To support the workforce gap of skilled cybersecurity professionals, gamified pedagogical approaches for teaching cybersecurity have exponentially grown over the last two decades. During this same period, e-sports developed into a multi-billion dollar industry and became a staple on college campuses. In this work, we explore the opportunity to…

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a cybersecurity and digital forensics enrichment program for gifted and talented students to determine students' perceptions of this enrichment course. We evaluated data from 25 secondary education students and one educator to examine their perceptions of the program. Responses from students and the…

School psychologists and other school professionals are increasingly turning to digital citizenship programs to improve children's online safety. However, to date, there has been no rigorous outcome evaluation of these programs. The current study used a cluster randomized control trial methodology (CRCT) to evaluate the impact of the Be Internet…

The National Security Agency (NSA) awards Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) designations to institutions that commit to producing cybersecurity professionals who will work in careers that reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure. A review of the curricula in the 327 institutions and their degree programs reveal that only two…

This pilot study aims to assess the acceptability of Open University's training platform called Gamified Intelligent Cyber Aptitude and Skills Training course (GICAST), as a means of improving cybersecurity knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours in undergraduate students using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A mixed-methods, pre-post…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2023 through 2028 represents the planned direction of the organization for FYs 2023-2028. It continues the 40-plus year commitment to the mission to promote the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department's programs…

The objective of this audit was to determine whether the U.S. Department of Education's (Department) overall information technology (IT) security programs and practices were effective as they relate to Federal information security requirements. In fiscal year (FY) 2020, the focus of the audit was solely on Departmental Systems. This year the focus…

As a precursor to this annual report, in February 2018, the Department issued its "U.S. Department of Education Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years [FY] 2018-22" ("Strategic Plan") (see ED586968). The "Strategic Plan" establishes four broad, overarching goals--one goal each in the areas of K-12 education, postsecondary…