Cybersecurity education and training are provided in a variety of ways. These include online/face-to-face courses, online self-study (e.g., Skillsoft Skillport), reading textbooks/periodicals, and video presentations. Of the various approaches, which do you feel is the most effective? Are there any recommendations you could provide to help improve the ways that cybersecurity knowledge is conveyed?
Of the options given, face-to-face courses and video presentations are the most beneficial in teaching cybersecurity knowledge, in my opinion. This is because of the interaction between the professor and students and the guidance that’s provided in its structure. A face-to-face course forces students to be engaged by having it be the primary source of information, and a video presentation can do the same for people who have that preference. While other methods like online courses, self-study, and textbooks can be helpful as well, there are restrictions. For example, doing online courses and self-study can give the students direct control over the rate at which they learn, but there is little to no interaction, and there can be a sense of aimlessness when there is a pile of assignments that need to be done but there is no structure for it. For textbooks, while they can be dense with useful information, at the same time, that density can be overwhelming to the brain if it is primarily text the information will then start to blend and not be retained as easily.
Regarding recommendations to improve teaching cybersecurity knowledge, a primary method is emphasizing hands-on activities or labs. This form of teaching can be effective by directly applying the concepts being taught, which can retain the information more. This also helps students to better grasp concepts and use them in real-world situations.