Proposed curriculum development
Benjamin Bloom was one of the first scientists who systematically categorized the educational objectives and the related educational goals. The so-called “Bloom’s taxonomy” is one of the main principles of the educational sciences, which has been revised and updated in the last years (Bloom, 1956; Bloom 1969). In general, the taxonomy forms a hierarchical model for the classification of educational learning objectives into levels of specificity and complexity. The overall method tries to enhance the communication between educators on the design of curricula, exercises, and examinations. It has been adopted by related teaching philosophies that lean more on skills rather than on content. It consists of 6 layers, with the 3 bottom levels (remembering, understanding, and applying) denoting the basic understanding of the examined topic, while the coverage of the 3 top ones (analyzing, evaluating, and creating) reveals that the trainee has achieved a higher-order of thinking. The first three layers assess the trainee’s knowledge about the teaching content while skill development is promoted with “higher-order thinking”. This also forms the final aim of the Bloom’s taxonomy—building a culture of thinking. The Blooms taxonomy was chosen for the scope of our study, but since the topic of cyber security in relation to maritime SCADA systems is also associated with a very practical element in terms of training requirements, it was combined with so called Work Based Learning (WBL), which is an educational strategy that provides students with real-life work experiences where they can apply academic and technical skills and develop their employability.
The discussion revolves around a series of educational courses which will integrate the theoretical curriculum with the workplace to create a different learning paradigm. It has already been pointed out that: “Work-based learning deliberately merges theory with practice and acknowledges the intersection of explicit and tacit forms of knowing” (Raelin, 1997). Most WBL programs are generally university accredited courses, aiming at a win-win situation where the learner’s needs and the industry requirement for skilled and talented employees are both met. WBL programs are targeted to bridge the gap between the learning and the doing. Work-based learning strategies provide career awareness, career exploration opportunities, career planning activities and help students attain competencies such as positive work attitudes and other employable skills (Hamilton, S.F. & Hamilton, M.A. 1998; Stasz & Brewer, 1998). WBL encompasses a diversity of formal, non-formal and informal arrangements including apprenticeships, work placement and informal learning on the job. The key driver is the need for active policies to secure learning that meets the need of the workplace.
Indicative WBL strategies could include the following (Hamilton, S.F. & Hamilton, M.A., 1998; Stasz & Brewer, 1998; Axcelerate, 2020): Apprenticeship or internship or mentorship. An apprenticeship involves the student working for an employer where he or she is taught and supervised by an experienced employee of the chosen organization. The student is periodically evaluated for progress as per the skills and knowledge acquired, and maybe granted wages accordingly. At the end of the course, the student receives a certificate of service. The student learns in a realistic environment and gets the opportunity to apply his or her knowledge in real-world scenarios; Job shadowing. Job Shadowing is a short term opportunity that introduces the student to a particular job or career by pairing the student with an employee of the workplace. By following or ‘shadowing’ the employee, the student gets familiar with the duties and responsibilities associated with that job; Business/industry field trip. Field trips offer the students an insight in the latest technical advancements and business strategies of an enterprise. Students also gain awareness of the various career opportunities available and understand the driving forces of the community’s economy; Entrepreneurial experience. This includes setting up of specific business, right from the planning, organizing and managing stage to the risk control and management aspects of a business; Cooperative education. In cooperative education, the work experience is planned in conjunction with the technical classroom instruction. This method is used by universities that do not have access to state-ofart equipment required to transact the technical course practically; School-based enterprise. A school-based enterprise is a simulated or actual business run by the school. It offers students a learning experience by letting them manage the various aspects of a business; Service learning. This strategy combines community service with career, where students provide volunteer service to public and non-profit agencies, civic and government offices etc.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Importance of Cyber Security
- Knowledge areas
- Proposed curriculum development
- Summary and Conclusion
- References