Discipline: Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
Subcategory: Computer Science & Information Systems
Session: 2
Niambi A. McCoy - Norfolk State University
Co-Author(s): Dr. Yuying Shen, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA.
Our Methods of Social Research course at NSU, SOC 344 teaches the basic principles and procedures of quantitative and qualitative research methodology, the basic procedures of the social scientific inquiry and research design, basic techniques of quantitative and qualitative data gathering and analysis in the social sciences, particularly sociology. It also introduces our undergraduate students to basic data analysis skills with tools such as the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences.( SPSS,SAS, & R).’Stronger cybersecurity starts with a data and analytics strategy.’ The present study proposes to integrate instructional modules to combine cybersecurity into social research methods courses. We hypothesize that our instructional module, composed of lectures,concepts and computer lab assignments, will broaden our social science undergraduate students? knowledge of cybersecurity beyond the use of it in technology courses.
We have proposed to have two instructional teaching modules composed of instructional lectures, computer lab sessions, and assignments to integrate cybersecurity in our course (Methods of Social Research).The pre- and post-test surveys were conducted to evaluate the module infusion process. Professional assessments and feedback from a professor who has been participating in the instructional session were obtained. Additionally, pre- and post-tests surveys were conducted in order to assess the impact of the modules on the targeted undergraduate students. Our hypotheses were tested with measurable objectives and specific evaluation method for each instructional activity. Further, statistical analysis of ANCOVA was performed with SPSS 22.0 to test the difference in the repeated outcome variables, based on a pre-test and post-test survey.
A randomized group of NSU undergraduates majoring in sociology, social work, and health management has voluntarily participated in our first two instructional modules.The preliminary analysis of data we have collected indicates improvement in knowledge and awareness of social science study and research along with cybersecurity concepts. By infusing cybersecurity concepts into methods of social research it provides students with a better grasp of how to address integrity issues that may arise within technology. Undergraduate students will be provided a cultural understanding of cybersecurity concepts, which can lead to a better online environment. In the future, this research can lead towards an updated understanding of social statistics and computer technology. For example, before our instructional session of data integrity our students are unaware of hash number or how to use a hash number. Before 50% of students were unsure, however after the lecture of the of data integrity respondents believed that databases can be maliciously impactful in social science increased to a 40-percentile.There was a 10-percentage point increase from the post-test score over the pre-test condition. Our statistical analysis with SPSS further supported the changes in our social science students’ knowledge and awareness of cybersecurity.
This project supports the dissemination of cybersecurity from its respective discipline of technology and supports the use within the discipline of social science. It allows undergraduate students to conceptualize critical technological concepts and apply them to Social Sciences such as Sociology, Psychology, and Anthropology. The infusion of the two also address the worldview of being cyber secure, and validates the versatility of cybersecurity.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): The present study was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF Award No. 1623201 ?Project: Targeted Integration Project: Security Pedagogy across the Curriculum: A Model to Integrate Cybersecurity into the Social Research Methodology).
Faculty Advisor: Yuying Shen, yshen@nsu.edu
Role: I have been involved in many aspects of the project as a research assistant. I have used the research method of secondary data analysis to review literature reviews on cybersecurity in regards to the use of it within social sciences. I discussed both the pros and cons of secondary data analysis and used some examples of how it is used in social science. Some supplemental additives of my research consisted of the significance of hash values and the role that it plays within security codes. Along with this,I was responsible for defining the code of data software that is used for hash numbers for example SPSS, and SAS,(Statistical Analysis System). Lastly, I was involved in the construction of the project and finding empirical data that would help support our hypothesis.