Teaching Empirical Social-Science Research to Cybersecurity Students: The Case of "Thinking Like a Thief"

Susanne Barth, Pieter Hartel, Marianne Junger, Lorena Montoya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

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Abstract

We report on an educational experiment where computer science students perform empirical research into the human factor in cyber security. Most courses restrict students to work in a lab environment,but we encouraged our students to conduct a realistic experiment with real -world subjects. The students wrote a research proposal that had to be approved by the IRB. They then executed the proposal, collecting and analysing the data. Finally the students wrote and presented a paper a student conference. The main method of assessment is by peer review. After teaching the course for six years, we report on the exciting ideas our students came up wi th, and on the lessons we learned in teaching the course. The main conclusions are (a) offering complete freedom to choose research topics inspires students to design creative projects, (b) working with real subjects creates a stimulating learning experience, and (c) peer-review is a useful assessment tool .
Original languageEnglish
Article number8713278
Pages (from-to)8-16
Number of pages9
JournalIEEE Security & Privacy Magazine: building confidence in a networked world
Volume17
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Accepted author manuscript

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