Not everyone learns in the same way. While an auditory or visual learner may be able to master skills by watching an instructor perform a task, a kinesthetic learner will perform better if they perform the task themselves. Hands-on skills activities in your cybersecurity education can benefit all types of learners by providing opportunities for them to observe as well as perform.
In the landscape of higher education today, educators in all areas of STEM are being challenged to move beyond traditional methods of instruction (i.e. the lecture) to an approach that calls for an increased interactivity with students. Research from NTL indicates that learners remember more effectively when they can use skills to access, process and express their knowledge. Specific to cybersecurity, an integral piece of any learning is the opportunity to work in an interactive hands-on environment where problem-solving skills can be developed.
So why is it that higher education has yet to fully accept this learning method? One issue that rings true in cybersecurity is that it's dynamic, new tools and threats are introduced almost daily. It's difficult enough to staff professors with expertise in cybersecurity, let alone educators willing to update their curriculum that frequently. Keeping up with the pace of the industry has been a challenge and will continue to be a challenge until effective solutions are adopted. Integrating learning solutions online from a reliable and trusted educator may be the answer. For instance, at Cybint, our programs are developed by cybersecurity and intelligence experts from the Israeli Defense Forces Elite 8200 Unit and are kept up-to-date using an evergreen process in which all content is reviewed to include new information by semester.
It is estimated that 3.5 million cybersecurity positions world-wide will be unfilled by 2021 due to a shortage of cyber skills. Cybersecurity is a society-wide problem and one that will never be solved. However, with more students than ever attending college and career change professionals on the rise, it can be well managed. Preparing aspiring cybersecurity professionals with a more complete and balanced skill set enables them to be more effective in the fight against cybercrime and achieve greater long-term personal career impact.