• Design a course strategy to organize the cybersecurity curriculum.
• Ensure that the course content is aligned with the industry's cybersecurity demands in order to
offset the lack of cybersecurity expertise.
• Increase students' interest in entering the cybersecurity sector.
The cybersecurity course, along with other courses in the concentration, aims to provide graduates
with the skills required to meet the current need in the cybersecurity sector. However, there has been
a lack of prior research that precisely addresses the theoretical foundation required for building a
cybersecurity course that meets industrial needs. To approach the current state of cybersecurity
education, we conducted a basic systematic literature review. Secondly, we conducted a literature
review on '25' research articles and publications that we deemed to be of the highest relevance to the
subject. Finally, we proposed a survey and interviewed four industry professionals who are currently
or have previously worked in the cybersecurity sector, after which we built a course to attract
students to the cybersecurity field.
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: In Chapter 2, we offer our initial research
questions, and survey methodology. In Chapter 3, we included a brief overview of each selected
paper based on the research questions.
Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirement for the degree of
Bachelor of Education
, ABSTRACT
Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important as we rely more on digital devices and
programs to conduct our daily lives, including the transfer and storage of personal information.
According to research, one of the most critical stages in improving cybersecurity is to implement
an effective security awareness program. In this work, we seek to understand the existing level of
security knowledge among college students, industry professionals and create a module to help
raise the awareness. Our module's primary elements are interaction and the display of alarming
effects of reckless cyber behaviors among common Internet/technology users. This report
presents a simple systematic literature analysis to examine the current position on cybersecurity
education. In our study, we evaluated and studied 25 research articles and publications that we
deemed to be the most relevant to the subject in order to extract and derive useful material with
instructional and practical value to cybersecurity education.We designed a survey and
interviewed 4 industry experts who are currently working in the cybersecurity field. More than
100 people participated in our survey and the results indicated that the majority of the
respondents are either non-cybersecurity majors or had not enough hands-on experience in cyber
security. It has raised a red flag for the future generation of our country. As a result, we have
designed a course based on the research, industry review and survey respondents on what needed
to be done to raise awareness and motivate students to pursue a career in cybersecurity.
Key words: Cybersecurity, cyber safety, cyber education, cyber awarenesss
,CHAPTER NO. 1
INTRODUCTION
Education is no longer limited to traditional classrooms in today's digital world. The incorporation
of technology into educational processes has created limitless possibilities, but it has also exposed
educational institutions to cybersecurity dangers. Education's cybersecurity has become critical, as
educational institutions hold massive amounts of sensitive data such as student records, financial
information, and intellectual property. Furthermore, cyber threats can interrupt learning settings,
halting academic activity and resulting in severe financial losses. Cybersecurity is one of the most
in-demand skills for Information Systems graduates, making it crucial to the Information Systems
curriculum. There is a significant shortage of qualified cybersecurity graduates. It is anticipated that
there would be a global shortage of nearly3.5 million cybersecurity specialists by 2025.
Organizations are having difficulty filling security personnel. According to Homeland Security's
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), firms are having difficulty filling
cybersecurity positions, posing a risk to national security.
Developing training programs that incorporate effective theoretical learning frameworks adapted to
meet industry goals is difficult. Previous research has shown outcome-based educational systems as
an effective strategy to teaching and learning. This strategy prioritizes the targeted results or
objectives that students should achieve by the course's end. These educational objectives determine
the course material, teaching methods, and evaluation systems.
Backward course design, a method of outcome-based educational design, is a deliberate and focused
approach to instructional course design that requires a fundamental shift in education. This transition
requires first considering the learning objectives before designing the teaching and learning
activities.
, To address this shortage, the research proposes strategies for promoting cybersecurity education in
schools, including integrating cybersecurity topics into existing curriculum subjects, organizing
cybersecurity awareness events, and establishing cybersecurity organizations or clubs, aiming to
prepare students to fill the cybersecurity talent gap; who can meet the industry demands.
The motivation of this paper is to look into the development of a cybersecurity curriculum that
effectively integrates technical, professional, and theoretical elements to meet industry needs while
also cultivating enthusiasm and engagement among students interested in pursuing a career in
cybersecurity. The objectives are as follows:
• Design a course strategy to organize the cybersecurity curriculum.
• Ensure that the course content is aligned with the industry's cybersecurity demands in order to
offset the lack of cybersecurity expertise.
• Increase students' interest in entering the cybersecurity sector.
The cybersecurity course, along with other courses in the concentration, aims to provide graduates
with the skills required to meet the current need in the cybersecurity sector. However, there has been
a lack of prior research that precisely addresses the theoretical foundation required for building a
cybersecurity course that meets industrial needs. To approach the current state of cybersecurity
education, we conducted a basic systematic literature review. Secondly, we conducted a literature
review on '25' research articles and publications that we deemed to be of the highest relevance to the
subject. Finally, we proposed a survey and interviewed four industry professionals who are currently
or have previously worked in the cybersecurity sector, after which we built a course to attract
students to the cybersecurity field.
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: In Chapter 2, we offer our initial research
questions, and survey methodology. In Chapter 3, we included a brief overview of each selected
paper based on the research questions.
