North Carolina Teachers Bring Cybersecurity to Classrooms with Help from GenCyber Teacher Camp Led By Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology Florence Martin

At the GenCyber Teacher Camp, NC State professors Florence Martin and Aydin Aysu provided North Carolina teachers with comprehensive training to introduce critical cybersecurity concepts and careers to their students.

North Carolina middle and high school teachers are learning how to incorporate cybersecurity content into their classrooms through the GenCyber Teacher Camp, led by NC State College of Education Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology Florence Martin.

Sponsored by a grant from the National Security Agency (NSA), the camp introduced educators from more than a dozen North Carolina counties to cybersecurity topics and skills that will enable them to increase students’ access to cybersecurity careers.

Prior to attending the in-person camp on July 15 and 16, teachers participated in six online modules related to cybersecurity concepts, cyber ethics and safety, cryptography, real-world cybersecurity, cyber policies and cybersecurity careers. They then designed three cybersecurity lessons to implement in their classrooms during the upcoming school year.

“Only a few schools in North Carolina offer courses on cybersecurity at the middle or high school level. The GenCyber teacher camp provided NC teachers with the conceptual, technical, and pedagogical knowledge and skills needed to teach cybersecurity,” Martin said. “It was rewarding to see teachers actively participate in both the online modules and the in-person camp empowering them to teach cybersecurity.”

The GenCyber professional development was designed by Martin and NC State College of Engineering Assistant Professor Aydin Aysu in collaboration with NC State doctoral students, a mentor teacher and researchers from the College of Education and Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, including Research Scholar Rebekah Davis.

In feedback to the project team, participating teachers said they particularly enjoyed the blend of theory, resources and practical activities offered in the professional development as well as learning coding programs from experts. One participant described the in-person session as “the most engaging, informational and interactive [professional development] I have participated in.”

Educators who participated in the GenCyber camp will continue to engage with NC State researchers as well as cybersecurity professionals online throughout the fall and will attend a future learning convening where they will have an opportunity to share about the implementation of the lessons they created and hear from speakers in various cybersecurity careers.