Beyond Skills to Competencies Workshop

Many cyber security education initiatives are focused on imparting a discrete set of skills to students, which are often devoid of authentic contexts. The prevailing trend in international cyber security education is that skills-based approaches should be supplemented or even replaced by strategies that focus on competencies.

In [1], a contextual definition for “competency” is given as follows: “Competency is the ability for the student to complete a task within the context of a work role.”

Subsequently, competency statements (as used within learning programmes) seek to ensure that learners have the capability to apply a set of related knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes and abilities, which are required to successfully perform “critical work functions”, and that are observable and can be evidenced in an authentic context.

[1] further states that “Bringing competency statements into classroom-based activities is not a push for vocational education. A competency statement is a learning outcome, but not all learning outcomes are competency statements”.

In this workshop, attendees will explore the Competency in Cybersecurity Education handbook and how it might be used to inform a collaborative competency-based pedagogy, which can be piloted between participating institutions.

Workshop Aims Include

• Exploring insight and analysis of the  Competency in Cybersecurity Education handbook.

• Identifying benefits, limitations, barriers and opportunities.

• Proof of concept competency statements for a Cyber Security Operations Lifecycle case study.

• Exploration of how a competency pedagogy can be established as a collaborative pilot between institutions. For example:

  • How might competencies be assessed and evidenced at different institutions.

  • Capturing student voices and opinions.

  • Academic workloads

  • Resistance to change

  • Impacts on module descriptors, QA processes, labs, learning experiences.

    
    

This workshop is an Innovation in the Classroom Special Interest Group initiative.

References

[1] “Competency in Cybersecurity Education A handbook for educators at NCAE-C designated institutions.” Accessed: Nov. 25, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.caecommunity.org/sites/default/files/national_centers/CPNC_CYBER_EDU_Competency_Handbook_Mar%202024.pdf

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