Virginia Cyber Range helps educators keep pace with a changing cybersecurity field
Before cybersecurity educators can prepare the next generation of defenders, they need opportunities to challenge and advance their own skills. This summer, seventeen high school cybersecurity educators from eight states came to Virginia Tech to sharpen their own skills, taking back what they learned to reach more than 1,800 students this school year.
Hosted by the Virginia Cyber Range, part of Virginia Tech’s Division of Information Technology, and funded by the Department of War’s Cyber Institute at Norwich University, the weeklong Developing Educators in Cyber Readiness and Youth Pathway Training (DECRYPT) program gave experienced high school cybersecurity teachers hands-on experience with advanced tools, emerging technologies, and classroom-ready activities.
Going beyond introductory professional development, this year’s DECRYPT focused on educators already teaching cybersecurity who need to keep pace with a field where technologies, tools, and threats change rapidly.
“Cybersecurity doesn’t stand still, and neither can cybersecurity education,” said Shannon Beck, director of the Virginia and U.S. Cyber Ranges. “DECRYPT gives experienced teachers an opportunity to strengthen their technical skills, work hands-on with current tools and techniques to bring that practical knowledge directly back to their students while building their professional educator networks.”
During the week, educators tackled artificial intelligence challenges, networking, penetration testing, scripting, wireless security, and Capture the Flag challenge development. They built cybersecurity activities they are now using in their own courses.
The program’s reach extends well beyond the 17 educators who attended.
“Every teacher who attends DECRYPT goes back to a classroom full of students,” said Warren Lucero, information technology manager for the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering and DECRYPT camp coordinator. “This year, participants expect to reach more than 1,800 students with what they learned, making an impact far beyond the camp itself.”
Hands-on exercises using the Virginia Cyber Range’s cloud-based learning environments gave participants opportunities and new confidence to test tools, solve problems, and work through realistic cybersecurity scenarios without needing specialized equipment or labs.
The hands-on approach also gave participants new ideas they could immediately bring back to their classrooms.
“I gained a wealth of knowledge to take back to my students,” said Tiffany Reeves, a cybersecurity educator from Greenville, S.C.
For Naomi Chamblee, a cybersecurity educator from Shelbyville, Ky., the experience also expanded what she feels prepared to teach. “The training gave me confidence with tools and resources that I did not have access to before attending the camp,” Chamblee said.
DECRYPT reflects the Virginia Cyber Range’s broader commitment to strengthen cybersecurity education by investing in the educators who deliver the training. After a week of learning at Virginia Tech, participants return to schools across the country with new ideas, new technical skills, new classroom activities, and more ways to give students meaningful, hands-on cybersecurity experience.
