Growing evidence indicates that incorporating hands-on exercises, such as cyber games and interactive simulations, increases student interest in Information Assurance (IA) studies and enhances their learning experience. Cyber games are highly interactive hands-on exercises in which students are asked to build IT network infrastructures and services while simultaneously managing and defending against realistic cyber attacks.
As part of an ongoing collaboration, UNC Charlotte and NC A&T State University (an historically Black institution), are developing faculty development workshops where participants will learn how to incorporate these games and interactive simulations into their classes. The workshop materials, based on successful experiences as well as incorporating best practices reported in literature, are being designed to satisfy a six key objectives: (i) targeting faculty members with traditional Computer Science backgrounds with limited system administration experience, (ii) building their instructional capability to provide students with cyber games and interactive simulations, (iii) keeping institutional resource commitment at a manageable level through the use of virtualization techniques, (iv) engaging and motivating students through challenging exercises based on realistic business scenarios, (v) increasing student interests in pursing IA studies through building their confidence in hands-on problem solving skills, and (vi) promoting students to work in teams.
Workshop participants include current IA faculty or those from institutions with a strong interest in, and with appropriate institutional commitment to introducing hands-on experiences during the academic year following each workshop. Special effort is being made to include faculty from institutions serving underrepresented populations.
