Exploring Incentives and Barriers to Cybersecurity Education
Faculty Mentor Name
Katy-Jan Bobseine
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
Current research highlights a deficiency in inventive strategies aimed at addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage. This underscores the need for initiatives underpinned by a thorough analysis of student attitudes toward cybersecurity education. The objective of this study is to identify potential barriers and driving forces behind cybersecurity learning to engage more students and help fill the workforce gap. A primary focus in this research involves the exploration of how students outside the realm of cybersecurity perceive the practical applications of cybersecurity skills across different disciplines. The study involved administering a survey open to all majors at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Prescott Campus. Through the survey, the researchers invited students to share their insights on past cybersecurity learning experiences and perceptions of the discipline more broadly, thereby uncovering potential motivators for student engagement in cybersecurity education. Through the deployed survey, the researchers hope to understand participant barriers to better combat cyber awareness/educational uninterest to produce campus wide changes, such as the implementation of a new cybersecurity course or the restructure of a previous one.
Exploring Incentives and Barriers to Cybersecurity Education
Current research highlights a deficiency in inventive strategies aimed at addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage. This underscores the need for initiatives underpinned by a thorough analysis of student attitudes toward cybersecurity education. The objective of this study is to identify potential barriers and driving forces behind cybersecurity learning to engage more students and help fill the workforce gap. A primary focus in this research involves the exploration of how students outside the realm of cybersecurity perceive the practical applications of cybersecurity skills across different disciplines. The study involved administering a survey open to all majors at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Prescott Campus. Through the survey, the researchers invited students to share their insights on past cybersecurity learning experiences and perceptions of the discipline more broadly, thereby uncovering potential motivators for student engagement in cybersecurity education. Through the deployed survey, the researchers hope to understand participant barriers to better combat cyber awareness/educational uninterest to produce campus wide changes, such as the implementation of a new cybersecurity course or the restructure of a previous one.