Active Learning in a Virtual Cybersecurity Apprenticeship
General description of the project
The project is a virtual apprenticeship embedded into a cybersecurity policy and law enforcement compliance and career-readiness course offered at Hostos Community College, a two-year CUNY college located in the South Bronx. The entire course is delivered and worked on virtually. During the apprenticeship, students as cyber-interns, work in teams to solve real world cybersecurity challenges. They analyze case studies of fraud, sabotage, espionage, theft, or intellectual property theft through the perspective of different analyst job roles. Students work with course faculty, student peers, and industry experts as mentors. The team assignments require the students to use the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST-a uniform protocol used across industries to prevent and mitigate cybercrimes) in their analyses and learn how to communicate with law enforcement, executives, peers, and compliance regulators. Career-readiness skills are offered on a virtual basis and include “Access to the Grow with Google” Career Readiness curriculum; virtual assistance with preparing a resume, cover letter and other employment correspondence; access to “HIRECAIMANS” and “Symplicity”, two online databases to view internship and job postings: and virtual Individualized and group career counseling sessions.
This project’s success is abundant. The knowledge and skills obtained by the students in the project position them to be recruited for employment in cybersecurity with an associate degree. Alternatively, if students are transferring to a four-year college, they are exposed in depth to the field of cybersecurity to which they will likely have had no prior knowledge or role model in their community. This is success for the students, College and industry by diversifying the field. Another success for the College is that due to the project and the exponential growth of cybercrime, the criminal justice major at Hostos has become the largest program at the College outside of liberal arts. National recognition has been achieved as Hostos was named a top 10 finalist in 2023 for the Aspen Prize, which honors community colleges with outstanding achievement in five areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, and equity for students of color and from low-income backgrounds. The course and apprenticeship enabled the college most recently to be accepted to apply for an NSF Advanced Technical Education grant to create an online cybersecurity major.
The project is cost-effective for all parties. The cost to the College is reduced since a larger number of students can be enrolled than in a face-to-face class. If this course becomes part of a state-approved online program, students outside the geographic area can be served. The cost to the students is decreased since students do not need to spend money commuting to a site. Industry’s costs are reduced since mentors can interact with potential recruits without paying to commute. Industry costs are reduced for onboarding training in soft skills since training will occur pre-employment at the College.
Technologies
The entire program is implemented virtually so students learn how to successfully navigate the virtual world, an essential skill in the post-covid 21st Century. They learn how to learn how to work in a team, and how to present-all online.
The technology used by students to interact with faculty, classmates and the mentors are conferencing applications such as Zoom, WhatsApp or Slack. When creating their team projects they use Excel, PowerPoint, Word, digital databases, Google docs and forms and video creating software to conduct research, calculate findings, and present their findings.
Explain project results
Through the apprenticeship and career readiness offerings project, students gain knowledge about cybercrime, cybersecurity techniques and the NIST framework. Most notably, they develop soft skills including critical thinking, teamwork, oral and written skills and presentation skills and are ready to apply to jobs in cybersecurity.
Recruits in cybersecurity frequently lack soft skills which must be honed over time. In order to fill this void, employers are seeking to recruit from educational programs which adequately prepare employees in hands-on and soft skills. Hostos Community Colleges’ student body is 85% Hispanic (HCC, 2021). According to a study by Frost & Sullivan in 2019, members of the Hispanic minority community compose 4% of the cybersecurity workforce. To increase recruitment of qualified cybersecurity employees, it is important to recruit from a previously untapped group.
Why it should be considered best practice?
This is project is a best practice because it provides exactly those skills that employers indicate that cybersecurity recruits lack-proper training in hands-on skills and soft skills using the complete online environment. It is a best practice since the field needs a new group of untapped employees to recruit. It is a best practice because it will diversify the current field which adds creativity and diversity. It can easily be replicated within a cybersecurity or law course using the plethora of academic resources online including OER resources. Real cyber-attacks such as breach of the Colonial Pipeline or the Solarwinds could be used as a case study. The cyber business community can be asked to be mentors on a voluntary basis and/or professors at the college can provide mentoring as part of their service requirement.
Highlights of your proposed presentation
1. Exposure to and experience in Cybersecurity for Hispanic students at a community college
2. Positioning Hispanic students to be recruited by Cybersecurity employers and diversifying the field
3. Access to precisely the skills which Cybersecurity employers are seeking including career & workforce readiness, soft skills and hands-on learning
4. Offering a cost-effective active learning experience using state-of-the-art technology
Lessons learned during the project’s implementation, which began in 2019, include the importance of mentorship and support for our student body. Because our students live in one of the poorest congressional districts in the US, they frequently work full-time and have heavy familial obligations, which limits their time to commit to schoolwork. The project’s faculty, mentors, and tutors must receive additional training in order to recognize signs that students are experiencing difficulties and when they should take the initiative to assist the students.
We have learned the significance of faculty involvement with student services and industry in order to enhance student learning and engagement. Through this initiative students are prepared for a career and are exposed to the skills necessary to be successful in the future. Students are able to explore specific career pathways in Cybersecurity, with in-person presentations from professionals that are in the FBI, CEO’s of Cybersecurity Companies and other industry experts. To ensure student engagement, faculty communicate with students via a mode of communication that reaches students, such as personal emails, blackboard, etc.
The Evaluation Committee will evaluate submitted proposals based on the following criteria. Each area will be rated on a scale from 1 to 7 (1= non-satisfactory; 7 =outstanding), for a maximum of 63 points.