| NSF Org: |
DGE Division Of Graduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | December 17, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 22, 2024 |
| Award Number: | 2028426 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Ambareen Siraj
asiraj@nsf.gov (703)292-8182 DGE Division Of Graduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $399,203.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $399,203.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3 NORMAN PL ARMONK NY US 10504-1511 (212)674-5831 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
100 Avenue of the Americas, 16th Floor New York NY US 10013-1689 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
CISE Education and Workforce, IUSE, Secure &Trustworthy Cyberspace |
| Primary Program Source: |
04002122DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Cybersecurity talent is critically needed across the U.S. to ensure the protection of data related to
defense, labor workforce, healthcare, financial ecosystem, and more. This directly aligns with part of the National Science Foundation?s Strategic Plan "to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes". To address the need for more cybersecurity professionals, CSforALL (New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education) has launched a privately-funded demonstration project to include cybersecurity as a part of courses that Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) students take in high school. The project now proposed aligns the ongoing demonstration project with rigorous research to investigate the impacts of the JROTC computer science (JROTC-CS) program on student and institutional outcomes for cybersecurity and computer science education. The project will specifically examine the impact of the JROTC-CS program across varying contexts, such as race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, access to broadband, and geographic location. The results will inform adaptation of the program?s design and implementation to ensure that the program provides equitable opportunities to students to learn computer science and cybersecurity. The outcome of this study will include new instruments for the collection of data to measure the impact of a cybersecurity education experience on high school students. It will also contribute to our understanding of how these education experiences impact academic achievement and interest in pursuing additional courses and careers in cybersecurity and how to improve cybersecurity education in high schools.
This three-year impact study will address two overarching research questions. First, it will examine the ways in which the JROTC-CS experience impacts the cognitive (e.g. knowledge and skills) and non-cognitive (e.g. social and emotional behaviors) development of JROTC cadets. Second, it will examine the ways in which the JROTC-CS experience impacts the school curriculum program in Computer Science and Cybersecurity. For example, does the JROTC-CS program lead to an increase in: the number of courses in computer science and cybersecurity that are offered, awareness of inequities in these courses, additional professional development experiences for teachers, or additional students at the schools who are engaged in computer science and cybersecurity? Aligning the current JROTC-CS demonstration project with research on multiple and confounding factors will provide evidence for ensuring a high-quality improvement science model that improves implementation of the project as it scales.
This project is supported by the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program, which funds proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and in this case specifically cybersecurity education. The SaTC program aligns with the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan and the National Privacy Research Strategy to protect and preserve the growing social and economic benefits of cyber systems while ensuring security and privacy.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Over the four years of this project, significant strides have been made to advance research and understanding in computer science (CS) and cybersecurity education within the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. These activities have included the development of innovative theoretical models, rigorous data analysis, new measurement tools, and impactful dissemination efforts.
Development of the ToI-CAPE Framework
A unique Theory of Impacts (ToI) was created to evaluate the program’s outcomes and research questions. This ToI-CAPE framework, rooted in the CAPE (Capacity, Access, Participation, and Experience) model, disaggregates the components and desired impacts of the JROTC-CS program. By aligning program elements with specific measures, this novel framework provides a structured approach for assessing progress and has been recognized as a significant contribution to the field.
Comprehensive Data Analysis and Adaptations
Year 1 saw an in-depth analysis of data collected from various touchpoints, including engagement, program implementation, and impacts on cadets and schools. The results highlighted the negative impact of COVID-19 on data collection, especially regarding cadets’ experiences in CS and cybersecurity education. To address these challenges, the project team revamped their Year 2 strategy, focusing on qualitative data collection to better capture the student experience.
Research and Measurement Innovations
The project team conducted a qualitative study to assess the impacts of the intervention on the first cohort of Air Force JROTC cadets. Additionally, they completed a systematic literature review on measurement tools aligned with the K-12 Cybersecurity Education Standards. A new survey instrument was developed to assess students’ self-efficacy in information security (InfoSec). This measure was tested for reliability and validity using both college and high school student populations, employing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.
Reports, Publications, and Presentations
Key findings from Year 1 were compiled into two reports published in December 2021: the Individual School Report and the Aggregated Evaluation Report, which summarized the program's impact on participating schools. The project also yielded multiple high-profile publications and presentations:
- A journal article on the impact of COVID-19 on high school CS education using the CAPE framework.
- A journal article on the ToI-CAPE model for evaluating interventions systematically.
- Papers and posters presented at ASEE 2022, including evaluations of multi-school interventions and discussions on equity in CS education.
- A webinar in July 2021 focusing on COVID-19's impact on high schools offering CS education.
Resource Contributions and Professional Engagement
The project contributed three evaluation instruments to the NSF-funded CSEdResearch.org resource center: qualitative and quantitative measures of COVID-19’s impact on CS education and the new self-efficacy instrument. The team also engaged actively with the broader academic and practitioner community by presenting at key conferences, including:
- The NSF SaTC-EDU Principal Investigator meeting (May 2022).
- The NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference (December 2022).
- The 2024 SIGCSE Virtual Conference and the 2023 ASEE conference.
Through these efforts, the project has advanced understanding of CS and cybersecurity education within JROTC programs, addressed challenges posed by the pandemic, and provided valuable tools and insights for the broader educational community.
Last Modified: 01/24/2025
Modified by: Monica M Mcgill
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