Computer science department hosts cybersecurity academy for teachers
Monday, June 24, 2024
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University’s Department of Computer Science will welcome 24 Oklahoma K-12 educators to the Stillwater campus for the 2024 GenCyber Cowboy Teacher Cybersecurity Academy on June 24-28.
Through a collaboration between department faculty and the Center for Research on STEM Teaching and Learning, educators will spend time exploring computer science and cybersecurity through hands-on activities that can then be translated into lesson plans for their classrooms.
“The curriculum is designed in compliance with the unique state standard for the teachers to be able to translate their experience and knowledge from GenCyber into the instructions and lessons back in their home schools with all the barriers removed,” said Dr. Nohpill Park, computer science associate professor and co-PI on the GenCyber project.
The department is offering the program with funding from the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Cong Pu, computer science assistant professor, said offering this space for educators to learn will improve outcomes for K-12 students.
“It is our hope that teachers will be well-prepared to ignite, increase and sustain our children’s awareness of cybersecurity so that they can be better prepared to thrive in the current cyber threat environment,” said Pu, who is PI on the GenCyber project.
In addition to building awareness of safety and security, the pair hopes to instill an interest in cybersecurity careers to support the future security workforce.
“GenCyber will establish a great foundation for the cyber security education in the state,” Park said. “Our goal is to have a good layer of workforce preparedness to ultimately narrow the gap between the demand and supply [of employees] in the field of cyber security in the state and across the nation.”
This four-day program is free to educators and offers a $1,200 stipend for completing all three pre-academy, post-academy and summer academy sessions.
To learn more about GenCyber Cowboy Teacher Cybersecurity Academy, click here.
Story By: Erin Weaver, CAS Communications Coordinator | erin.weaver@okstate.edu