In this paper, we describe the development of an in-class exercise designed to teach students how to craft social engineering attacks. Specifically, we focus on the development of phishing emails. Providing an opportunity to craft offensive attacks not only helps prepare students for a career in penetration testing but can also enhance their…

The demand for qualified analytics professionals remains high with forecasts showing a continued need over the next few years. While this demand necessitates instruction in analytics in the classroom, many students find analytics concepts to be complicated and boring. This teaching brief describes a novel approach to teaching analytics through…

Despite recent high interest among researchers and practitioners in learning programming, even the most dedicated learners can struggle to find motivation for studying and practicing programming. Therefore, in recent years, several strategies (e.g., educational games, flipped classrooms, and visual programming languages) have been employed to…

Computational thinking (CT) activities are increasingly being integrated into early childhood schools. We focus on studying children's learning using an "unplugged" (non-computational) learning unit that considers a teacher's knowledge and classroom space and affords seamless adaptation into the classroom given the objects used in the…

Computational thinking (CT) is becoming increasingly important as a learning content. Subject-integrated approaches aim to develop CT within other subjects like mathematics. The question is how exactly CT can be integrated and learned in mathematics classrooms. In a case study involving 12 sixth-grade learners, CT activities were explored that…

Background: Today, the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and training is widely recognised and accepted. Computer programming courses have become essential in higher education to nurture students' programming, analysis and computational skills, which are vital for success in all STEM fields and areas.…

Quantum computers are at the forefront of computing; however, few people understand how they work and their capabilities. We present two versions of an interactive activity designed for high school students (ages 13 to 18) that introduce a core quantum concept--"entanglement." The first version illustrates a simple connection between two…

Technology educators often provide activities where pupils design programmed technological solutions (PTS) with various programming materials for developing pupils' technological knowledge related to PTS and digital technology. However, few studies have investigated how pupils experience these activities. To fill this gap in knowledge, this…

Recruiting tomorrow's information technology students is getting to be a challenging job even though there are a variety of many good-paying jobs in the field when they graduate. This is not just an issue for our department, Computer and Information Technology (CIT). According to experts, with declining birthrates, students determining there are…

Students completing undergraduate majors in chemistry are not typically required to undergo formal training in computer programming or coding. As a result, many chemistry students are graduating without skills in understanding, writing, or manipulating computer code. This skills gap places students at a disadvantage, considering the widespread and…

Background and Context: Block-based programming is a popular approach to teaching introductory programming. Block-based programming often works in the context of microworlds, where students solve specific puzzles. It is used, for example, within the Hour of Code event, which targets millions of students. Objective: To identify design guidelines…

This study aims to explore the influences of the CS-unplugged activities in developing problem solving skills of preschool children. The participants were 11 children (4-5 aged) enrolled in a public preschool and Code.org activities were used as an instructional package. Activity evaluation form and interviews were used to understand children's…

Cybersecurity education is becoming increasingly important in modern society, and hands-on practice is an essential element. Although instructors provide hands-on labs in their cybersecurity courses, traditional lab exercises often fail to effectively motivate students. Hence, many instructors desire to incorporate gamification in hands-on…

Higher education has embraced integrative learning as a means of enabling students to tackle so-called "wicked" problems, i.e. problems that are sufficiently complex, contested, and ambiguous that conventional, disciplinary specific approaches are inadequate to address. However, challenges remain in defining integrative learning…

Purpose: Debates are well known to encompass a variety of skills we would like higher education candidates to embody when they graduate. Design/methodology/approach: Debates in a classroom with computer science as the main subject has been popular in high schools particularly with emerging issues around the area, however it does not have as an…