2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Introduction: When spending a lot of time online, all users, regardless of age, are subject to various cybersecurity threats [1]. Young individuals are a specific target for these cybercrimes due to their lack of expertise in cybersecurity and cyber-safe habits. Despite the State of Ohio’s sponsored initiatives that benefit students, including $89 million for top-notch summer and after-school activities, there has not been a lot of focus on cybersecurity education at the high school level. This NSF-sponsored initiative's main objective is to educate high school students about cybersecurity through a free summer camp that includes lectures, lab sessions, and free lunch and snacks, focusing on including students from low-income and underrepresented families. It also aims to teach students to recognize fraudulent behavior in malicious apps by exposing them to apps that behave fraudulently.

Goals and Objectives: Cybersecurity awareness is essential since it lowers the possibility of assaults and safeguards data. Therefore, it's crucial to comprehend how to defend against viruses and hackers. Therefore, this project aims to educate high school senior and university freshmen students about cybersecurity topics, such as internet security, web security, cryptography, and malware, through a week-long experience. We aim to assist students in discovering and identifying their cybersecurity interests through this experience. Additionally, it gives students a chance to decide whether to pursue a career in this domain. The goal of this work is to provide interactive, self-paced learning modules that will help students become better problem solvers for actual cybersecurity challenges such as dealing with malware or phishing assaults. There is a sizable proportion of pupils from economically underprivileged and/or underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the public schools of the cities of the participating institutes. According to the Ohio Department of Education's School District Report Card, during the 2021–22 academic year, Toledo Public Schools (TPS) had around 71.4% minority enrollment and 86.8% economically disadvantaged families [2]. Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students make up 47.9% of the minority population at Munster High School (Indiana), which has 50% female students. 17% of the kids qualified for free or reduced meals [3]. Schools, colleges, and universities must comprehend the significance of cybersecurity to better prepare students for the risks associated with the internet. Students can learn to be safe and secure when accessing the internet and using technology.

Research Methodology and Activities: The developed content includes lectures on cybersecurity topics, including Introduction to Cybersecurity, Cryptography, Cyber Safety Practices, Malicious Software, and Internet and Web Security. In addition, several other interventions, such as hands-on experiments, app development exercises, “fake” apps, and an animation-based teaching tool, were employed. Drawing conclusions regarding students' perspectives on cybersecurity and their decision to pursue it as a career depends mainly on the data collected using surveys that were conducted before and after the interventions. The survey data is also used to assess respondents' financial situation by posing questions that can only partially account for, such as those that inquire about the price range of students’ personal devices, such as cell phones and laptops. Surveys were conducted in a pre/post setting, and the results indicated a positive change in the interest of students in pursuing a career in cybersecurity.

References
[1]. Jaccheri, F. Q. (n.d.). Cybersecurity awareness for children: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction.
[2]. Education, O. D. (2022). Ohio School Report Cards - Toledo City District Details .
[3]. News, U. (n.d.). https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/indiana/districts/school-town-of-munster/munster-high-school-7312.