Preparing High School and Community College Students for the Cybersecurity Workforce

为高中生和社区学院学生成为网络安全劳动力做好准备

• 批准号: 2000902
• 负责人: Michael Russell
• 金额: $ 36万
• 依托单位: Pittsburgh Technical Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-03-01 至 2025-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2000902&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Preparing; Community; College; Students; Cybersecurity

The growing number and sophistication of cybersecurity threats have created a need for many more workers with the knowledge and skills to protect digital infrastructure. To ensure the security of computers and information systems, all sectors need well-prepared technicians who can prevent, detect, and investigate cybersecurity breaches. Toward meeting this need, the project will launch a project designed to align K-12 curricula with industry needs and to foster proficiency in cybersecurity for students in the Pittsburgh area. Through this project, the College aims to: (1) increase the number of students, especially students from underrepresented groups, in its cybersecurity-focused associate degree program in information technology; (2) improve instruction to better prepare students for the local cybersecurity workforce; and (3) introduce educational activities into secondary schools to prepare students for further education in cybersecurity. The investigators will develop an innovative model for partnerships with high schools by collaborating with the Beaver County Career and Technology Center, which works with more than 17 high schools in the Pittsburgh area to prepare students in technical areas, including cybersecurity. To broaden participation in cybersecurity, the project team will target middle school and Career Tech Center students from underserved communities for participation in summer camps, cybersecurity competitions, conferences, and mentoring. To expand and strengthen cybersecurity instruction, the project team will engage teachers in applied active-learning-and-teaching methods using virtual lab environments and will offer workshops on curriculum development and topics in cybersecurity. To align the college's cybersecurity curriculum with needs of business and industry, the project team will enhance the advisory board's role in shaping the curriculum, providing presentations about the field, mentoring students, and designing internships and other pathways to jobs. The project will add instruction that helps students research the requirements for specific cybersecurity jobs and connect those requirements with the knowledge and skills they are developing in their coursework. The project evaluation will examine the effectiveness of virtual environments in training job-ready cybersecurity students, the effectiveness of industry-led approaches for encouraging high school students to apply to two-year cybersecurity programs, and the effectiveness of practices to engage business/industry partners in designing and developing curricula and recruiting students from underrepresented groups. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program, which focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

网络安全威胁的数量和复杂性不断增加，需要更多具备保护数字基础设施知识和技能的工人。为了确保计算机和信息系统的安全，所有部门都需要准备充分的技术人员来预防、检测和调查网络安全漏洞。为了满足这一需求，该项目将启动一个项目，旨在使 K-12 课程与行业需求保持一致，并提高匹兹堡地区学生的网络安全能力。通过该项目，学院的目标是：（1）增加以网络安全为重点的信息技术副学士学位课程的学生数量，特别是来自代表性不足群体的学生数量； (2) 改进教学，让学生更好地为当地网络安全劳动力做好准备； (3) 将教育活动引入中学，为学生接受网络安全的进一步教育做好准备。调查人员将与比弗县职业和技术中心合作，开发一种与高中合作的创新模式，该中心与匹兹堡地区超过 17 所高中合作，为学生提供包括网络安全在内的技术领域的培训。为了扩大对网络安全的参与，项目团队将针对来自服务欠缺社区的中学和职业技术中心的学生，让他们参加夏令营、网络安全竞赛、会议和指导。为了扩大和加强网络安全教学，项目团队将利用虚拟实验室环境让教师参与应用主动学习和教学方法，并将举办有关课程开发和网络安全主题的研讨会。为了使学院的网络安全课程与商业和工业的需求保持一致，项目团队将加强顾问委员会在制定课程、提供有关该领域的演示、指导学生以及设计实习和其他就业途径方面的作用。该项目将增加指导，帮助学生研究特定网络安全工作的要求，并将这些要求与他们在课程中发展的知识和技能联系起来。该项目评估将审查虚拟环境在培训网络安全学生做好就业准备方面的有效性、以行业为主导的鼓励高中生申请两年网络安全项目的方法的有效性，以及吸引商业/行业合作伙伴的实践的有效性设计和开发课程以及从代表性不足的群体中招收学生。 该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划重点关注推动国家经济发展的先进技术领域的技术人员教育。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，被认为值得支持以及更广泛的影响审查标准。