This funding establishes a new CISE Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) site focused on cyber security at the Dakota State University. The site will provide a diverse pool of in-service high school computer teachers in South Dakota with a quality experience conducting cutting-edge research in cyber security. The teachers will develop research based materials and activities which they will incorporate into their classes during the academic year. State secondary computing curricula will be updated to include cyber security and outreach will be conducted to reach a wide audience of teachers and students within the state. This site is co-funded by the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in strong research basis and the expertise of the faculty. The project team has significant related research and experience in educational applications and K-12 school outreach. The projects are in research areas that are in an area of national priority and of interest to teachers and their students. The project also has the potential to make a significant contribution to the discipline of computer science education through the development, implementation, and testing of materials and methods for infusing cyber security into the secondary computing curriculum.
The broader impacts of the project include providing a quality research experience to teachers and the incorporation of sound instructional models into the K-12 schools. The project includes many activities and outreach efforts that should impact an area that is somewhat geographically isolated and that is surrounded by a diverse population. The project has the potential to create a sustainable partnership between the university and schools that can provide long-lasting benefits to the community.
at Dakota State University in South Dakota. The objective is to provide a diverse pool of in-service high school computer teachers with experiences of conducting cutting-edge research in cyber security. During the project time period in the last three years, the RET site offered an 8-week summer program for 10 teachers each year to conduct research with faculty at DSU. The main outcomes of the project are summarized as below. First, RET participants have gained valuable research experiences in cyber security: there were total 30 in-service high school teachers in South Dakota who had participated in the summer programs in the last three years. RET participants were paired together and worked closely with DSU faculty to conduct research projects in cyber security. Our research projects focused on security and privacy issues on emergent technologies such as software security testing, penetration testing, computer forensics, and mobile security. RET participants have gained valuable research experiences in the fields. Each RET participant also had the opportunity to attend special topics in cyber security in the 8-week summer program. The special topics covered in the summer program include cryptography, network security, principles of information assurance, etc. RET participants were able to establish a solid knowledge base in cyber security by attending these special topics. Second, RET participants were able to incorporate their research experiences into classroom activities to benefit more high school students. Teaching workshops were organized in the summer program to help RET participants to incorporate their research experiences into classroom activities. Tools, labs, and assignments were shared with RET participants to help them develop classroom activities. We were able to support and help high school teachers develop new courses in computer science and cyber security fields. For example, in 2014, we supported four teachers to develop new courses in programming and cyber security. One of the security courses developed by our previous RET participants has been approved and offered in the Sioux Falls school district in 2015. There are more activities in cyber security which have been incorporated or will be incorporated into high school curriculums by our RET participants. More students will benefit from this project in the next a few years. Third, the project has strengthened the partnerships of many high schools in South Dakota with DSU: The RET project team worked closely with high schools and high school teachers in South Dakota. We have received many exciting news from RET participants about high school students choosing DSU to develop their careers in cyber security. The project has strengthened the partnerships of many high schools with DSU. Fourth, the project provided a non-traditional way for faculty to disseminate their research and findings: DSU faculty were able to disseminate their research and findings to high school teachers and thus reach many more high school students to create more impact in the community. This RET project was very successful in the last three years. The RET project team put many efforts in recruiting and organizing the program. The project also received tremendous support from DSU and high schools in South Dakota. Our RET participants loved our program. Here is a comment from one of our RET participants. "I truly appreciate all the opportunities that DSU has provided over the past couple of years and hope there may be more in the future. Because of those experiences and the awesome faculty I have worked with, I have been encouraging students that are thinking about technology in their future to take a serious look at DSU as a possibility." This project provided a great opportunity for DSU faculty and high school teachers to work together resolving security challenges in today’s world. Teachers participating in the program have gained valuable experiences by conducting research projects in cyber security. They are also able to incorporate their research experiences into high school curriculums and transfer their knowledge to more high school students due to their participation in the project. The impact of this project is beyond the project time period. The courses developed, special topics in cyber security, and activities incorporated into the classrooms will help more high school students develop career interests in cyber security and increase their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs in general.
