{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1945"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1945","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Teaching cybersecurity: a project-based learning and guided inquiry collaborative learning approach","abstract":"Cybersecurity is integral to modern life but it is often overlooked and taken for granted, creating an ever-increasing problem for governments, businesses, and consumers alike and costing billions of dollars in investments losses, disaster recovery expenses, and regulatory fines. Compounding this problem is the alarming shortage of cybersecurity professionals worldwide that has continued to worsen. In 2015, industry experts estimated a shortfall of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals by 2019. The revised estimate in 2019 was 3 million and growing. For these reasons, educating and training cybersecurity professionals has become a top priority for governments and companies around the world. This research study investigates the performance of established student-centered active learning models. It combines Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Guided Inquiry Collaborative Learning (GICL) learning models to teach cybersecurity. Following Bloom’s Taxonomy pedagogical practices, a PBL-GICL framework and activities were developed for teaching a Cybersecurity Biometrics class. Scaffolding activities included items like lab assignments, guided inquiry questions, and a semester long project where students, through experimentation, designed and developed an optical fingerprint reader using a Raspberry Pi, a camera, a prism, and a 3D printed case. Embedded assessments consisting of a survey, peer reviews, exam questions, and research data from a published study that uses Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) to teach cybersecurity modules, are used to evaluate the following research questions: 1. How does PBL-GICL approach compare to POGIL as a learning model for teaching cybersecurity? 2. How effective is the PBL-GICL approach for teaching cybersecurity concepts? 3. What are the challenges and opportunities in implementing PBL-GICL to teach cybersecurity? Quantitative analysis of the survey data suggests that PBL-GICL performance is comparable to POGIL and exceeds it in categories like teamwork experience, motivation, and engagement. The data also suggests that the PBL-GICL approach is an effective student-centered learning model for teaching cybersecurity concepts. Lastly, several challenges concerning online teaching and opportunities for process improvements to implement PBL-GICL are discussed. These findings are important to mitigate the shortfall of qualified cybersecurity professionals by identifying effective student-centered active learning models that motivate and engage students.","abstract_html":"Cybersecurity is integral to modern life but it is often overlooked and taken for granted, creating an ever-increasing problem for governments, businesses, and consumers alike and costing billions of dollars in investments losses, disaster recovery expenses, and regulatory fines. Compounding this problem is the alarming shortage of cybersecurity professionals worldwide that has continued to worsen. In 2015, industry experts estimated a shortfall of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals by 2019. The revised estimate in 2019 was 3 million and growing. For these reasons, educating and training cybersecurity professionals has become a top priority for governments and companies around the world. This research study investigates the performance of established student-centered active learning models. It combines Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Guided Inquiry Collaborative Learning (GICL) learning models to teach cybersecurity. Following Bloom’s Taxonomy pedagogical practices, a PBL-GICL framework and activities were developed for teaching a Cybersecurity Biometrics class. Scaffolding activities included items like lab assignments, guided inquiry questions, and a semester long project where students, through experimentation, designed and developed an optical fingerprint reader using a Raspberry Pi, a camera, a prism, and a 3D printed case. Embedded assessments consisting of a survey, peer reviews, exam questions, and research data from a published study that uses Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) to teach cybersecurity modules, are used to evaluate the following research questions: 1. How does PBL-GICL approach compare to POGIL as a learning model for teaching cybersecurity? 2. How effective is the PBL-GICL approach for teaching cybersecurity concepts? 3. What are the challenges and opportunities in implementing PBL-GICL to teach cybersecurity? Quantitative analysis of the survey data suggests that PBL-GICL performance is comparable to POGIL and exceeds it in categories like teamwork experience, motivation, and engagement. The data also suggests that the PBL-GICL approach is an effective student-centered learning model for teaching cybersecurity concepts. Lastly, several challenges concerning online teaching and opportunities for process improvements to implement PBL-GICL are discussed. These findings are important to mitigate the shortfall of qualified cybersecurity professionals by identifying effective student-centered active learning models that motivate and engage students.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Phuong, Chang"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Yang, Li","Ellis, Jennifer; Xie Mengjun; Qin, Hong","College of Engineering and Computer Science"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:47:06Z","subjects":["Computer security; Process-oriented guided inquiry learning; Project method in teaching"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/769","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Yang, Li","Ellis, Jennifer; Xie Mengjun; Qin, Hong","College of Engineering and Computer Science"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Phuong, Chang"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2022-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Doctoral dissertations","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Computer security; Process-oriented guided inquiry learning; Project method in teaching"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/769"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Computational Science","Ph. D.; A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Cybersecurity is integral to modern life but it is often overlooked and taken for granted, creating an ever-increasing problem for governments, businesses, and consumers alike and costing billions of dollars in investments losses, disaster recovery expenses, and regulatory fines. Compounding this problem is the alarming shortage of cybersecurity professionals worldwide that has continued to worsen. In 2015, industry experts estimated a shortfall of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals by 2019. The revised estimate in 2019 was 3 million and growing. For these reasons, educating and training cybersecurity professionals has become a top priority for governments and companies around the world. This research study investigates the performance of established student-centered active learning models. It combines Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Guided Inquiry Collaborative Learning (GICL) learning models to teach cybersecurity. Following Bloom’s Taxonomy pedagogical practices, a PBL-GICL framework and activities were developed for teaching a Cybersecurity Biometrics class. Scaffolding activities included items like lab assignments, guided inquiry questions, and a semester long project where students, through experimentation, designed and developed an optical fingerprint reader using a Raspberry Pi, a camera, a prism, and a 3D printed case. Embedded assessments consisting of a survey, peer reviews, exam questions, and research data from a published study that uses Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) to teach cybersecurity modules, are used to evaluate the following research questions: 1. How does PBL-GICL approach compare to POGIL as a learning model for teaching cybersecurity? 2. How effective is the PBL-GICL approach for teaching cybersecurity concepts? 3. What are the challenges and opportunities in implementing PBL-GICL to teach cybersecurity? Quantitative analysis of the survey data suggests that PBL-GICL performance is comparable to POGIL and exceeds it in categories like teamwork experience, motivation, and engagement. The data also suggests that the PBL-GICL approach is an effective student-centered learning model for teaching cybersecurity concepts. Lastly, several challenges concerning online teaching and opportunities for process improvements to implement PBL-GICL are discussed. These findings are important to mitigate the shortfall of qualified cybersecurity professionals by identifying effective student-centered active learning models that motivate and engage students."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Teaching cybersecurity: a project-based learning and guided inquiry collaborative learning approach"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Yang, Li","Ellis, Jennifer; Xie Mengjun; Qin, Hong","College of Engineering and Computer Science"],"dc:creator":["Phuong, Chang"],"dc:date":["2022-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Computational Science","Ph. D.; A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy."],"dc:description.abstract":["Cybersecurity is integral to modern life but it is often overlooked and taken for granted, creating an ever-increasing problem for governments, businesses, and consumers alike and costing billions of dollars in investments losses, disaster recovery expenses, and regulatory fines. Compounding this problem is the alarming shortage of cybersecurity professionals worldwide that has continued to worsen. In 2015, industry experts estimated a shortfall of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals by 2019. The revised estimate in 2019 was 3 million and growing. For these reasons, educating and training cybersecurity professionals has become a top priority for governments and companies around the world. This research study investigates the performance of established student-centered active learning models. It combines Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Guided Inquiry Collaborative Learning (GICL) learning models to teach cybersecurity. Following Bloom’s Taxonomy pedagogical practices, a PBL-GICL framework and activities were developed for teaching a Cybersecurity Biometrics class. Scaffolding activities included items like lab assignments, guided inquiry questions, and a semester long project where students, through experimentation, designed and developed an optical fingerprint reader using a Raspberry Pi, a camera, a prism, and a 3D printed case. Embedded assessments consisting of a survey, peer reviews, exam questions, and research data from a published study that uses Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) to teach cybersecurity modules, are used to evaluate the following research questions: 1. How does PBL-GICL approach compare to POGIL as a learning model for teaching cybersecurity? 2. How effective is the PBL-GICL approach for teaching cybersecurity concepts? 3. What are the challenges and opportunities in implementing PBL-GICL to teach cybersecurity? Quantitative analysis of the survey data suggests that PBL-GICL performance is comparable to POGIL and exceeds it in categories like teamwork experience, motivation, and engagement. The data also suggests that the PBL-GICL approach is an effective student-centered learning model for teaching cybersecurity concepts. Lastly, several challenges concerning online teaching and opportunities for process improvements to implement PBL-GICL are discussed. These findings are important to mitigate the shortfall of qualified cybersecurity professionals by identifying effective student-centered active learning models that motivate and engage students."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/769"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Computer security; Process-oriented guided inquiry learning; Project method in teaching"],"dc:title":["Teaching cybersecurity: a project-based learning and guided inquiry collaborative learning approach"],"dc:type":["Doctoral dissertations","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:47:06Z"}