Discipline: Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
Subcategory: STEM Research
Carlene Turner - Norfolk State University
Co-Author(s): Claude Turner, Kianga Thomas, Yuying Shen, Robert Perkins, Cheryl Hinds, Jonathan Graham
The work that will be presented in our poster is based on the analysis of infusing cybersecurity modules within the sociology and criminal justice undergraduate curricula through experiential learning at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The project’s research questions are: (1) How has cybersecurity infusion impacted social science students’ security awareness; (2) Has experiential learning technique improved students’ application of cybersecurity; and (3) Can a standardized evaluation model facilitate the analysis of cybersecurity infusion? The methodological techniques that are being used to analyze the research questions are: (1) A Quasi Experimental design which captures students’ students’ learning through pre and post-tests after socio-cybersecurity module integration; (2) A quantitative descriptive analysis of the feedback from a socio-cybersecurity faculty workshop; and (3) A tracer survey on the population that was taught all the socio-cybersecurity modules from a HBCU-UP Targeted Infusion Project, projected to run from 2018-2019. T-Test analysis will be used to evaluate the data from the pre-and post-test; while multiple regression will used to analyze the tracer study results. The learning theory that frames the research question is Vygotsky’s social constructivism of learning. This will be complemented by other constructivism learning theories, such as Wankat and Oreovicz scientific learning cycle paradigm; and Sociologists W.I. and Dorothy Thomas’ social construction of reality. Research outcomes based on these theories should add to the discourse on experiential learning of non-computer science students being trained in cybersecurity. The expected outcome from this research project should demonstrate the effectiveness of experiential learning in acquiring solid cybersecurity knowledge and awareness. It will also explain the impact of faculty training on the production of experiential learning modules. The analyses will also delineate the impact of demographic and situational variables in shaping the experiences of non-computer science students at a HBCU as they were engaged in hands-on, experiential learning.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF's HBCU-UP Targeted Infusion Project
Faculty Advisor: None Listed,