Theory of Experiential Career Exploration Technology (TECET): Increasing cybersecurity career interest through playable case studies

There is a large demand to fill cybersecurity jobs. To alleviate this need, it is important to generate interest in cybersecurity as a career. One way to do this is through job shadowing and internships. Using design science principles, we have built and tested a playable case study (PCS) where participants can act out a virtual internship and learn relevant cybersecurity skills. We ran a study with students in introductory university courses where they played through a simulated internship at a penetration testing company called CyberMatics. In the study we showed that a PCS format helps students 1) better understand what skills and traits are needed for, 2) more firmly decide whether to pursue, and 3) increase their confidence in their ability to succeed in a career in cybersecurity. Through this study we propose the Theory of Experiential Career Exploration Technology (TECET)

Designing Authentic Cybersecurity Learning Experiences: Lessons from the Cybermatics Playable Case Study

This paper reports our work on an educational simulation that we call the Playable Case Study (PCS). A PCS is characterized by a fictitious narrative integrated with real-world learning activities, helping students learn skills, knowledge, and dispositions relevant to a professional career. We describe a recent pilot test of a PCS focused on the discipline of cybersecurity, emphasizing the kinds of tensions and difficulties that can arise during the development of immersive, experiential learning experiences: a) challenges accompanying the work of interdisciplinary PCS teams, particularly maintaining technical accuracy while still developing an authentic and engaging narrative; b) reconciling the opportunities provided by the philosophy of the simulation with the need to scaffold educational experiences to support students’ capabilities; and c) integrating the PCS into the classroom environment. We also provide design recommendations, in the form of questions that others can consider if they are attempting to create similar educational experiences

An ecological model of STEM faculty instructional decision-making.

Individuals, with personal characteristics, are part of the population of STEM faculty within a department or college, who interact with other populations such as students and administrators to form the community. These living things interact with the nonliving parts of the environment, such as resources and classroom spaces, to form the ecosystem.</p

Contains the interview protocol and table of all assigned codes.

(DOCX)</p

Themes about instructional decision-making identified during the analysis of interview data.

Themes about instructional decision-making identified during the analysis of interview data.</p