DeapSECURE Computational Training for Cybersecurity: Third-Year Improvements and Impacts

The Data-Enabled Advanced Training Program for Cybersecurity Research and Education (DeapSECURE) was introduced in 2018 as a non-degree training consisting of six modules covering a broad range of cyberinfrastructure techniques, including high performance computing, big data, machine learning and advanced cryptography, aimed at reducing the gap between current cybersecurity curricula and requirements needed for advanced research and industrial projects. By its third year, DeapSECURE, like many other educational endeavors, experienced abrupt changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The training had to be retooled to adapt to fully online delivery. Hands-on activities were reformatted to accommodate self-paced learning. In this paper, we describe and assess the third and fourth years of the project and compare them with the first half of the project, which implemented in-person instruction. We also indicate major improvements and present future opportunities for this training program to advance the cybersecurity field