Exploring Open Educational Resources in Cyber Training

Abstract—Advances in internet technologies continue enabling users across the globe access to information on-demand and at low cost. Taking advantage of this proliferation of information sharing is transforming how individuals learn and develop new skills for use in everyday life. Open learning materials provide a unique opportunity to many life-long learners wishing to pursue their interests. Many initiatives for creating and adopting Open Educational Resources (OER) in traditional learning environments are showing great promise for enriching the learning experience. Open materials can offer new opportunities for individuals seeking knowledge; but many limitations of OER can influence the effectiveness in learning. As a new and rapidly evolving field, cybersecurity presents unique challenges for individuals wishing to develop new and refine existing knowledge to maintain relevance. Educators face additional challenges of keeping up with industry trends, preparing students with both technical and critical thinking skills to excel in the field, and developing cyber curricula that provide pathways to the workforce. As the demand for cyber professionals in the workforce increases; developing new pathways for students to acquire relevant skills becomes imperative for securing our culture’s digital infrastructure. This paper seeks to identify potential barriers and benefits for those wishing to supplement learning experiences in the field of cybersecurity by creating and adopting OER.

Index Terms—Open Educational Resources (OER), cyber education.

The authors are with the Beacom College of Computer & Cyber Sciences, Dakota State University, Madison, South Dakota 57042 USA (e-mail: alan.stines@mga.edu, houssain.kettani@dsu.edu).

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Cite: Alan A. Stines and Houssain Kettani, "Exploring Open Educational Resources in Cyber Training ," International Journal of Culture and History vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 10-13, 2019.